Description
Judging from its size, this was probably one in a row of panels depicting the earthly life of Christ upon the altar screen (called an iconostasis) of an Orthodox church. The archangel Gabriel and Mary are shown in the town of Nazareth, but the drapery over them suggests that the event occurs indoors. The staff identifies Gabriel as a messenger of God whose Holy Spirit, represented by a dove, is descending upon the Virgin. Mary holds purple thread that, according to legend, she was spinning for a curtain for the Temple of Jerusalem. "Mother of God" is written above her head.
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