"Angel of the Annunciation"
Oil on canvas
Second half of the 17th century
Canvas dimensions 47 x 56, frame dimensions 67 x 76
Excellent condition
Cleaned and relined
Beautiful gilded frame from the 19th century
The painting depicts the image of the Archangel Gabriel's face with a lily in his hand, in the act of announcing the Great Event to the Virgin.
It is a work executed by a confident and light hand, probably commissioned for private use and therefore particularly pleasant and easy to place.
The vibrant colors with strong chiaroscuro and delicate shading highlight the flesh tones of the protagonist and can be enjoyed in all their beauty thanks to the splendid condition of the painting.
It is a work that presents all the characteristics of the most beautiful Emilian school of the 17th century, in particular of Elisabetta Sirani, daughter of art, an excellent interpreter of the unmistakable style of Guido Reni.
The "Announcing Angel" is part of a series of paintings that Sirani created with particularly successful depictions with this splendid subject. Among the various copies and variations, this was the one that achieved the greatest success.
The very fine features of the Archangel Gabriel's face, portrayed in profile, are characteristic of her great skill in female portraiture.
Her depictions of historical, mythological, and religious figures, where the protagonists are always beautiful women, are considered among the most elegant and refined of Baroque painting of the 17th century.
The work has already been cleaned and relined and is in excellent condition.
