The Annunciation by Hans Memling, 1480–89.
The Annunciation · Hans Memling · 1480–89 · Robert Lehman Collection
The Annunciation by Hans Memling, 1480–89.
The Annunciation by Hans Memling, 1480–89.
The Annunciation by Hans Memling, 1480–89.

The Annunciation

Hans Memling

Year
1480–89
Medium
Oil on panel, transferred to canvas
Dimensions
30 1/8 x 21 1/2 in. (76.5 x 54.6 cm)
Collection
Robert Lehman Collection
License
Public Domain

Hans Memling’s “The Annunciation” was originally painted on an oak panel. Transferred to canvas after 1928, it measures 76.5 by 54.6 cm. Now part of the Robert Lehman Collection, New York. Created between 1480 and 1489.

Mary is in a domestic setting, flanked by two angels. Gabriel wears ecclesiastical robes. A dove, representing the Holy Spirit, hovers above. The painting borrows elements from Rogier van der Weyden’s work.

The painting’s frame, lost in the 19th century, was inscribed with the date 1482. Modern scholars suggest the final digit might have been a 9, dating it to 1489. Gustav Friedrich Waagen praised it as one of Memling’s most original works.

Memling moved to Bruges in 1465, becoming a citizen and leading artist there. He was among the wealthiest residents by 1480, renowned for his religious works with donor portraits.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459055

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