Medieval · National Gallery of Art · 46197

The Virgin Annunciate

Pisan 14th Century, 1325/1350

This wooden, painted, free-standing sculpture is of a young woman standing and holding an open book with one hand and holding the other to her chest. The woman’s skin, gown, and long mantle are painted cream white. The mantle covers the back of her head and has a denim-blue lining visible in the folds around her shoulders, waist, and inside the hanging sleeves. It falls just below her knees and wraps around her long gown. The skirt below her knees has traces of brick red but much of the pigment there is lost. In this photograh, her body is angled to our right but she turns her head to look down in front of us with pale brown eyes. Wavy, brown hair is parted down the middle to frame her face. Her right hand, on our left, is raised to touch her chest while her other hand holds an open book at her waist, its pages facing outward. She stands on an octagonal wooden base painted gold. The surface of the sculpture is cracked, flaking, and worn in some areas, allowing the underlying wood to show through.

National Gallery of Art · National Gallery of Art, Washington · Samuel H. Kress Collection · CC0 · Public domain

Artist: Pisan 14th Century
Date: 1325/1350
Medium: wood, polychromed and gilded
Dimensions: 162.3 x 53.8 x 39.9 cm (63 7/8 x 21 3/16 x 15 11/16 in.)
Era: Medieval

Why it matters

The Virgin Annunciate, dated 1325/1350, is catalogued by National Gallery of Art as a work in wood, polychromed and gilded. The museum attributes the work to Pisan 14th Century. The recorded dimensions are 162.3 x 53.8 x 39.9 cm (63 7/8 x 21 3/16 x 15 11/16 in.). This factual page is generated from the museum catalogue and links directly to its source record.

National Gallery of Art collection record