The Annunciation
Medium
Tempera on wood
Dimensions
15 7/8 x 27 1/2 in. (40.3 x 69.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Maitland F. Griggs Collection, Bequest of Maitland F. Griggs, 1943
Accession Number
43.98.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Annunciation** by Fra Filippo Lippi captures one of Christianity's most revered moments: the Archangel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary that she will conceive Jesus. This tempera on wood panel, measuring 15⅞ × 27½ inches, exemplifies Early Renaissance artistry from 15th-century Florence, where Lippi trained under Masaccio. As a Carmelite friar turned innovative painter, Lippi infused his works with graceful figures, vibrant colors, and a sense of intimate humanity, bridging Gothic elegance with emerging naturalism. Tempera, an egg-based medium applied in thin layers on wood, allowe...