Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus
by Simone Martini, 1333
Details
- Year
- 1333
- Medium
- Tempera and gold on wood
- Size
- 184 cm × 210 cm
Simone Martini and his brother-in-law Lippo Memmi created the Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus in 1333 for Siena Cathedral. The central panel, measuring over 3 meters wide, blazes with real gold that would have shimmered by candlelight. The Archangel Gabriel's cloak flutters as if he's just landed, startling the Virgin Mary who draws back in surprise.
The gold background bears the Latin greeting "Ave Gratia Plena Dominus Tecum" (Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is With You). Tooled patterns and punchwork add texture to the gilding. The elegant, elongated figures typify International Gothic style, closer to French manuscripts and German paintings than to Italian art of the period.
The altarpiece has been at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence since 1799. The original frame dates the work clearly: "SYMON MARTINI ET LIPPVS MEMMI DE SENIS ME PINXERVNT ANNO DOMINI MCCCXXXIII." It remains one of the most splendid examples of Gothic painting in existence.
