The Annunciation by Sandro Botticelli

The Annunciation by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1485, is a small egg tempera with gold leaf painting on wood panel depicting the scene of the Biblical Immaculate Conception of Jesus. The angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary to tell her that she is with child, while rays of light emanate through the windows of the columned architecture. Here Botticelli displays his mastery of the art and science of linear perspective drawing to create the depth of the composition, a major innovation of the early Renaissance. Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was a Florentine painter of the of the early Italian Renaissance who apprenticed under the master Filippo Lippi. With strong Gothic influences, the mature work of Botticelli reflected a study of antique classical sculpture and was noted for its linear grace and rhythm, flattened relief-like forms with strong contours, and subtle colouring. The complexity of meanings in Botticelli’s compositions, from sources drawn from classical antiquity, mythology and philosophy, enthraled scholars for centuries.