Annunciation Triptych (Rogier van der Weyden)

Annunciation Triptych

Artist	Rogier van der Weyden
Year	c. 1434
Type	Oil on panel
Dimensions	89 cm × 36.5 cm (35 in × 14.4 in)
Location	the Louvre, Paris, and Galleria Sabauda, Turin

The Annunciation Triptych is an oil-on-panel triptych by the Netherlandish artist Rogier van der Weyden, dating from around 1434. It was originally formed by three panels, the central one being now at The Louvre museum in Paris, France; the side panels are at the Galleria Sabauda of Turin, northern Italy.

Description

It is an early work by the Netherlandish artist, with a visible re-elaborations of elements from Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck. The central panel depicts a composition within a domestic interior, with a richly dressed Angel surprising the Virgin who reads a book (a symbol of the Holy Books).

Van der Weyden paid attentions to technical details, such as the shining metallic objects, like the lamp, the jar, the medallion hanging over the bed. The horizon line is elevated like in other contemporary Neterlandish paintings.

The side panels have similar characteristics, but are set in more luminous landscapes, with the elements in the background becoming increasingly invisible in the haze, according to aerial perspective.

Notes

Sources

• Campbell, Lorne (2004). Van der Weyden. London: Chaucer Press. ISBN 1-904449-24-7. 

External links

• Page at Florence's Museums website (Italian)

Rogier van der Weyden
Single religious works	Virgin and Child Enthroned (c. 1430–32) The Madonna Standing (c. 1430–32) The Magdalen Reading (fragment, c. 1435–38) Durán Madonna (c. 1435–38) The Descent from the Cross (c. 1435–38) Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin (c. 1435–40) The Dream of Pope Sergius (c. late 1430s) Christ on the Cross with Mary and St John (c. 1440) Pietà (c. 1441) Visitation (c. 1445) Virgin and Child (c. 1460) Lamentation of Christ (c. 1460–63) Medici Madonna (c. 1460–64)
Portraits	Portrait of a Woman (c. 1435) Portrait of a Man (c. 1440) Portrait of a Young Woman (c. 1440–45) Portrait of Isabella of Portugal (c. 1445–50) Portrait of Philip the Good (after 1450) Portrait of Charles the Bold (1460) Portrait of Antoine, 'Grand Bâtard' of Burgundy (c. 1460) Portrait of Francesco d'Este (c. 1460) Portrait of a Lady (c. 1460) Portrait of Jean Gros (c 1460-64) Portrait of John I, Duke of Cleves (14??)
Diptychs	Crucifixion Diptych (c. 1464–65) Diptych of Philip de Croÿ with The Virgin and Child (c. 1460)
Triptychs	Annunciation Triptych (c. 1434) Miraflores Altarpiece (c. 1442–45) Seven Sacraments Altarpiece (c. 1448) Beaune Altarpiece (c. 1445–50) The Braque Triptych (c. 1452) Saint Columba altarpiece (c. 1455) Altar of Saint John (c. 1455) Nativity Triptych (1460s)
Civic	The Justice of Trajan and Herkinbald (c. 1450)
Miniature	Jean Wauquelin presenting his 'Chroniques de Hainaut' to Philip the Good (1447–1448)
Embroidery	Fragments of a Cope with the Seven Sacraments