Annunciation Spanish Sculptor

Dating from the late sixteenth century, the style and motifs of this Annunciation group show affinities with Venetian mannerism. The influence of the Venetian sculptors Alessandro Vittoria and Girolamo Campagna is visible in the fragment, which is likely to have originally been part of an altar in a Spanish church. Executed in line with the customary portrayals of the Annunciation in Italian quattrocento art, the work also displays a characteristic feature of Spanish wood sculpture, namely, richly decorated and gilded surfaces. The Virgin’s original kneeling posture was revealed during restoration; it had earlier been covered up by carved drapery. On this part of the work, the original gilding has best been preserved.