The Annunciation (1528)
Benvenuto Tisi, aka Il Garofalo
Capitoline Museum, Rome
oil on canvas
approximately 6'x4'
Benvenuto Tisi, also known as Il Garofalo, was born in Ferrara, Italy, in 1481. He studied under a variety of different teachers, including Boccaccino and Romano. These teachers added elements of strong Venetian coloring and a classical, stylized emphasis to his style of painting. This particular painting exemplifies both of these stylistic elements; the coloring is vivid, and the figures depicted have classical features. Mary is dressed in simple clothing, while Gabriel wears rich colors and gold embellishment, including golden footwear. A faint halo surrounds Mary's head, as in many other works of art. God the Father looks on from the top left corner of the painting, while the baby Jesus, carrying a cross, looks as if He is beginning His descent to Earth. A dove, representing the Holy Spirit, is captured mid-flight. On the lower right side of the painting, a cat and a hearth imply that Mary lives a simply, homely life, while the angel Gabriel offers her white lilies, symbolizing her purity. Two columns split the painting; these could serve as both separation between Mary's earthly life and the heavenly beings, and also it could symbolize the church and how important this scene is to the church.
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