Annunciation

In Florence in the long aftermath of the Black Death, an Annunciation was more than a Bible scene. Gabriel's greeting marked the moment Mary conceived, and women hoping for a child commonly gazed at such images while praying to conceive and safely deliver a son. That is the most likely use of this panel, only about 18 by 27 centimetres, made for a home rather than a church. Mary has just turned from her lectern, where by tradition she was reading Isaiah's prophecy that a virgin would conceive. Gabriel kneels with his white lilies, and a pillar in the middle keeps the two apart, heaven on one side and earth on the other. The dove and the rays of light you might expect are missing, most likely lost to damage. Louis and Charlotte Hyde acquired the panel from Florence in 1924 for their house in Glens Falls, the house that is now the museum.