This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd
Christie Manson & Woods Ltd
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Lot Essay
The Annunciation was one of the most popular themes in El Greco’s iconographic repertoire, appearing throughout his career. The present picture is closest to the Annunciation by El Greco and an assistant, dateable to circa 1600-1605 and today held the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio (see Wethey, op. cit., no. 42, fig. 169). The Toledo version, or another lost original of the same type, was seemingly available to El Greco’s son, Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli, and other pupils in his studio, as attested to by several existing workshop versions (ibid, figs. 168, 170, 173).
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Condition report
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This relined canvas is held under tension, remains stable and is backed by another material. In raking light, more recent restoration has stabilised previously flaking paint, with some paint losses visible between the craquelure, particularly in the lower left of the canvas. There is further restoration to the darker tones, which have thinned over time to reveal more of the ground layer. Ultraviolet examination reveals restoration particularly in the Virgin Mary and in the upper half of the angel Gabriel, as well as some infilling of the craquelure in the lower right and elsewhere.The artist’s painterly technique remains highly appreciable.
Print Report
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