Antonello da Messina. Virgin Annunciate. Circa 1476, oil on panel. Galleria Regionale della Sicilia, Palermo.
If you were asked to call to mind an image of the Annunciation, it is very likely you would imagine a scene like this: Mary, head bowed, standing or kneeling in a posture of submission and at a respectful distance, the angel Gabriel bows to her to whom he has been sent to bear his message. The setting is a classical courtyard, porch, a walled garden perhaps. You probably would not conjure up what Antonello da Messina imagined. In his painting, a young woman seated at her reading stand dominates the entire frame. She is identifiable as Mary by the luminescent blue veil she draws around her, but there is no other real indication as to who she is or what is happening without the title of the painting, simply and unambiguously named ‘Virgin Annunciate’. Although the Annunciation was one of the most popular scenes depicted in art during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, da Messina decided to do something quite different here and offers us a unique opportunity to pause and consider this story in a new way.
We seem to have caught this young woman in a moment of deep contemplation, but it does not feel like an interruption. Despite our proximity, her gaze cast down and to her right suggests she is so lost in a moment of interior experience that we can linger there without disturbing her. Her raised hand, such a subtle gesture, might be a sign of assent or praise which can only give the slightest hint of what is going on internally. Da Messina leaves much to our imagination, permitting this story to resonate with us wherever we are in our faith journey at this moment. As you gaze on Mary, ask yourself what moment you find her in. How might the Lord be speaking to you, not only deepening your understanding of Mary’s experience and relationship with God, but also your own?
Could this be the very moment of Annunciation? Is Gabriel present but unseen, outside of the frame? Is it the moment just before the angel appears - a moment of synchronicity where the word of God in the open book before her penetrates her heart so absolutely that she is ready and open to receive the message that she has been chosen to carry the Word beneath her heart in her very body? Are we encountering Mary after Gabriel has left her, as she ponders and absorbs what she has just heard? Might this even be the very next day - Mary, returning faithfully to her reading of Scripture, no sign of the supernatural remains but here she is rooted in a new identity and bearing a precious secret in her heart and seed in her womb. Might this be the first of many moments where Mary ponders in her heart the treasure that has been given to her?
Maybe you are coming to this encounter with Mary in a state of anticipation, fulfilment or recollection. If you feel your heart is being primed to receive the Lord in a new way, or a new commission, allow God to speak through Mary’s experience here. Perhaps you simply want to receive His word more fully in the present moment - see yourself reflected in her image. Or do you need to take a moment to look back and ponder what God has done for you? Imagine her remembering right along with you.
What is striking about this painting is how little else is needed to convey the fullness of what is happening. Da Messina is telling us that seeing the angel is really not what is important here. We see God’s glory at work in Mary simply by observing the effect it has on her. Isn’t that so often true of ourselves and others - the details may be obscure or even completely unseen to the outside world, a mystery to others and even ourselves, but the effect of grace within us is and should be visible. And whilst it would be a stretch to say that da Messina is suggesting that the angel Gabriel was not visible to Mary during the Annunciation, his choice to omit him is an interesting, encouraging reflection of the reality of most of our life of faith. Whilst signs and wonders are very real, we live most of our lives on the natural plane, and God sustains most of us most days without permitting us to see the supernatural. Most often, God speaks to us through the simple fabric of our lives. Scripture, sacraments, prayer, and our daily life - the inner revelation of God in each of our souls through these things is no less real than the mountaintop experiences he permits us. Even the Blessed Mother, like Peter, James, and John, had to keep the memories of the Annunciation and the Transfiguration alive in their hearts as they continued to go about their daily lives and tasks. Our own moments of assent to God’s will and overshadowing by the Holy Spirit look a lot like Mary here. As Christophe André describes, this Annunciation involves “No angels, no trumpets, no fanfare. Just an all-consuming inner adventure.”¹ As we contemplate this beautiful ‘Virgin Annunciate,’ may she call us to deeper communion with her Son in our innermost places.
¹André, C. (2014) Mindfulness: 23 Ways to Live in the Moment Through Art. London: Rider. p. 171