The Annunciation 1517 - 1530

Correggio made this red chalk drawing of the Annunciation in Italy sometime around the 1520s. It illustrates the biblical scene where the angel Gabriel tells Mary she will miraculously conceive and give birth to Jesus. The Annunciation was a popular subject for Renaissance artists, commissioned for churches, chapels, and private devotion. Correggio’s approach is interesting for how it pictures the divine entering into the domestic sphere. While clearly religious, the image also embodies the values of its time, reflecting social expectations around women and motherhood. The setting, costumes, and poses would all have been recognisable to people in Correggio's society. It shows the influence of institutions in shaping the visual codes of its time. As art historians, we use lots of different resources to better understand such a work. We investigate the patronage system that supported artists like Correggio, theological interpretations of the Annunciation, and the social history of the family in the Renaissance. Only then can we consider how these contexts give meaning to the art of the past.