The Annunciation
George Hitchcock
1887
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
158.8 × 204.5 cm (62 1/2 × 80 1/2 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
7503
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In George Hitchcock’s unusual presentation of the Annunciation, the virgin is depicted as a Dutch peasant girl standing in a field of lilies. Traditionally, the lily is a symbol of the angel Gabriel, and Mary’s downcast eyes and humble stance imply that she has received his divine message. Hitchcock spent much of his life in Holland, and his work synthesizes elements of several European art movements. The choice of a religious subject, the unusual composition, and his interest in the effects of ...