1 6

Mérode Altarpiece: The Annunciation | Robert Campin | c. 1427-32

Mérode Altarpiece: The Annunciation | Robert Campin | c. 1427-32

€50,95
€50,95
-20% Sold out

About the artwork:

The Mérode Altarpiece, attributed to Robert Campin and his workshop and dated around 1427 to 1432, is one of the most important early Netherlandish paintings because it transforms the Annunciation into a scene that feels both sacred and strikingly domestic. Instead of placing the Virgin Mary in a monumental heavenly setting, Campin situates her in a detailed Flemish interior filled with symbolic objects that deepen the meaning of the scene, including the extinguished candle, the lilies, the book, and the small figure of Christ entering through the window carrying the cross, all of which reinforce themes of purity, incarnation, and divine intervention. The triptych format also matters, since the donors appear in the left wing as witnesses to the holy event, while Joseph in the right panel works in his carpenter’s shop, a space often interpreted as a quiet theological counterpoint to the Annunciation, linking everyday labor with salvation. What makes the painting especially significant is its combination of intense realism, devotional intimacy, and complex symbolism, which helped define a new direction in Northern Renaissance art.

  • Free Worldwide Shipping
  • Easy -90 Days- Return
  • 100 Year Guarantee
View full details
  • Title Triptych (Mérode Altarpiece) — central panel, The Annunciation
  • Artist Workshop of Robert Campin (Early Netherlandish painter active in Tournai; probably identical with the anonymous "Master of Flémalle"; c. 1375 - Tournai, 26 April 1444)
  • Year of creation c. 1427-1432 (the central panel of the Annunciation Triptych. This is the original devotional image of the altarpiece, painted first — probably c. 1425-1428 — with the donor and Joseph wings added shortly thereafter to elevate the picture into a full triptych. The composition is one of the most influential treatments of the Annunciation in the entire Western tradition: the divine event of Gabriel announcing to Mary that she will conceive the Son of God [Luke 1:26-38] is transposed entirely into a meticulously observed contemporary middle-class Flemish domestic interior, a townhouse parlour with a wooden ceiling, leaded glass windows, a fireplace, a cupboard with metalwork and ceramics, an embroidered linen cloth, and a long padded bench. Mary, dressed in deep red, sits humbly on the floor in front of the bench, absorbed in reading a book — her own book of hours open before her, with a second book and a scroll on the table representing the Old and New Testaments. The Archangel Gabriel kneels at her right with his lily of purity, just having entered. Mary does not yet see him: the picture captures the moment immediately before the announcement is made. The Incarnation is shown to be physically taking place at this very instant — through the leaded window at upper left, a tiny figure of the Christ Child carrying a cross rides downward on golden rays of light toward Mary, the visualised arrival of the Holy Spirit. On the table the candle has just been miraculously extinguished, its smoke still rising, indicating the moment that the divine Light has entered the world. Every object in the interior carries embedded theological symbolism — the brass basin and white cloth signify Mary's purity, the lilies are her virginity, the closed garden visible through the donor's door is the hortus conclusus, the unlit hearth and snuffed candle echo the cooling of the Old Law before the New. Two coats of arms appear in the upper window panes — the dexter shield identified by Hugo von Tschudi as that of the Imbrechts / Inghelbrechts / Engelbrecht family of Mechelen and Cologne, the sinister one tentatively associated with the Calcum or Lohausen family. The altarpiece is a founding monument of Early Netherlandish painting and the most celebrated single example of what Erwin Panofsky called "disguised symbolism," in which sacred meanings are embedded in the meticulously rendered objects of an ordinary contemporary domestic setting. A second, somewhat earlier or contemporary autograph version of the central Annunciation alone, without wings, is in the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels — long considered a workshop copy but more recently argued to be Campin's primary version, with the New York central panel perhaps a slightly later replica that became the basis of the triptych. The Metropolitan now attributes the New York work to the "Workshop of Robert Campin")
  • Technique/Medium Oil on oak panel
  • Original dimensions Central panel: 64.1 x 63.2 cm (overall open triptych: 64.5 x 117.8 cm; each wing 64.5 x 27.3 cm)
  • Collection/Museum The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Cloisters Collection, accession 56.70a-c; acquired in 1956 from the Belgian aristocratic Arenberg-Mérode family)

We provide Worldwide Shipping with tracking to most locations around the world. We operate a global production network, which allows us to produce and deliver orders locally for free. Our production facilities are located in the US, Canada, UK, Spain, and Australia.

Shipping times around the world vary based on your location. Here are our estimated delivery times from the day of purchase:

  • US, Canada: 7-10 business days
  • Continental US, Alaska and Hawaii: 10-14 business days
  • UK: 7-10 business days
  • Australia: 7-10 business days
  • EU: 10-14 business days
  • Rest of the World: 14 business days

Above times are estimates, and include handling time to prepare your order. Business days exclude weekends and holidays. Please refer to the delivery time specific to your shipping address that is presented during the checkout.

We currently ship with the following global shipping partners: FedEx, UPS, DHL, GLS, Canada Post, Royal Mail, Aramex, and Australia Post.

Museum-quality reproductions

Each print is crafted with meticulous care, ensuring every detail captures the essence of the original masterpiece.

This way, you receive the most faithful reproduction possible, bringing the museum experience directly into your home.

Why Choose Us?

Inspiraggio

Amazon

Others

Handcrafted

Museum Quality

Exact Reproductions

+100 Years Guarantee

Support Youtube Channel

Access to Weekly Newsletter

Best Sellers

Art Prints

Bright & intensive color spectrum. Best choice if you plan to frame it by yourself/local craft shop.

*Requests framing (frame is not included with this option)

Canvas Features

Our gallery wrapped canvas framed with a wooden frame and ready to hang out of the box with hanging hardware pre-installed.

*Specially coated with poly-cot canvas for the highest durability and best color vibrancy. Archival grade canvas.

Black Frame

Black floating frame is a popular add-on to any canvas during the purchase. The frame is build using our proprietary profile radial pine, and coated with black graphite that gives it a gallery quality, luxurious matte finish.

Mobile Case Collection

View all

  • Worldwide Shipping

    We provide worldwide shipping with tracking around the world.

    Shipping Policy 

  • Lifetime Guarantee

    We have confidence in our materials; your order comes with a lifetime guarantee.

    Returns & Exchanges 

  • We're Here To Help

    We want to make your experience amazing! Our team is ready to help.

    Customer Service