The Annunciation with Saint Margaret and Saint Ansanus

Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi (c. 1284–1344 / c. 1290–1347) — 1333 · Tempera on panel · Uffizi Gallery, Florence

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” — Luke 1:38 (KJV)

About

Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi painted this Annunciation in 1333 for Siena Cathedral: Gabriel has just landed, olive branch in hand, his cloak still swirling; the words of his greeting run in raised gold letters across the gold between them; Mary recoils into her chair, book in hand.

The Meaning

The painting freezes the most consequential conversation ever held: heaven's messenger and a young woman alone, the whole plan of salvation hanging on her answer. The lily vase between them stands for purity; the dove above, for the Spirit who overshadows.

For Us Today

Be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38) — that sentence, said to God in the startling moments of life, is still the doorway to everything He does through a surrendered person.

Image: CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons — the file’s page. Tap the picture to open the full-size original there.