Da Spedale Della Misericordia, Predella 2, 3, Annunciazione 1370

This predella panel, part of an altarpiece by Giovanni da Milano, dates to the 14th century and is made with tempera and gold leaf on wood. The luminous gold that dominates the background wasn't casually applied; it was painstakingly hammered to create a reflective surface meant to evoke divine light. The tempera paint, made from pigment mixed with egg yolk, gives the figures a delicate, almost ethereal quality. Giovanni's precise brushwork, which demanded considerable training, captures the folds of fabric and the expressions on the figures' faces. But think about the social context here. The raw materials, like gold and pigments, would have been costly. The creation of the panel was a laborious process, involving not just the artist but also assistants who prepared the wood panel, applied the gold leaf, and ground pigments. In appreciating this work, we begin to see how the values of craft—skill, patience, and material knowledge—converge with artistic expression.