The Angelof The Annunciation, After Carlo Dolci, 19th Century

"In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel entered her house and said to her, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”
At this saying she was greatly troubled and wondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I do not know man?”
The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth your kinswoman has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible with God.”
And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Gospel according to Saint Luke — chapter 1, verses 26 to 38

Beautiful copy of The Angel of the Annunciation after the celebrated painting by Carlo Dolci, painted around 1653–1655 and inspired by the Gospel verses quoted above. The original is today preserved in the Louvre Museum since the bequest of baroness Salomon de Rothschild in 1926 (Paris, Department of Paintings, inv. RF 3826).
The angel is depicted in bust form, slightly inclined, holding in the hand a white lily, the traditional symbol of the Virgin’s purity and of the divine message. The face, of great delicacy, displays an ivory-toned complexion, softly blushed cheeks, and an extremely gentle modelling, faithful to Dolci’s style, characterized by the refinement of the drawing, the softness of the brushwork, and the subtlety of the colours.
The palette, dominated by deep greens, warm browns, and satin whites, creates a silent and meditative atmosphere. The lightness of the wings, the transparency of the veils, and the grace of the gesture enhance the spiritual character of the scene.
The pictorial surface shows an old patina with a network of fine, natural age-related craquelure, without affecting the clarity or the harmony of the whole.

Carlo Dolci was one of the great masters of Florentine devotional painting of the 17th century. A deeply pious artist who claimed that a religious painting should be “capable of awakening piety in whoever looks at it,” his works quickly enjoyed wide dissemination throughout Europe. This composition was frequently copied in the 19th century, and the present painting comes from one of the finest workshops of that period, the painter having captured all the subtleties of Dolci’s palette, the softness of the flesh tones, the effects of transparency, and the fine details of the angel’s wing and hair, among others.

The painting has just been cleaned and freed from the old varnish that had yellowed and dulled the colours (see photo).