The Annunciation from the Hours of Charles of France

JPG • 2337 × 1654 PX • 1.6 MB
Curatorial Notes

Created in 1465, this illumination depicts the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, an episode narrated in the Gospel of Saint Luke (Lk 1:26–38). The composition spans two pages of a book of hours belonging to Charles of France, Duke of Normandy and brother of King Louis XI. On the left, Gabriel arrives accompanied by a procession of musical angels descending from heaven, while on the right, Mary interrupts her reading upon noticing the divine messenger. Golden rays emanating from the dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, visually connect the two pages, uniting the Annunciation scene. The elaborate Gothic architecture creates the illusion of a church, where a priest appears before an altar in the background. An interesting historical detail is the castle depicted in the landscape on the left page, identified as the Château de Mehun-sur-Yèvre, Charles of France's favorite residence. The original manuscript was never fully completed, and these pages were separated from the rest of the book before 1905. They are now preserved at the Metropolitan Museum, while the manuscript remains in the Bibliothèque Mazarine in Paris.

Artwork Identification

Title The Annunciation from the Hours of Charles of France
Title (PT) A Anunciação das Horas de Carlos de França
Title (ES) La Anunciación de las Horas de Carlos de Francia
Artist Master of Charles of France
Artist Bio The Master of Charles of France was a French manuscript illuminator active approximately between 1450 and 1475. His identity remains unknown, although some art historians associate him with Jean de Laval, an artist documented in the service of Charles of France during the 1460s. He probably worked in the Bourges region and was influenced by Jean Fouquet, one of the leading French painters of the 15th century. His illuminations are distinguished by their intricate details, elaborate architecture, and compositions that create an illusion of depth within the small pages of manuscripts.
Date 1465
Work Type Painting

Location & Collection

License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
Ars Sancta