The Virgin of the Annunciation

Antonello painted the Virgin of the Annunciation on her own at least twice, and this small limewood panel is the earlier of the two, from around 1473 or 1474, before his journey to Venice. The better-known version, in the Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo, followed a few years later. Neither shows the angel, so whoever stands in front of the picture takes his place. What changes is the moment. Here Mary's hands are crossed on her breast and her lips are slightly parted, as if the words have only just reached her. A study presented in Palermo in 2014 read the two panels as a sequence. Munich shows Mary before the conception, still caught in surprise, while in Palermo it has already happened and the corner of her mouth eases into a calm smile. The panel was made for private prayer, and the museum bought it in 1897 from a dealer here in Munich.