The Annunciation - Peter Candid (bruges, 1548 - Munich, 1628), 17th Century

The Annunciation - Peter Candid (Bruges 1548 - Munich 1628)
Oil on copper, h. 32 cm, l. 28 cm
Carved wooden frame, the cassetta model, Italy, 17th century
Framed: h. 46 cm, l. 42 cm

Provenance: private Genovese collection, acquired from the Cambi auction house, Genoa, in April 2013

Bright and intense, our painting combines heaven and earth in this Annunciation scene animated by multiple figures.
With a sparkling palette, the fresh and spring-like colors catch the viewer's eye and bring out this feverish atmosphere of the unexpected encounter between the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary.
All the power of heaven seems to penetrate this peaceful interior of the young woman's bedroom. Busy reading and praying in front of the prie-Dieu, her sewing basket set aside, Mary seems disconcerted by the divine presence.
The angel Gabriel, kneeling on a cloud holding a branch of lilies in his left arm, whose immaculate white color is the symbol of Mary's purity. Her clothes with colorful fabrics fly away in the wind, suggesting her sudden arrival. With his right arm he indicates the sky and God and reveals to Mary her destiny.
The sky opens above two protagonists, the white dove of the Holy Spirit emerges from the clouds glorifying this event with divine light, while the angels accompanying Gabriel float in the air giving thanks to the Lord.
The smooth support that is copper, allows the painter to render with particular attention and care all the details, modeling the drapes of the clothes by highlighting ridges and broken folds.
Our work is a reduced format variant of a very large painting that Peter Candid executed for the church of Saint Michael in Munich at the request of the Duke of Bavaria, William V. Very often, after having executed large paintings paid for by various patrons, the painter with his workshop produced "ricordi" for private or commercial use. In the case of our work, the painter modifies the original composition by offering the largest space to the earthly part – Mary's room, by replacing the figure of God the Father with the letters of the ancient Hebrew Yahweh (YHWH) and by adding many small details in order to better illustrate Mary's domestic intimacy.
A vase filled with flowers on the small table in the background, the birds eating the seeds and a small sleeping cat in the foreground are all additional elements of the decor.

Peter De Witte, known as Peter Candid
Born in Bruges in 1548 and died in Munich in 1628, is a Flemish Mannerist painter, author of tapestry projects, active in Italy and Bavaria where he worked for various princely courts.