It’s Christmas and that means it’s time to look at another of the Gallery’s gorgeous Annunciation paintings. The elaborate inlay work decorating almost every square inch of this Renaissance room almost makes you miss the main event! Masolino has chosen to show the moment after Gabriel’s astounding news but before Mary’s response.
We’ll find out why the room is so tilted and the real reason behind Mary’s silence.
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SHOW NOTES (TRANSCRIPT)
“A Long Look” theme is “Ascension” by Ron Gelinas youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo
Episode theme is “Angeli, Archangeli” composed by Andrea Gabrieli. Performed by Michel Rondeau. Courtesy of musopen.org.
https://musopen.org/music/43293-angeli-archangeli/
https://musopen.org/music/performer/michel-rondeau/
https://musopen.org/music/composer/andrea-gabrieli/
Artwork information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.18.html
Tempera painting (video)
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/special-topics-art-history/creating-conserving/painting-materials-techniques/v/tempera-paint
Mary pose information
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/11/30/pregnant-pause-mary-and-annunciation
“Christmas Story in Art” (video)
https://www.nga.gov/global-site-search-page.html?searchterm=christmas%20story%20in%20art&category=Audio%2FVideo&pageNumber=1&lastFacet=category
Slow Art Day http://www.slowartday.com
SUGGESTED READING
Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finley
Excellent question, Bob! I’ll need to do some digging, but I’ll try to find an answer.
[update] David Gariff was kind enough to answer this question and explains, “The painting was gifted to the Gallery in 1937 by the Mellon Trust and is in good condition. It has never had treatment here at the Gallery. It was restored sometime in the 19th century and again c.1915. During those interventions it was heavily retouched and overpainted throughout.”
It’s amazing that the egg yolk pigment tempera holds up so well for 5 centuries. Is it touched up occasionally to maintain it’s vibrant color?