The Annunciation. Masolino

between 1423 and 1424
tempera on panel with and possibly oil glazes
Height: 148.8 cm (58.6 in). Width: 115.1 cm (45.3 in).
National Gallery of Art
West Building Main Floor, Gallery 04; Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Accession number 1937.1.16
Object history ca. 1426 Altar piece for the Guardini Chapel on the left side of the rood screen for San Niccolo, Oltrarno, Florence; ca. 1567 (date of the demolition of the rood screen) transferred to the altar of the other chapel of the Guardini family in the same church; 1576 moved to the Sacristy and replaced by the Annunciation altarpiece newly painted by Alessandro Fei
possibly Francis Weymss-Charteris-Douglas, 9th earl of Wemyss [1796-1883], Gosford House, Longniddry, Scotland
ca. 1886: inherited by Francis Richard Charteris, 10th earl of Wemyss [1818-1914], Gosford House
1914: inherited by Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th earl of Wemyss, [1857-1937], Gosford House
ca. 1915: purchased by Robert Langton Douglas, London
ca. 1916: purchased by Henry Goldman [1857-1937], New York
Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York
26 April 1937: purchased by The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh
1937: given
Inscriptions on the Virgin's prayerbook [virgo / [c]oncipiet / [e]t p[a]ri[et] / fili[um et vocabitur nomen eius] em[m]anuel / butirum et / mel come / dit u[t] fiat / [rep]roba[re] (Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse vobis signum. Ecce virgo concipiet, et pariet filium, et vocabitur nomen eius Emmanuel. Butyrum et mel comedet, ut sciat reprobare malum, et eligere bonum]
Notes inscription on the Virgin's prayerbook from Isaiah 7:14-15
References National Gallery of Art

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