Angel Annunciate, from exterior of left panel of the Ghent Altarpiece

Jan van Eyck completed this Angel of the Annunciation in 1432 as part of the exterior panels of the Ghent Altarpiece. When the polyptych is closed, viewers see an Annunciation scene across the upper register, with this angel on the left panel and the Virgin Mary on the right. The figures are painted in grisaille technique, simulating stone sculpture.

The Ghent Altarpiece (Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) is considered the first major oil painting and a landmark work of the Northern Renaissance. Jan and his brother Hubert created it for the Vijd Chapel in Saint Bavo's Cathedral. The exterior panels' "living grisaille" brings sculptural presence to the Annunciation figures.

The altarpiece has been stolen seven times, more than any other artwork. Nazis hid it in an Austrian salt mine during WWII. After restoration completed in 2020, it's now displayed in a climate-controlled, bulletproof case at Saint Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent.