Annunciation with Cardinal Torquemada 1485

Antoniazzo Romano, active in Rome, painted this Annunciation panel, likely in the 1480s. It brings together sacred and historical elements in ways that are deeply revealing of the period. The Annunciation is, of course, the moment the Angel Gabriel tells Mary she will be the mother of Jesus. But here, the artist includes Cardinal Juan de Torquemada, a figure important in Rome at the time, and three young girls. Torquemada kneels, acting as a mediator between the divine event and the earthly realm of 15th-century Rome. The girls, likely orphans under the Cardinal’s protection, represent the Church’s charitable works. The painting can be interpreted through the lens of social history. The inclusion of Torquemada and the orphans is not merely decorative; it speaks to the Church's role in society and its patronage of the arts. Archival records, biographies, and institutional histories can help us understand the painting's original context, uncovering the complex interplay between art, religion, and social structures in Renaissance Rome.