The Annunciation

1882
Stained glass
Church of the Assumption

Mary kneels at a prie-dieu with a book in her hand, continuing the traditional interest in picturing her as "always engaged in prayer and in searching the law." In an interesting variation on the old pattern, the angel's hands continue past the broad black divider into the right half of the composition, and his left hand holds not a sceptre but a stalk of lilies.

Instead of flying toward Mary's head on a narrow ray sent by the Father as in Renaissance images, the dove above Mary and floods her with light.

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Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.
Date provided in Delcol