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The Annunciation

A work made of oil on panel, transferred to canvas.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on panel, transferred to canvas.

Date:

Completed by 1457

Artist:

Johann Koerbecke
German, about 1420–1490

About this artwork

The Annunciation was one of eight scenes from the life of the Virgin decorating the inside of the wings of Johann Koerbecke’s masterpiece, the altarpiece formerly on the high altar of the Cistercian abbey of Marienfeld, near Münster in northwest Germany. The wings framed the altarpiece’s center, where relics and a gilded statue of the Virgin and Child were displayed when the altarpiece was opened on feast days. The gilded backgrounds and festive architecture of the wings enhanced the splendor of the open altarpiece. The backs of the moveable wings, decorated with more somber Passion subjects in naturalistic landscape settings, were visible when the altarpiece was closed. The ensemble was dismantled in the late 17th century, and the panels were dispersed in the early 19th century, after the wings had been sawn apart, separating the Passion scenes from those on the interior.

Status

On View, Gallery 237

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Johann Koerbecke

Title

The Annunciation

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1420–1457

Medium

Oil on panel, transferred to canvas

Inscriptions

Inscribed: [a]ve gratia plena dominus tecum (on Gabriel’s scroll)

Dimensions

Panel: 93.3 × 65.8 cm (36 3/4 × 25 7/8 in.); Painted Surface: 92 × 64.2 cm (36 3/16 × 25 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Reference Number

1933.1064

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16333/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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