Divine Conception

Book excerpt: Divine Conception: The Art of the Annunciation asks the questions: How to evoke the invisible in the visible? How to convey the divine in the human?Focussing on twelve specific aspects of the Annunciation (for instance, where Mary is reading, or where Joseph is present at the event), the book explores images (paintings, illuminated manuscripts, ivories, mosaics, sculpture, wall paintings, metal work) in the context of the period when they were made. Each chapter reflects on contemporaneous treatises, sermons, patron's requirements, devotional practices, artistic conventions, theological concerns, that informed the artist and his audience.The works of art discussed relate to the Latin West from the earliest times, with a cut-off date towards the middle of the 16th century.