The Annunciation - Styles and Influences
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The Annunciation
Catalan school; beginning 15th c.
The trifold partition of the space is a symbol of the Trinity, and the difference between the Gothic vault of the bedroom and the rest of the architecture is a symbol of the Old Church and the New. Objects of daily use reveal that God's messenger has come down to the human world.
The reading-desk with the open book is a sign of Mary's piety, and her bed, vaulted with a Gothic vault-baldachin transcends the idea of the virgin conception and Christ as the bridegroom of the Church. The carved gilded late-Gothic frame, which is a part of the wooden panel of the painting, contributes to the characteristics of International Gothic. Its twisted pillars end in thin pinnacles and the arch is decorated with blind arcades and vine leaves. The pair to this painting is The Resurrection, known from the art market.