Crozier with the Annunciation

Description The head of this crozier (pastoral staff) for a bishop or abbot shows the first event of Christ's incarnation. The archangel Gabriel raises his right arm in a gesture indicating his greeting: Hail Mary, full of Grace. He holds a scepter shaped like a lily, a symbol of the Virgin's purity. Mary raises one hand in surprise and holds a book with the other. On the knob of the crozier are six enamel shields, possibly the heraldry of an unknown patron. Three serpents fall headlong down the staff, showing God's triumph over sin through Christ's incarnation.

Exhibitions

• The Taste of Maryland: Art Collecting in Maryland 1800-1934. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1984.
• Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1984-1985.
• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville. 2001-2002.
• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville. 2002-2005.
• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Museum of Biblical Art, New York; Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha. 2008-2009.

Provenance Antiquariat Drey, Munich, by purchase; Walter Sneyd, Keele Hall, Staffordshire, ca. 1860, by purchase; his family, 1888, by inheritance; Sale, Christie's, London, July 1902, no. 86; Jacques Seligmann, Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters