Nicolas Poussin, 'The Annunciation', 1657

The Annunciation

Nicolas Poussin

Not on display

About the work

Overview

The Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will give birth to the Son of God. The dove of the Holy Ghost hovers above her in a bright circle of light. The Virgin, with her eyes closed and arms outstretched, accepts her role as mother of Christ. Poussin’s treatment of this subject is unusual, showing the Virgin sat cross-legged. Her cloak is usually blue, symbolising heaven, but here it is yellow, signifying hope and purity. Despite the room’s rather plain appearance, the clothing shimmers in the light shining from the left and the angel’s wings are decorated with three vibrant colours.

A wooden plaque fixed to the stone wall or parapet shows Poussin’s signature, the date 1657 and the name of Pope Alexander VII Chigi (1599–1667), who may have commissioned the painting.

In-depth

The Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the Son of God (Luke 1: 26–38). A dove of the Holy Ghost hovers above her in a bright circle of light. The Virgin, with her eyes closed and arms outstretched, accepts her role as mother to Christ. In the Bible, the Virgin responds to the angel by saying: ‘Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’

In other paintings of the Annunciation in the National Gallery, we see winged putti surrounded by clouds and the angel holding lilies as a symbol of purity. Poussin’s work is unusual, showing the Virgin sat cross-legged on a cushion. Her cloak is traditionally painted blue, as a symbol of heaven, but here it is yellow which may signify hope and purity. Fra Filippo Lippi’s The Annunciation and the Master of Liesborn’s Annunciation panel for the Liesborn altarpiece show her traditional appearance.

A trompe l'oeil wooden plaque fixed to the stone parapet or low wall contains Poussin’s signature, the date 1657 and the name of Pope Alexander VII Chigi (1599–1667), who may have commissioned the painting. However, it is not mentioned in any guidebooks to Rome that describe the Pope’s houses and collection. The Virgin and angel are carefully arranged on the parapet as if the painting were intended to be part of a building. Poussin’s patron and mentor Cassiano dal Pozzo died in 1657, and was buried in Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. This work could have been painted as a memorial for his tomb.

The 1650s represent Poussin’s late career, when he had developed a personal style inspired by his study of classical antiquity and Renaissance art. The figures are idealised and their rigid poses and stiff drapery recall ancient statues. The raised stone floor and column at the right give us an idea of the depth and size of their surroundings. Despite the room’s rather plain appearance, the clothing shimmers in the light shining from the left and the angel’s wings are decorated with three vibrant colours.

Key facts

Details

Full title: The Annunciation
Artist: Nicolas Poussin
Artist dates: 1594 - 1665
Date made: 1657
Medium and support: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 104.3 × 103.1 cm
Inscription summary: Signed; Dated and inscribed
Acquisition credit: Presented by Christopher Norris, 1944
Inventory number: NG5472
Location: Not on display
Collection: Main Collection

Provenance

In the collection of Robert Udny (1722–1802), West India merchant, of Teddington, Middlesex; in his sale, London, Philipe Scott, 26 May–10 June 1802 (lot 63, bought in), and Christie’s, 19 May 1804 (lot 96, £157 10s. to H. Phillips); in the sale of Robert Heathcote (active 1800–14), or others, Phillips, London, 5 April 1805 (lot 45, £102 18s. to (?) De Blyny); probably the J.M. Raikes sale, London, Squibb & Son, 22 June 1821 (lot 70), where described as ‘from the Orleans Collection. Engraved’, and again Christie’s, 6 June 1829 (lot 37, £97 13s. to Peacock) where described as ‘from the Orleans Gallery’; possibly sale of Thomas Emmerson of Stratford Place, London, Phillips, 16 June 1832 (lot 119); according to Smith sold anonymously in 1836 for 135 guineas; sale of Thomas Wright of Upton Hall, Newark, Christie & Manson, 7 June 1845 (lot 41, £91 7s. to Buchanan); sale of William Buchanan of Pall Mall, London, Christie & Manson, 4 July 1846 (lot 30, £80 to Evans for Scarisbrick); sale of Charles Scarisbrick deceased of pictures removed from Scarisbrick Hall and Wrightington Hall, Lancashire, Christie, Manson & Woods, 18 May 1861 (lot 476, £45 3s. to Part); c. 1877 in Thomas Part’s collection at Astley Hall, Chorley, near Wigan; by descent to his grandson Alexander F. Part of London SW7, by whom sold to Christopher Norris c. 1936; presented by Christopher Norris in 1944.

Additional information

Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Humphrey Wine, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth Century French Paintings’, London 2001; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.

Exhibition history

2015

Poussin and God

Musée du Louvre

30 March 2015 - 29 June 2015
2023

Real Families

The Fitzwilliam Museum

6 October 2023 - 7 January 2024

Bibliography

1830

J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters: In Which is Included a Short Biographical Notice of the Artists, with a Copious Description of Their Principal Pictures […], vol. 2, London 1830
1946

Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, London 1946
1947

A. Blunt, '"The Annunciation" by Nicolas Poussin', Bulletin de la Société Poussin, I, 1947, pp. 18-25
1947

P.R. Régamy, 'La signification religieuse de l'Annociation de Poussin', Bulletin de la Société Poussin, I, 1947, pp. 27-30
1948

T. Bertin-Mourot, 'Addenda au catalogue de Grautoff depuis 1914', Bulletin de la Société Poussin, II/31, 1948, pp. 8ff
1948

L. Rudrauf, 'Une annociation de Nicolas Poussin', Bulletin de la Société Poussin, XX, 1948, pp. 8ff
1952

P. Ladrué, 'La scène de l'Annonciation vue par les peintres', Gazette des beaux-arts, I, 1952
1955

The National Gallery, The National Gallery: 1938 - 1954, London 1955
1957

Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1957
1962

D. Wild, 'L'"Adoration des Bergers" de Poussin à Munich et ses tableaux religieux des années cinquante', Gazette des beaux-arts, II, 1962
1965

J. Costello, 'Poussin's Annunciation in London', in Essays in Honour of Walter Friedländer, New York 1965, pp. 16ff
1966

A. Blunt, The Paintings of Nicolas Poussin: A Critical Catalogue, London 1966
1969

K. Badt, Die Kunst des Nicolas Poussin, Cologne 1969
1980

D. Wild, Nicolas Poussin: Band I, Leben, Werk, Exkurse, Band II, Katalog der Werke, Zürich 1980
1992

H. Wine and O. Koester, Fransk Guldalder: Poussin and Claude and French Painting of the Seventeenth Century, (exh. cat. Statens Museum for Kunst, 29 February - 3 May 1992), Copenhagen 1992
1993

D. Carrier, Poussin's Paintings: A Study in Art-Historical Methodology, Univerisity Park PA 1993
1994

I.G. Kennedy and S. Dickinson, 'Poussin: A Variant of the Johnson "Baptism"', The Burlington Magazine, CXXXVI/1098, 1994, pp. 612-6
1994

P. Rosenberg, L.-A. Prat and V. Damian, Nicolas Poussin: La collection du Musée Condé à Chantilly (exh. cat. Musée Condé, Château de Chantilly, 27 September 1994 - 6 January 1995), Paris 1994
1994

R. Verdi and P. Rosenberg, Nicolas Poussin, 1594-1665 (exh. cat. Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, 27 September 1994 - 2 January 1995; Royal Academy of Arts, 19 January - 9 April 1995), Paris 1994
1995

D. Mahon, 'The Written Sources for Poussin's Landscapes, with Special Reference to His Two Landscapes with Diogenes', The Burlington Magazine, CXXXVII/1104, 1995, pp. 176-82
1995

H. Wine, 'Instruction and Delight: The Poussin Exhibitions at the Grand Palais, Paris and the Royal Academy', Apollo, CXLI/398, 1995, pp. 50-3
1996

E. Wilberding, 'L'Annonciation de 1657', in Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665). Actes du colloque organisée au musée du Louvre…1994, Paris 1996, pp. 179-99
1996

H. Brigstocke, 'Variantes, copies et imitations. Quelques réflexions sur les méthodes de travail de Poussin', in Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665): Actes du colloque organisée au musée du Louvre…1994, Paris 1996
1999

J.P. Cuzin, '"La Vision de Sainte Françoise Romaine" de Nicolas Poussin', Revue du Louvre, 2, 1999, pp. 13-7
2000

O. Bonfait and N. MacGregor, Le Dieu caché: Les peintures du Grand Siècle et la vision de Dieu, (exh. cat. Académie de France, Villa Medici, 18 October 2000 - 28 January 2001), Rome 2000
2001

C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
2001

Wine, Humphrey, National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth Century French Paintings, London 2001
2006

Christie, Manson & Woods, Important Old Master Pictures, London, 6 July 2006

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

Images

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