Title: The Annunciation

Artist: Giovanni di Balduccio

Title: The Annunciation Date: About 1333–34 Artist: Giovanni di Balduccio Artist Details: Italian, Pisa about 1300–Milan(?) after 1349 Medium: Marble with traces of polychromy Description The Annunciation depicts the moment, in Christian belief, when the archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will become the mother of Jesus. Gabriel’s hair flows backward, indicating his sudden arrival, as he makes the sign of benediction. Surprised, Mary observes the angel through elongated, almond-shaped eyes. Clutching her prayer book, she bends one knee, creating a delicate cascade of folds in her robe. This pair attests to the skill of one of the most important Italian sculptors of the late Gothic period. It was originally displayed in a now-lost pontifical chapel in Bologna, Italy, which was decorated with paintings by Giotto (Italian, about 1267–1337).