The Annunciation (1887): Artwork and History

The Annunciation (1887) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as George Hitchcock (American, 1850–1913).

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

In George Hitchcock’s unusual presentation of the Annunciation, the virgin is depicted as a Dutch peasant girl standing in a field of lilies. Traditionally, the lily is a symbol of the angel Gabriel, and Mary’s downcast eyes and humble stance imply that she has received his divine message. Hitchcock spent much of his life in Holland, and his work synthesizes elements of several European art movements. The choice of a religious subject, the unusual composition, and his interest in the effects of sunlight and shadow reflect the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites, the Symbolists, and the Impressionists on Hitchcock’s work.

Object facts

• Title: The Annunciation
• Date: 1887
• Artist attribution: George Hitchcock (American, 1850–1913)
• Place of origin: United States
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 158.8 × 204.5 cm (62 1/2 × 80 1/2 in.)
• Type: Painting
• Department: Arts of the Americas
• Reference number: 1930.1289

Collection credit

Potter Palmer Collection

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The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.