Basic Information

Historical Context

A woodcut from Dürer's Life of the Virgin series depicting the Annunciation — the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she will bear the Christ Child. This was the opening scene of the twenty-scene cycle. [Inferred from Dürer Catalog] Visual Description The Virgin Mary kneels at a prie-dieu in an enclosed garden, reading a book. The angel Gabriel approaches from the left, his robes billowing dramatically. A lily in a vase symbolizes Mary's purity. God the Father appears in the upper right, sending rays of light toward Mary. The enclosed garden refers to Mary's virginity (hortus conclusus). Artistic Analysis The Life of the Virgin series was Dürer's most ambitious narrative print cycle, comprising twenty woodcuts that narrate the story of Mary's life from the Annunciation to her Coronation. The Annunciation sets the tone for the series with its combination of Italian architectural setting, Northern landscape detail, and theological symbolism.