Annunciate Angel

Abstract

This painted wood sculpture of the Angel Gabriel was originally paired with one of the Virgin Mary, making an Annunciation. This is an early example (c. 1330) of this type of sculpture, which was popular across Tuscany from the mid trecento until the early quattrocento. The artist, Lupo di Francesco, worked as a stone carver at the cathedral of Pisa, and then became the head of the workshop there in 1315, after the departure of Tino da Camaino. He worked locally in Pisa but also had an international reputation, as he is also documented to have made the tomb of of St. Eualia in Barcellona. The elongated proportions, which give the figure a courtly elegance, are typical of his style. The work is well-preserved, except for the loss of the angel's wings, which would have been made originally of wood, or maybe of more ephemeral materials (fabric or possibly even feathers attached to a frame). (The wings of such statues generally do not survive.) Gabriel's hand is raised in a rhetorical gesture, as if he is in the act of making his announcement, and his richly carved cloak is painted with a delicate stylized pinecone pattern that was popular in the Renaissance. This work is housed in the Museo di San Matteo in Pisa. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.