The Annunciation

These two sculptures belong to the same ensemble: the angel Gabriel announces to the Virgin that she will bear the Child Jesus.

Originally, this sculpted group was probably intended to be placed on a console or in a slightly raised niche. The Virgin is surprised by the angel while in meditation, as shown by her left hand crumpling the page of the book and her right hand pulling back her cloak in a half-turned position, yet her face and the calmness of her posture simultaneously convey profound serenity. She already seems to accept carrying the divine Child, as the angelic messenger came to announce to her. The angel Gabriel is featured when he lands near Mary, almost in genuflection while his cloak flutters in the wind. The lightness of the composition, where every movement is contained within a compact setting, is complemented by the solemnity the heavy drapery and exquisite finery provide.