Annunciation (Leonardo)

Infobox Painting|

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title=Annunciation
artist=Leonardo da Vinci
year=circa 1472–1475
type=Oil on panel
height=98
width=217
city=Florence
museum=Uffizi

The "Annunciation" (1472–1475) is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It depicts the annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she will conceive Jesus Christ and is set in the enclosed courtyard garden of a Florentine villa.

The angel holds a Madonna lily, a symbol of Mary's virginity and of the city of Florence. It is supposed that Leonardo originally copied the wings from those of a bird in flight, but they have since been lengthened by a later artist.

When "Annunciation" came to the Uffizi in 1867 from the monastery of San Bartolomeo of Monteoliveto, near Florence, it was ascribed to Domenico Ghirlandaio, who was, like Leonardo, an apprentice in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio. In 1869, some critics recognized it as a youthful work by Leonardo.

Verrocchio used lead-based paint and heavy brush strokes. He left a note for Leonardo to finish the background and the angel. Leonardo used light brush strokes and no lead. When the "Annunciation" was x-rayed, Verrocchio's work was evident while Leonardo's angel was invisible.

The marble table in front of the Virgin probably quotes the tomb of Piero and Giovanni de' Medici in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence that was sculpted by Verrocchio in this same period.

The background shows a Harbour scene that is believed to be at Rome.

Controversy

On March 12, 2007, the painting was at the center of a furor between Italian citizens and the Minister of Culture, who decided to place the picture on loan to exhibit in Japan. [ [http://www.netzeitung.de/feuilleton/kulturnews/580271.html NETZEITUNG KULTURNEWS: Da-Vinci-Gemälde lässt sich nicht anketten ] ] [ [http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2007/03/12/italy-loan-protest.html CBC.ca Arts - Da Vinci work crated for loan despite Italian protests ] ]

Notes