Arcangelo Gabriele e Vergine annunziata

Simone dei Crocifissi, the leading Bolognese painter of the second half of the fourteenth century, created this Archangel Gabriel and Annunciate Virgin around 1350, now in the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. Simone takes his name from his numerous painted crucifixes and was deeply embedded in the devotional culture of Bologna's many churches and monasteries. The Annunciation was among the most frequently depicted subjects in Gothic art, symbolizing the moment of the Incarnation.

Tempera and gold on panel. Simone dei Crocifissi's style combines Bolognese solidity of form with the decorative elegance of contemporary Sienese painting, featuring rich gold grounds with delicate tooling and intense jewel-toned pigments.