Lot 25

Sebastiano Ricci (1659 - 1734) ANNUNCIATION OF THE VIRGIN

This is a dynamic composition in which Venetian painter Sebastiano Ricci captures the moment when Archangel Gabriel comes down from the heavens to the ground, his cape flying in the wind and revealing his nude body. One foot almost touches the ground next to a slumbering Joseph, the husband of Mary. Unsuspecting Mary can be seen praying through the open door. Traditionally, the Biblical scene of the Annunciation is depicted at the moment when the archangel stands directly before Mary and gives her the news. Such a portrayal by Ricci is located at the Gabinetto dei Disegni at Academia dell’arte in Venice.