Jan van Eyck 1390 – 1441

The Annunciation

oil on panel (93 × 73 cm) — c. 1435
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Jan van Eyck biography

This work is linked to Luke 1:34

Transfered over a lightbeam, the Holy Spirit -symbolized by a dove- enters Mary as she speaks with the archangel Gabriel. The white lilies symbolize her virginity. The tiles on the floor show tableaux from the Old Testament, said to prelude the coming of the Redeemer.

Watch how Van Eyck plays with more and less opaque layers, suggesting an unprecedented transparency. The Flemish master was the first to truly use the possibilities offered by the new oil paint technique.
Painted on panel, later transfered to canvas.

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