The Annunciation, the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-39), is one of the most popular subjects in Christian art. Here the Virgin is shown on the right, kneeling and reading at a prayer-desk, with the angel appearing to her on the left. The dove descends from the top left. In the background columnar architecture is visible, with a landscape on the left. The picture is of refined quality and is sensitively painted but the artist’s connection with the Bassano tradition is superficial and probably distant, the figure proportions being quite different.