Mughal, early 17th century

The Annunciation is a familiar scene in European Renaissance and Baroque art that is here interpreted by a painter in a Mughal workshop. Mary had been praying before the arrival of the angel Gabriel. She gazes at him as he kneels reverently and informs her that she will bear the son of God. His wings, forced within the boundary line of the painting field, have been polychromed to convey a mystical impression that identifies him as an otherworldly being. The crown held over Mary’s head refers to her royal bloodline, an important feature in this text.