Annunciation

Bernardo Daddi's Annunciation of around 1335, now in the Louvre's Department of Paintings, exemplifies the refined devotional panels that made Daddi the most sought-after painter in Florence for private and institutional commissions after Giotto. The Annunciation was one of the most frequently depicted subjects in Trecento Florence, central to the city's civic identity as Florence Cathedral was dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore. Daddi's treatment brings his characteristic gentleness and decorative elegance to this foundational scene of Christian salvation.

Painted in tempera on gold-ground panel, the work displays Daddi's graceful figural style with the Virgin and Gabriel rendered in flowing drapery with soft facial modeling. The composition uses a simple architectural setting to frame the two figures, with delicate details in the textiles and a luminous gold background with punched ornamental borders.