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Sculpture
Keystone with Scene of the Annunciation
French or German artist, (active )
French or German artist
France
13 11/16 x 14 3/16 x 3 3/8 in. (34.8 x 36 x 8.5 cm)
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overall
overall
Sandstone
Sandstone
French or German; made on the Upper Rhine
late 1400s
1400
1400
1000-1400, angels, architecture & room elements, European art, sculpture
Sculpture
In Christian tradition, the scene of the Annunciation depicts the moment of the angel Gabriel’s announcement to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. Here, the Virgin kneels before a large open book on a reading pulpit. The winged Gabriel faces her, kneeling on the other side of the pulpit. The hand of God emerges from the frame at the top, directing a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, toward the Virgin’s head.
This sculpture was originally an architectural keystone, the central stone of an arch that locks its parts together. The structure of the back of the piece indicates that it probably came from the center of a square vault with four ribs. Its small size and the high level of detail in the carving suggest that it was installed close to the viewer where it could be easily seen, perhaps in a bay of a cloister walk or in a small porch.
[Gallery label text, June 2013]
1949.70
item
Memorial Art Gallery
3/13/2001
49.70DI#2
digital image
7/29/2008
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/49.70_A1.jpg
49.70SL1
slide
2 x 2
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
glossy
8x10
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http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
negative
4x5
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
49.70DI#1
digital image
Front
5/22/2007
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/49.70_I1.jpg
49.70DI#3
digital image
3/9/2010
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/49.70_A2.jpg
49.70DI#4
digital image
Three-quarter
3/9/2010
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/49.70_A3.jpg
49.70DI#5
digital image
Three-quarter
3/9/2010
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/49.70_A4.jpg