Annunciation to Mary

Conrad von Soest's Annunciation to Mary, dated 1403, is part of the Bad Wildungen altarpiece program that represents his most complete surviving ensemble. The Annunciation — the Angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she will conceive and bear the Son of God — was typically the opening scene of altarpiece programs devoted to the Life of the Virgin or the Infancy of Christ, establishing the theological premise for everything that follows. Von Soest's version would have displayed the cool, silvery palette and elegant figure style that distinguish him as the most sophisticated German painter of the International Gothic period.

Von Soest renders the Annunciation with the characteristic cool luminosity of his palette: silver blues, pale greens, and delicate whites. The angel's approach and Mary's accepting pose create a graceful two-figure composition. The gold ground is elaborately tooled around the figures, adding to the jewel-like decorative intensity.