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Source Description
Judging from its size, this was probably one in a row of panels depicting the earthly life of Christ upon the altar screen (called an iconostasis) of an Orthodox church. The archangel Gabriel and Mary are shown in the town of Nazareth, but the drapery over them suggests that the event occurs indoors. The staff identifies Gabriel as a messenger of God whose Holy Spirit, represented by a dove, is descending upon the Virgin. Mary holds purple thread that, according to legend, she was spinning for a curtain for the Temple of Jerusalem. "Mother of God" is written above her head.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
16958
label
The Annunciation
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
16958
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
The Annunciation
description
Judging from its size, this was probably one in a row of panels depicting the earthly life of Christ upon the altar screen (called an iconostasis) of an Orthodox church. The archangel Gabriel and Mary are shown in the town of Nazareth, but the drapery over them suggests that the event occurs indoors. The staff identifies Gabriel as a messenger of God whose Holy Spirit, represented by a dove, is descending upon the Virgin. Mary holds purple thread that, according to legend, she was spinning for a curtain for the Temple of Jerusalem. "Mother of God" is written above her head.
provenance
Alexandre Polovtsoff (Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Polovtsov), Saint Petersburg and Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1928, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
17th century (Early Modern)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
icons
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
64.1
height
51.8
dimensionsRaw
25 1/4 x 20 3/8 in. (64.1 x 51.8 cm)
Source extras
cul
Russian
dynasty
House of Romanov
med
tempera on wood panel
creator_ids
6214
collection_ids
BYZ
exhibition_ids
69
1957
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
070f8da04a63986d