The Cestello Annunciation

What you see

The scene takes place in a room with a red and white floor. On the left, the angel has just arrived and kneels, wings still open, a lily in his hand. On the right, the Virgin bends toward him like a branch, head lowered and one hand raised. Between their hands, which nearly touch, stands the frame of the window.

The angel’s pink robe carries a sheer veil that swirls with his movement, and the Virgin’s blue mantle falls in long folds. The lines of the floor run back into the room and create depth. Notice the lectern with its book at the right edge, and the Virgin’s golden halo, painted as a disc in perspective.