The Annunciation

A lavish domestic interior frames this scene of the Virgin Mary receiving the news that she will bear the Son of God. An elaborate bed, claw-footed bookstand, and agitated swags of drapery compete for space in the densely packed composition. The pot of lilies in the foreground symbolizes Mary’s purity. Heinrich Aldegrever modeled his engraving on Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut from The Small Passion. He even followed his famous predecessor’s example by signing in the upper right-hand corner. Aldegrever, however, embellished his composition with decorative details to make it uniquely his own.