Title: The Annunciation

Artist: Paolo Veneziano

Title: The Annunciation Date: About 1340–45 Artist: Paolo Veneziano Artist Details: Italian, Venice about 1295–Venice about 1362 Medium: Tempera and gold leaf on panel Description As written in the Gospel according to Luke, the archangel Gabriel (left) announces to the Virgin Mary (right) that she will bear the son of God. The inscription conveys Gabriel's words: "Hail [Mary], full of grace, the Lord is with you." Paolo Veneziano drew on a rich array of visual sources. The decorative gold patterning on the fabrics was likely inspired by luxurious textiles from Byzantium (now Istanbul). Mary's garden, symbolizing fertility, was a North Italian pictorial motif. The two paintings originally crowned the side panels of a movable altarpiece made for personal prayer, as shown in the diagram below.