Study for the Annunciation

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Study for the Annunciation, ca. 1898, oil on wood, 8 ¹⁄₂ x 10 ³⁄₄ in. (21.5 x 27.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.187

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Artwork Details

Title: Study for the Annunciation
Artist: Henry Ossawa Tanner
Date: ca. 1898
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 8 ¹⁄₂ x 10 ³⁄₄ in. (21.5 x 27.4 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on wood
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Religion — New Testament — Annunciation
Religion — New Testament — Mary
Object Number: 1983.95.187
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.187

Artwork Description

In this painting the vertical line of white paint on the left represents the divine presence of the angel who will tell Mary that she bears the Son of God. The finished painting made from this study was well received in Paris and was Henry Ossawa Tanner’s first work to be acquired by an American museum.