Annunciation 1628

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Annunciation 1628: Peter Paul Rubens

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Peter Paul Rubens Oil Painting - Annunciation 1628

Keywords: Annunciation

Work Overview: The Annunciation
Peter Paul Rubens
Date circa 1610
Medium oil on canvas
Dimensions 310 × 178.6 cm

The Annunciation is the title of two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. The first was commissioned by the Jesuit college in Antwerp and painted in 1609. It is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Around 1610 Rubens composed the second version and painted the righthand half, but then left it incomplete for an unknown reason. In 1627-1628 he completed it and also modified the figure of Mary. It is now in the Rubenshuis in Antwerp, who acquired it in 1954.

The two compositions are strikingly different. The Vienna painting is a fairly traditional composition. The angel Gabriel is on the right. He has just alighted on the ground, his robe still billowing from his flight, and he kneels as if in reverence or supplication. Mary stands on the left facing Gabriel, but she leans back slightly as if in surprise or alarm. The Antwerp painting is a more original composition. Mary kneels on the right; her body is turned away from Gabriel but her head is turned back toward him. Gabriel is still airborne; he reaches with his left hand toward Mary and points with his right hand toward heaven.

The Rubenshuis painting was in Madrid during Rubens' stay there from 28 August 1628 to 29 April 1629. There it was acquired by Diego Messia, marquis de Leganés, commander of the Spanish artillery and cavalry in the Spanish Netherlands. In 1655, the painting was in the inventory of the marquis' collection then it was left to the Altamira family, who sold it in London in 1827. It then passed through the Smith, Hamlet, earl of Caldon and Graupe collections in Britain before being acquired by the Brussels collector Gaston Dulière.

Mary is caught suddenly by surprise. Her head has turned in an almost flowing motion as she faces the new arrival to her room. The arrival is celestial rather than mere human. In fact, it is an angel that has visited upon her. This angel brings to her a special message that will change Mary’s life forever. She is to bear a son who will become a great teacher and change the course of the world. Above her, three cherubs hold a cloak in a rather comforting gesture of warmth and support. A shaft of light shines in a strong and deliberate focal point on Mary and a symbolic dove descends gracefully from the heavens. The angel has a look of joy on her face as she points significantly upward indicative of where the important message originated. Mary looks as if she was reading quietly when the silence was shattered with this heavenly visitor. A cat lays quietly at her feet casually washing its paw, oblivious to the fantastical arrivals in Mary’s abode. Flowers, symbolic of Mary’s purity and chastity stand proudly in a vase between the angel and Mary providing a balance point of stillness to the active nature of the work. Clouds above Mary are gentle but strong symbolizing the important event that is soon to occur. The clothing on both individuals is flowing and has the appearance rustling silk. Even the simple basket of folded clothes attracts attention at its realistically portrayed cloth. Mary’s face is one of acceptance and an almost sense of awe at the enormous task before her. The style of the figures is done in a manner typical of Rubens and there is a rich fleshiness to all of the figures that cause them to stand out as real human beings rather than static figures posed for the artist. It is as if this is a sort of frozen moment of both movement and action. Mary’s position of being lower than the heavenly visitors suggests a humbleness and humility of character. Ruben’s has been and still is a much loved talent of the baroque and I wrote about him in an earlier post that featured a self-portrait of the artist. When we think of artists with a flourish for bringing about realistic interpretations of human flesh, we tend to think of Ruben’s talented brushwork. Again, as with so much of the baroque, the action and emotion interact beautifully with its surroundings and draws the viewer in making him or her part of the moment. In this festive season, it seems appropriate and important to acknowledge the historical contributions of this great master in themes of the spirit.

Rubens started working on this painting after his stay in Italy, where he had come under the influence of the great painters of the Renaissance.
The Bible tells the story of how the Virgin Mary is visited by the Angel Gabriel who announces that she will be the mother of the Messiah. Mary is portrayed in her sitting room. The homy atmosphere is emphasised by the wicker basket that contains Mary's sewing and the sleeping cat in the bottom right-hand corner of the canvas.

Rubens started working on this painting after his stay in Italy, where he had come under the influence of the great painters of the Renaissance. This Italianate influence is evident from the unusually bright colours and the free style, which both contribute to the scene's dynamics. Rubens used ultramarine for Mary's cloak, a precious pigment made from finely ground lapis lazuli.

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Peter Paul Rubens

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