This circular brass place depicts the Annunciation in the center shallow depression. The angel is seen in profile, kneeling on the left, with his huge wings curving to conform to the circular shape of the plate. Mary, with long hair flowing to her waist, is seated on the right side reading a book. A pot of lilies floats between them. In the upper center, a semicircle of golden rays extends toward the figures. A slightly raised bronze border separates this round scene from a continuous circular border of upper case letters in Roman script, likely an inscription in Latin or German. Surrounding the inscription there are other tiny, continuous, decorative leaf elements on the raised lip of the plate.
German, Nuremberg
Plate: The Annunciation,
15th century
Brass
,
38.5 cm (15 3/16 in.)
Object details
Accession number
M19w46
Primary Creator
German, Nuremberg
Full title
Plate: The Annunciation
Creation Date
15th century
Provenance
Possibly purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the art dealer Settimio Silli, Florence for 650 lire on 25 May 1903 through the painter Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950). (as a set of four brass plates and a tabernacle)
Dimensions
38.5 cm (15 3/16 in.)
Display Media
Brass
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Tapestry Room
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), pp. 152-53. (as German, Nuremberg; dated 15th-17th centuries)
“Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 9, no. 28 (13 Mar. 1966), p. 2. (as German, Nuremberg; dated 15th century)
Rights and reproductions
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Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.