Annunciation

Abstract

These painted wooden sculptures of the Archangel Gabriel and the Annunciate Virgin form an Annunciation. These kind of Annunciation pairs were popular in Siena and the surrounding area in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. As is common for this type of sculpture, the figures have been simply dressed, in one layer of summarily defined clothing, because actual fabric clothes were added to the statues. This explains why Mary is only wearing the red under-dress, but not the blue mantle nor veil depicted in period paintings. As for other works from this time, the angel has lost its wings, which were presumably originally made of wood or possibly a more ephemeral material, maybe fabric or even feathers attached to a wooden frame. The costumes and wings would add to the theatrical effect of these sculptures, making them akin to the actors in the sacred plays often performed in churches in this period. These sculptures are attributed to the so-called "Maestro della Santa Caterina d'Alessandria," a Sienese sculptor active in the fifteenth century. The pair, which come from San Simieone in Rocca d'Orcia, is found today in the Museo Civico e Diocesano d'Arte Sacra, Montalcino. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.