The Annunciation

The poetic story of the Annunciation has inspired many artists. On the altarpiece by Jan Janssens, an artist from Ghent, we see Mary kneeling before her prie-dieu. On it lies a book opened at the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘A virgin is with child and shall bear a son’. An angel delivers this message to her as the Holy Spirit descends…

The poetic story of the Annunciation has inspired many artists. On the altarpiece by Jan Janssens, an artist from Ghent, we see Mary kneeling before her prie-dieu. On it lies a book opened at the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘A virgin is with child and shall bear a son’. An angel delivers this message to her as the Holy Spirit descends upon her in the form of a dove. The attitude of Mary’s hands indicate submission and acceptance. The simple, heavily outlined shapes, theatrical lighting and a preference for depicting ordinary people are reminiscent of Caravaggio and especially the Dutch Caravaggist, Hendrik Terbrugghen. In and around his native city, Jan Janssens was quite famous for his religious scenes, such as the Crowning with Thorns and The Annunciation, subjects he painted several times. This altarpiece originally came from the former Franciscan monastery in Ghent.