The Annunciation with two Kneeling Donors 1455

Filippo Lippi made this panel painting, The Annunciation with two Kneeling Donors, with tempera on wood. The materials are traditional for the time, and the egg tempera gives the painting its characteristic matte surface. You can see this best on the robes of the figures and architecture. The color is intrinsic to the work, made from ground pigments mixed with the egg yolk. Notice the ultramarine blue. It was a costly choice made from lapis lazuli. Lippi’s decision to include such a costly material may reflect the wealth of the donors depicted in the painting, who would have commissioned the artwork. This adds a social layer to our understanding of the work, reflecting the economic realities of artistic production in the Renaissance period, where the patronage of wealthy individuals dictated the materials and labor that could be invested in a piece. The tempera’s fine and precise applications challenge traditional distinctions between craft and fine art. The work, with its vibrant colors, would have been a site of intense labor and material investment.