The Annunciation

Painted around 1426 for the Dominican convent of San Domenico at Fiesole, Fra Angelico's 'Annunciation' pairs, in a single altarpiece, the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise on the left with the Annunciation to Mary on the right — salvation history's fall and its remedy set side by side. Gabriel, his rainbow wings open, kneels beneath a perfectly foreshortened arcade whose columns, ceiling coffers, and receding perspective declare the painter's early mastery of new Florentine techniques. Still glowing with Gothic gold, the work is a founding image of the Dominican friar's art.

Exhibition Venue

Museo del Prado

Madrid, Spain