Plaque with the Annunciation

On one side of this plaque, the Angel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the child of God; above them, in the moment of miraculous conception, the Holy Dove flies toward Mary, bursting from a divine flame that emanates from the hand of God the Father. On the other side, the twelve-year-old Christ preaches to the elders in the Temple as he gestures toward his mother, Mary. The elder in the foreground on the right looks over his shoulder, seemingly gazing out of the frame of the rock crystal toward the viewer.

The first step of the amalierung technique used to decorate this plaque involved the application of a layer of gold leaf onto the rock crystal. Next, the negative space would be scratched away with a stylus to create the details of the saint’s halos and garments. Then, the artist would paint the image with translucent, colored resins. This technique required the reversal of a painter’s usual practice, as highlights in the foreground needed to be added before figures and the background, requiring the artist to keep the finished image in their mind while applying each layer. Finally, a sheet of reflective silver foil would be added to the back of the composition. Light is refracted through the rock crystal, passes through the translucent resins, and reflects off the backing, giving the image a luminous quality.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Martin Heckscher, Vienna, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale,
“The Renowned Collection of Works of Art, Chiefly of the 16th, 17th, & 18th Centuries, Formed by the Late Martin Heckscher, Esq. of Vienna,” Christie’s London, May 4, 1898, lot 316 [illust.] [sale catalogue notes purchased by “Taylor”]. Charles Kennedy, London, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Jacques Seligmann, Paris, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1920, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.