17th Century, Holy Annunciation

17th century
Holy Annunciation
Oil on canvas, 74 x 100 cm
With frame, cm 110 x 136

The work in question, an oil on canvas dating back to the 17th century set in a sumptuous gilded frame, not only depicts the scene of the divine Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin, but can also be linked to one of the most significant sacred images for Christianity: the miraculous fresco of the Annunciation executed in the mid-14th century for the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence. The fresco is located inside the Tempietto del Santissimo Crocifisso, a chapel erected by Michelozzo in the mid-15th century to house and protect it. His fame derives from a legend dating back to the foundation of the church itself (around 1250), according to which the image, originally attributed to a friar named Bartolomeo, was not completed by human hands: it was said, in fact, that the painter, unable to convey the beauty of the Virgin's face, He fell asleep in frustration and upon awakening found Mary's face miraculously painted by an angel. This tradition immediately made it an object of extraordinary worship and pilgrimage, being praised and celebrated by artists such as Michelangelo, who emphasized its otherworldly perfection, characterized by a hieratic solemnity and an idealized beauty that departed from contemporary, more naturalistic representations. The fresco's fame was such that it generated a vast repertoire of derivations, created for nobles, religious and the Medici, who wanted to possess a devotional image inspired by the miraculous original. The figure of Alessandro Allori (Florence, 1535 - 1607), a Florentine Mannerist painter, a pupil of Agnolo Bronzino, and his son Cristofano (Florence, 1577 - 1621) were placed in this context. Allori was one of the most sought-after artists to perform replicas (both entire and partial, and on various media) of the Annunciation of the Santissima Annunziata, often to be understood as diplomatic gifts or for private devotion. Among his most illustrious patrons were the Grand Dukes of Tuscany: a documented copy was made by Allori as early as 1580 on commission from Francesco I de' Medici for Cardinal Carlo Borromeo, testifying to the icon's importance at a European level. While maintaining fidelity to the original iconographic model, Allori reinterprets it by adopting a typically late-16th- and early-17th-century Mannerist language, characterised by an elegant design and a formally refined composition, while retaining the intense devotional nature. Among the versions that have reached us we can mention the one preserved at the Escorial in Madrid, the one in Palazzo Pitti, the one at the Tor de Specchi Monastery in Rome, or even the one in the Church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli in Florence.

The work presented here retains the typical elements of the iconographic tradition between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: the Archangel Gabriel is represented centrally in the act of bringing the announcement to Mary, seated on the right with an expression of humble acceptance and chaste surprise at the event. The scene takes place in a domestic setting characterized by few elements, such as a Persian carpet, the book resting on the pillow to symbolize the Scriptures being fulfilled, and the dove of the Holy Spirit radiating light, symbol of the Incarnation. A novelty introduced by the artist is the presence of God the Father on the right, the true agent of the divine message.