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Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
The Annunciation and the Journey to Bethlehem
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
© Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. All rights reserved.

The Annunciation and the Journey to Bethlehem

Artist/Maker (Italy, 1450-1516 or 1517)
Dateca. 1480-1490
Mediumtempera on wood
DimensionsSight: 26 3/4 x 21 1/4 in. (67.9 x 54 cm)
Framed: 34 1/4 x 27 3/4 x 4 in. (87 x 70.5 x 10.2 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineGift of The Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Terms
    Object number61.022.000
    DescriptionThe Annunciation and the Journey to Bethlehem originally formed the upper right-hand corner of a large altarpiece, the exact format of which is unknown. The two scenes were part of the series illustrating either the infancy of Christ or the life of the Virgin, which may have served as the backdrop to an image of the Madonna and Child Enthroned; in that case, the cornice and pilaster at the far left of the panel may have been part of the Virgin’s throne. However, it is more likely that the foreground of the picture was occupied by a scene of the Nativity. This is suggested by the lower edge of the classical entablature, which, before it was partially repainted by an overzealous restorer, appeared as a ruin. In Renaissance painting, the setting for the birth of Christ often included a ruined classical building symbolizing the eclipse of the old dispensation. The departure of the Virgin and Joseph for Bethlehem was a subject rarely depicted in Italian medieval and Renaissance art. It is also highly unusually that in the scene of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel is portrayed carrying a palm branch, thereby reflecting Dante’s description of the Incarnation (Il Paradiso 32.112-14). The works of Cozzarelli, a painter of miniatures, altarpieces, and cassone panels (secular paintings used to decorate furniture), are frequently confused with those of his presumed master, Matteo di Giovanni (active 1452-1495). The format of Cozzarelli’s paintings and his feeling for decorative detail and textural richness are in the Sienese stylistic tradition, but his interest in perspective, naturalistic movement, classical architecture, and antique ornamentation reflects the significant influence of contemporary Florentine art.
    On View
    Not on view
    Collections
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Bicci di Lorenzo
    ca. 1435-1440
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo
    ca. 1535
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Master of the Blessed Clare of Rimini
    ca. 1340
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Marcello Venusti
    16th century
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Sano di Pietro
    ca. 1460-1480
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Alessandro Magnasco
    after 1735
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Bernardino Fungai
    ca. 1510-1515
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Jacopo Palma il Vecchio
    ca. 1510