Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
The Archangel Gabriel
(Renaissance Europe )
This image of the archangel Gabriel is a fragment from a much larger painting of the Annunciation, which included the Virgin Mary on the right (now in a private collection). The white lily held by the archangel is symbolic of Mary's purity.
The perfectly regular profile, the long curling hair, the gracefulness of the hands, and the overall emphasis on contour lines are characteristic of later 15th-century Central Italian painting, of which Signorelli was one of the great masters. The execution of this painting is, however, uneven. Gabriel's serene face is sensitively painted and is likely by the master himself, but the rendering of the folds of the sleeves is crude, indicating the participation of assistants. This kind of division of labor was not uncommon in Renaissance workshops although the degree of variation is usually not so great. The Painting is presently being cleaned and it may soon be possible to assess the execution more accurately.
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.
Stephen Bourgeois, Cologne [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Philadelphia [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1885 and 1900 catalogues, no. 253]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1922 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | examined for condition | |
| 12/28/1936 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 7/6/1939 | Treatment | repaired |
| 5/5/1959 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 5/5/1959 | Treatment | other |
| 5/5/1959 | Treatment | x-ray |
| 1/1/1970 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 1/1/1970 | Examination | examined for technical study |
| 11/12/1990 | Treatment | loss compensation; coated |
| 3/14/1994 | Treatment | re-housed |
| 3/14/1994 | Treatment | other |
| 11/30/2004 | Treatment | repaired; loss compensation; other |
Geographies
Italy, Tuscany (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 30 13/16 x W: 21 3/16 x D excluding cradle: 1/2 in. (78.3 x 53.8 x 1.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, before 1922
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.
37.520