Triptych: Annunciation with the Prophets David and Isaiah

This triptych is the finest of the approximately thirty enamels attributed to the Master of the Orléans Triptych, an anonymous artist steeped in the gothicism of the 15th century. The scene of the Annunciation is accompanied by the two prophets David and Isaiah, who hold banderoles with with Old Testament inscriptions.

The flesh tones on this triptych are particularly subtle. These were produced by painting a russet-red area on the white ground and placing over this a transparent blue, giving it a violet tinge. By varying the thickness of the opaque white which was applied over this violet area, the artist was able to establish shaded and lighted areas which model the face and hands. The contours of the faces were produced by "enlevage," a process in which either dotted or continuous lines were scratched through the powdery white enamel revealing the darker layer underneath.

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.

Berton [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Baron [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Paris, January 19-24, 1846, no. 480; Soltykoff [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Paris, April, 1861, no. 261; Febvre [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Paris, April 17-20, 1882, no. 159; Ducatel [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Paris, April 21, 1890, no. 108; Rochard [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Paris, February 16, 1914, no. 87; Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1917, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.