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Leonardo
da Vinci - The Annunciation
The painting "Annunciation" or "The
Annunciation" by Leonardo da Vinci was painted,
with Andrea del Verrocchio, circa 1472–1475.
The wings were later extended by another artist.
The angel holds a Madonna lily, a symbol of Mary's
virginity and of the city of Florence. It is supposed
that Leonardo originally copied the wings from those
of a bird in flight, but they have since been lengthened
by a later artist.
When Annunciation came to the Uffizi in 1867, from
the monastery of San Bartolomeo of Monteoliveto, near
Florence, it was ascribed to Domenico Ghirlandaio,
who was, like Leonardo, an apprentice in the workshop
of Andrea del Verrocchio. In 1869, some critics recognized
it as a youthful work by Leonardo di ser Piero da
Vinci.
Verrocchio used lead-based paint and heavy brush strokes.
He left a note for Leonardo to finish the background
and the angel. Leonardo used light brush strokes and
no lead. When the Annunciation was x-rayed, Verrocchio's
work was evident while Leonardo's angel was invisible.
The marble table, in front of the Virgin, probably
quotes the tomb of Piero and Giovanni de' Medici in
the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence, which Verrocchio
had sculpted during this same period.
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