This panel, with Mannerist characteristics that are so evident that it was long attributed to Parmigianino, has a wealth of symbolic references and classical elements. The scene is set in front of a vaguely classical temple, indicating that the Virgin has believed in the angelic annunciation and has thus become the temple of the Word and the new Ark of the Covenant. Also the figure of the archangel Gabriel has a classical look, almost as though he were Mercury, the messenger of the gods. An open book on Mary’s kneeler – a book of hours, it seems, for it contains rubrics to indicate the correct order of the prayers – bears two biblical quotations (Is 7:14 and Mc 1:34;38) referring to the mystery of the Incarnation.
The exhibition reveals the profound resonance that Leonardo's teaching in the field of design had on his students, his followers and the Lombard artists of the time.
Presentations of ancient Roman epigraphs from the Ambrosiana collections.
