The Angel Gabriel (one of a pair)

Unknown

1552 · Colored, stained, and enameled glass · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Kneeling at her prayer desk, Mary raises her hand in surprise as Gabriel informs her that she will be the mother of the Messiah. The opening of his salutation to her, “Hail, Mary, full of Grace,” is partially inscribed in Latin on the scroll above her. The composition and the classicizing, slightly elongated figures were derived from a work by Raphael (1483–1520) that was widely known through prints. The windows were made after the same cartoon used for an Annunciation in an important cycle devoted to the Life of the Virgin in the church of Sainte-Foy in Conches-en-Ouche, Normandy. The New York architect Stanford White (1853–1906) added the inscription at the bottom of the Gabriel panel. This panel is one of a pair (07.287.12).

Artist

Unknown

Date

1552

Medium

Colored, stained, and enameled glass

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1907