Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Box Bottom with the Annunciation
(Medieval Europe )
Gabriel approaches from the left, pointing his finger towards a scroll. The Virgin, who raises her right hand in surprise, holds a book in her left. Her apron-style drapery has cascades of small folds falling at either side. A vase with a lily sits between the figures, and the Holy Ghost descends from the clouds above. The scene is set beneath a canopy of three trefoil arches surmounted by a band of dentils.
The Annunciation box appears to be the only religious ivory known from the Atelier of the Boxes. The treatment of the architectural canopy is identical to other works from the workshop.
The interior, which is the bottom of the box, is divided into compartments to hold a balance and weights. The sliding top of the box is missing.
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.
John Hunt Collection, Dublin, Ireland [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Lewis V. Randall, Montreal [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Ruth Blumka, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; purchased by Walters Art Museum, 1977.
Exhibitions
| 1989 | The Carver's Art: Medieval Sculpture in Ivory, Bone and Horn. Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 2/18/1977 | Treatment | cleaned |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 3 1/8 x W: 1 3/4 x D: 3/8 in. (7.9 x 4.5 x 0.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1977
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.1156