The Annunciation (tempera on panel, c.1475) by Piermatteo Lauro de’ Manfredi da Amelia (c.1450-1503/08) Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Like many paintings of the Annunciation during the Renaissance this little-known master from a small Umbrian town locates the subject in a setting which recalls the classically inspired features of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The Virgin and the angel Gabriel kneel in the foreground against this rather grand uncluttered space created by richly veined marble columns and soaring rounded arches. By placing the two figures on either side of the central arch Piermatteo da Amelia invests this moment in the narrative with an almost frozen quality. The symmetry of the Virgin and the arch angel’s positions, together with their muted responses, suggest a timeless quality to this meeting. Indeed, the Virgin’s absorption in her reading further enhances an atmosphere of contemplation. Is this the moment before Mary’s life will change forever? Gabriel gestures with his right hand upward toward the dove who is about to descend upon the Virgin. The viewer enters into the story unfolding before us, we know the words the angel will speak to Mary. Similarly, the Virgin’s prayerful devotion and serene expression conveys the gist of the phrase from Luke’s Gospel which will signal her assent: “Let it be to me according to your word.” Like the Virgin and Gabriel the viewer also finds herself poised on a threshold. Just as God lovingly invites Mary to participate in humanity’s salvation, so do we find ourselves called to accept God’s promise.
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