Virgin of the Annunciation 1473

Antonello da Messina painted this panel of the Virgin of the Annunciation in the 15th century. Mary is captured at the moment the Angel Gabriel tells her she will conceive and bear the son of God. Unlike earlier Renaissance paintings, Messina presents Mary alone, without the angel or any divine intervention. He captures her humanity, portraying her as a woman interrupted from her reading. The book might suggest her literacy, yet her social standing, as a young, unmarried woman, would have given her little autonomy in this period. The painting becomes deeply intimate because Messina emphasizes Mary’s perspective. Her slightly averted gaze is the emotional and compositional core of the work. Her hand gesture—is it defensiveness, humility, or a profound acknowledgment? Ultimately, Messina humanizes the divine, inviting viewers to relate to Mary's experience of the Annunciation on a personal level.