Angel of the Annunciation

A fine example of 14th-century Italian sculpture, this angel is the work of Nino Pisano. It formed part of a group depicting the Annunciation.

The theme of the Annunciation was particularly popular in Italy during the 14th century. A member of a dynasty of Tuscan sculptors, Nino Pisano created several monumental groups depicting this scene, in which the Angel appears before the Virgin.

The Cluny angel, whose counterpart might be a Virgin preserved in the Louvre, displays all the qualities of this sculptor: a sense of monumentality, a quest for softness and harmony in the folds of the drapery, and attention to the naturalism of the gestures and the gentleness of the faces.