Artwork
The Annunciation
The Annunciation is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Matthias Stom. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Matthias Stömer’s *The Annunciation* (1700) is an oil painting that belongs to the Rococo period. Executed by a Northern European artist who spent most of his career in Italy, the work portrays the biblical moment when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the Christ child. The composition is confined to a dimly lit interior, illuminated only by a solitary candle.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a woman in a red dress with a blue veil, sits at a table, her hands clasped in a gesture of surprise or reverence. Opposite her stands a man in a yellow robe with a red sash, holding a branch and pointing upward, representing the angelic messenger. The sparse setting and the figures’ expressions convey a quiet, contemplative response to the divine announcement.
Technique & Style
Stömer employs chiaroscuro to model the figures against the deep shadows of the room, a technique derived from Caravaggist influences. The delicate handling of fabrics—the sheen of the veil and the texture of the robes—reflects Rococo’s ornamental sensibility, while the overall composition remains restrained, focusing attention on the narrative moment.
History & Provenance
Created at the turn of the 18th century, the painting entered the collection of the Uffizi Gallery, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Stömer aligns with his known oeuvre of biblical scenes, distinguishing it from his relatively fewer genre or allegorical works.
Context
Stömer’s artistic development was shaped by the dramatic realism of Caravaggisti such as Jusepe de Ribera, as well as the dynamic compositions of Peter Paul Rubens. This synthesis of Northern European vigor and Italian chiaroscuro informs the work’s balanced yet emotionally charged atmosphere.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Matthias Stom or Matthias Stomer (c. 1600 – after 1652) was a Dutch, or possibly Flemish, painter who is only known for the works he produced during his residence in Italy. He was influenced by the work of non-Italian…
The Annunciation
Christ among the Doctors
The Death of Cleopatra
Judith and Maidservant with Head of Holofernes
Christ in the garden of olives at Gethsemane
Esau, returning hungry from the hunt, sells his first birthright to Jacob for a pottage of lentils(Genesis 25:31)
Saint Sebastian Nursed by Saint Irene
Esau Sells his Birthright
The Denial of Saint Peter
The Annunciation
The Judgment of Solomon