Annunciatie 1515 - 1565

Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio created this engraving, titled "Annunciatie," sometime before his death in 1565. Here we see the angel Gabriel informing Mary that she will conceive and bear a son. Consider this moment in relation to the patriarchal structures that governed Renaissance society. Mary’s humble acceptance is framed as an ideal of feminine virtue. Yet, the narrative also disrupts conventional power dynamics, positioning Mary as an active participant in divine will. Caraglio, who was active in the printmaking centers of Venice and Rome, would have been keenly aware of how prints facilitated the circulation of ideas during the Reformation. This work participates in a long history of representing the divine, and allows us to contemplate the intersections of faith, gender, and artistic expression in a period of immense social and religious upheaval. It invites us to reflect on how images both reinforce and challenge established norms.