The Annunciation
Painting on panel • Leonardo da Vinci (with potential assistance from Andrea del Verrocchio)
Style & Movement
Early Italian Renaissance
Medium & Technique
Oil and tempera on poplar panel; utilizes sfumato, glazing, and atmospheric perspective
Creation Period
circa 1472-1475
Dimensions & Format
98 cm x 217 cm (38.5 in x 85.5 in); wide horizontal landscape format
Subject Description
The Archangel Gabriel kneels before the Virgin Mary in a walled garden (hortus conclusus), signaling the Incarnation. Gabriel holds a Madonna lily, symbolizing Mary's purity. Mary sits at a classical marble lectern inspired by Verrocchio's tomb of Piero and Giovanni de' Medici. The background features a distant port and misty mountains, demonstrating early aerial perspective.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Very Good; the original panel has undergone historic stabilization and surface cleaning to preserve the pigment integrity.
Estimated Market Value
Inestimable; as a primary work by Leonardo da Vinci, the value exceeds typical market billion-dollar thresholds as a national treasure.
Auction Estimate
N/A - Museum permanent collection asset (Uffizi Gallery)
Provenance History
Originally produced for the monastery of San Bartolomeo at Monte Oliveto, near Florence. Removed to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence in 1867.
Art Historical Significance
One of Leonardo's earliest known major commissions. While it shows some youthful compositional errors (such as the perspective of Mary's right arm), it introduces the revolutionary use of sfumato and atmospheric landscape that defined his later career.
Notable Features
The sarcophagus-style lectern is a direct reference to his master Verrocchio's sculpture; Gabriel's wings are painted with realistic anatomical precision reminiscent of bird wings.
Condition Issues
Historic craquelure across the panel surface; some minor yellowing of older varnish layers; signs of previous woodworm stabilization in the poplar support.
Conservation Recommendations
Requires climate-controlled environment with 50% relative humidity; UV-filtered lighting; display behind non-reflective, anti-seismic glass.