Jan van EyckNetherlandish, 1390–1441Annunciation
The Annunciation
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
National Gallery of Art
Room39 · West Building, Main FloorWashington, D.C., United States
On public display.
- Checked
- 3 days ago
- In this state since
- Aug 19, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
The Annunciation is an oil painting by the Early Netherlandish master Jan van Eyck, from around 1434–1436. The panel is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was originally on panel but has been transferred to canvas. It is thought that it was the left (inner) wing of a triptych; there has been no sighting of the other wings since before 1817. The Annunciation is a highly complex work whose iconography is still debated by art historians. It was bought by the Tsar of Russia for the Hermitage Museum, but was sold by Stalin's government in 1930.
Read on
The picture depicts the Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the son of God (Luke 1:26–38). The inscription shows his words: AVE GRA PLENA ('Hail, full of grace...'). She modestly draws back and responds, ECCE ANCILLA D[OMI]NI ('Behold the handmaiden of the Lord'). The words appear upside down because they are directed to God and are therefore inscribed with a God's-eye view. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit descend to her on seven rays of light from the upper window to the left, with the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit following the same path; "[t]his is the moment God's plan for salvation is set in motion. Through Christ's human incarnation the old era of the Law is transformed into a new era of Grace".
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1937.1.39
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- National Gallery of Art: the museum's own open data · fetched 3 days ago
- Image: National Gallery of Art — Museum open access
![Scenes from the Passion of Christ: The Descent into Limbo [right panel], Andrea Vanni, 1380s](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/4205a539-eadd-4486-89a7-3cff9c1ba428/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
