The Annunciation, from the Small Passion, copy

Description

The Annunciation, from the Small Passion, copy presents the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she will bear Christ. The encounter brings a divine message into a human setting, making the relationship between messenger and recipient the center of the scene. This undated woodcut is cataloged by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as after Albrecht Dürer, with Johann Mommard also named.

Within the Small Passion sequence, The Annunciation looks ahead to the life and suffering of Christ through the moment that begins his earthly story. Its significance comes from the meeting of ordinary experience and an extraordinary promise. The woodcut format gives the episode a concentrated graphic character. The copy retains its own identity while carrying forward a composition from Dürer’s larger religious narrative.