The Annunciation

1552

Heinrich Aldegrever

Associated Names
Heinrich Aldegrever

Artist, German, 1502 - 1555/1561

The image shows two figures seated. The person on the left appears to be reading, with an open book in front of them. They have wavy hair and delicate features, wearing a long garment. The person on the right, likely an angel, faces the left figure with one hand raised and holding a staff. They have curly hair and wear a detailed robe, with wings visible. The background shows a domestic setting with a curtain, a shelf with books, a flask, and a mirror or decorative element with light or a dove emanating from it. In the upper right, an architectural scene with distant buildings and cloudy shapes is depicted, where cherubic figures can be seen.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink with gray wash

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 11.2 x 6.9 cm (4 7/16 x 2 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1964.8.1909


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

LJR (Lugt Supp.1760b). Lessing J. Rosenwald; gift 1964 to the National Gallery of Art.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1970

  • Shestack, Alan. "Some Preliminary Drawings for Engravings by Heinrich Aldegrever." Modern Drawings 8, no. 2 (Summer 1970): 145, 148 nt.20, pl.33b.

1982

  • Kaufmann 1982,p.50 n.1.

1985

  • Kaufmann, Thomas Dacosta. "A Census of Drawings from the Holy Roman Empire, 1540-1680, in North American Collections" Central European History xviii, 1 (1985):4-13, 70-74, 75.

Inscriptions

upper left in black ink: (monogram "AG" within "15-52" in reverse)

Wikidata ID

Q64573399

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