The Annunciation to the Virgin, Archangel Gabriel approaching from the left, from a series of 15 plates, depicting Raphael's works for the Vatican stanze and the Sistine Chapel tapestries
Original title: The Annunciation to the Virgin, Archangel Gabriel approaching from the left, from a series of 15 plates, depicting Raphael's works for the Vatican stanze and the Sistine Chapel tapestries
kurzbeschreibung
This etching by Pietro Santi Bartoli dates from 1650 to 70 and shows the Archangel Gabriel stepping toward Mary, who has taken her seat on a chair. The sheet belongs to a series of 15 prints made after Raphael's designs for the Vatican Stanze and the Sistine Chapel.
Description
Mary sits at the middle of the image on a chair, a book in her hand, while Gabriel approaches from the left on winged feet, carrying a bunch of flowers. Columns and a window framed by curtains give the encounter an architectural setting. Along the bottom edge a Latin quotation from the Gospel of Luke is engraved. The layout reads clearly and evenly, with attention fixed on the two figures meeting; light falls uniformly, as is usual in monochrome printmaking.
Context
Bartoli made this etching in the seventeenth century as part of a series reproducing Raphael's celebrated works for the Vatican Stanze and the tapestries of the Sistine Chapel. Prints of this kind opened the papal artworks to a wider public. The series appeared at a time when reproductive engraving played a major part in circulating art.
Impact
Clear linework and a calm arrangement give the sheet a solemn, dignified mood. Because the layout is symmetrical, the eye goes straight to Gabriel's meeting with Mary, and the weight of the moment comes forward.
Technique
The evenly running fine lines and the monochrome character of the sheet mark it as an etching. This technique allowed figures and architecture to be reproduced in precise detail, while the Latin quotation ties image and text together.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)