DOGA COBANOGLU
DOGA COBANOGLU
VISUAL ART
VISUAL ART
CRIVELLI INVESTIGATION - "The Annunciation with Saint Emidius"
BY CARLO CRIVELLI
What is the "Annunciation"?
The Annunciation is the holy story from the Christian Bible. It is set between the old and new testament. Meaning 0 B.C. The painting shows the angel; Gabriel from God, announcing to Virgin Mary that she will conceive a son, meaning she would become the mother of Jesus Christ. The Annunciation is also set exactly 9 months before Christmas in which Jesus christ was born. It is celebrated on March 25th and know as "The Feast of Annunciation". Christians around the world celebrate the day of Jesus Christ's incarnation. Within the festival, two main points are greatly shown; God entering the human world and being born as a Jesus & the world's acceptance of the event and Mary as "The Mother of God". This is all known as Christian Symbolisation.
The Story behind the Annuciation:
The Annunciation was a painting Carlo Crivelli. It was created for a small town in Italy called Ascoli, every year they celebrate the Annunciation on March 25th. It was a celebration because it was the day the church was granted a self government by the main pope who was Pope Sixtus VI which was coincidentally on the day of Annunciation. The pope was exiled giving the town of Ascoli self-government. He created the painting for the celebration rather than just religious purposes. A grand feast took place on the day to celebrate the towns independence. The painting was named and created for the Annunciation, it hung upon the altar of the church names SS Annunciate.
Christian Symbolism:
Crivelli has included a range of irrelevant and relevant objects within the paining of the "Annuciation". Some have a very strong religious meaning but others are local symbols or of a funder/ supporter. But the majority is known as Christian Symbolism. Below are many examples of symbolism in the painting:
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1) The dove: Within the painting, there is an image of a dove which is flying towards Mary's ear. This was very common when describing the Annunciation since the 11th century. The dove is a symbol of "the act of conception" in which the Virgin is told that she will conceive a child in her womb. As per usual, the dove is at her ear through a beam of light. The dove is part of Christian Symbolism and plays a huge role.

Annuciation with Saint Emidius' by Carlo Crivelli 1486
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Annunciation,_with_Saint_Emidius
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2) The book: It was a ritual in a painting or per usual to see Mary reading a book, after many controversy it was best said that the book was the old testament. It was more specifically known as the the book of Isaiah where Virgin Mary was able to see the foretelling of her child.
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3) The lily: Is a representation of purity, its is known to be the centre object Angel Gabriel is holding. The lily was more common in paintings in Florence, Italy, due to their coat of arms corresponding with the red lily. On the other hand, places like Siena ( small part of Florence) included Angel Gabriel holding an olive branch to show purity. There was a huge range of what Angel Gabriel could be holding but they all signified the same aspect.
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4) The candle: There are two types of candles within the Annunciation, lit candles and unlit candles each signifying a new message. The unlit candles symbolised a life which has not yet be born, for example Christ. You are able to find the unlit candles on the Chandelier. On the other hand, the lit candles represented a specific journey in this Painting which was from the heavenly word to the world the painting is set in.
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5) The curtain: It was located in the same room as the candle and represents "revelation" meaning when pulled it will reveal an important or sacred image to the people. An example of this is, when Mary built a temple it was known to have a veil on it, this signifies that it is "holy of holies".
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6) The angels: The angels played a huge role in Christian symboilsim, they adverted the way the Christians thought about Mary which was placed by Giotto. They enabled her to be "perceived" as a queen whom was close to mankind rather than a Theotokos who was known to be distant and far way from the human class. Angels had a new look in this painting along with new Renaissance art due to the development of the christian outlook which gave the angels a feminine feel which was light, heavenly and full of happiness.
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7) Mary's throne: Her throne is shown as if it was a "monument" and not part of the reality we are surrounded with. It symbolises her to be put in a more "divine dimension". This also contradicts with the "drape of honour" which is always behind Mary as per seen at the back of Emperor's in Imperial Rome.
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8) Saint Edimus: Was known as the great patron saint of Ascoli, within the painting he is shown holding a model of Ascoli ("the newly freed Ascoli") which has no major changes from what modern Ascoli looked like. He is also put in paintings because he is the saint of earthquakes, so he may be able to "protect" the city.
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9) The Cucumber: Also known as the Gherkin was a great example of Christian symbolism because it symbolised Mary due to do the contradictions; it was mentioned in a quote from Isaiah. "And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city." The daughter of Zion meaning Mary was in relation with the garden of cucumbers.
Other Renaissance Paintings that use Perspective:

The School of Athens by Raphael 1518
http://legacy.ski.org/CWTyler_lab/CWTyler/Art%20Investigations/Perspective/PerspectiveHistory/Perspective.BriefHistory.html

The Disputation of St Stephen’ by Carpaccio 1514
http://legacy.ski.org/CWTyler_lab/CWTyler/Art%20Investigations/Perspective/PerspectiveHistory/Perspective.BriefHistory.html

St. Peter Healing a Cripple and the Raising of Tabitha by Masolino 1425
http://legacy.ski.org/CWTyler_lab/CWTyler/Art%20Investigations/Perspective/PerspectiveHistory/Perspective.BriefHistory.html
Other References
Crivelli, C. (1486). The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius [Illustration]. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Annunciation,_with_Saint_Emidius
magic-nation. (n.d.). The Annunciation. Retrieved February 2, 2017, from Arts magic-nation website: http://www.arts.magic- nation.co.uk/annunciation18.htm
Raphael, Masolino, & Carpaccio. (1425/ 1305/ 1518). The School of Athens + The Disputation of St Stephen + The Healing of the Cripple and the Raising of Tabitha [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://legacy.ski.org/CWTyler_lab/CWTyler/Art%20Investigations/Perspective/PerspectiveHistory/Perspective.BriefHistory.html
Smith, R. F. (2010, August 4). Symbolism in the Annunciation. The Global Dispatches... Retrieved from http://www.theglobaldispatches.com/articles/symbolism-in-the-annunciation