1445 (ca), Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation -- Alte Pinakothek, Munich
From the museum label: The altarpiece once embellished the high altar of the Benedictine monastic community of the so-called Suore Murate in Florence. It was commissioned by Giovanni de' Benci, who had gained considerable wealth and status through his career in the Medici banking house. Lippi chose a style for his figures - especially for Mary - that, for him, was atypical but regarded by contemporaries as elegant and is reminiscent of International Gothic. The depth of the picture, based on a central perspective, on the other hand, is among the forward-looking innovations that made Lippi one of the city's most sought-after painters.
1445 (ca), Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation -- Alte Pinakothek, Munich
From the museum label: The altarpiece once embellished the high altar of the Benedictine monastic community of the so-called Suore Murate in Florence. It was commissioned by Giovanni de' Benci, who had gained considerable wealth and status through his career in the Medici banking house. Lippi chose a style for his figures - especially for Mary - that, for him, was atypical but regarded by contemporaries as elegant and is reminiscent of International Gothic. The depth of the picture, based on a central perspective, on the other hand, is among the forward-looking innovations that made Lippi one of the city's most sought-after painters.