Marriage of the Virgin

Franciabigio painted this Marriage of the Virgin around 1513 for Santissima Annunziata in Florence. Franciabigio was a contemporary and rival of Andrea del Sarto, with whom he shared commissions in the cloister of the Annunziata, the most important fresco cycle project in early-sixteenth-century Florence. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

The fresco demonstrates Franciabigio's competent Florentine manner with clear perspective construction and balanced figure arrangement, reflecting his training in the tradition of Fra Bartolomeo and his competition with Andrea del Sarto.