The Annunciation (1420-1425)

Campin, Robert (c.1378-1444)

The Annunciation
14201425
Oil on oak panel, 76 x 70 cm
Museo del PradoMadrid

The event is set in a gothic temple, alluding to the New Law that replaces the old one, represented by the Romanesque tower in the background. The sculptures on the outside of the church and on the tower and Bible passages in the stained-glass windows reinforce this idea, and that of the Redemption. That is the case of Moses and David, or the sacrifice of Isaac’s, which foreshadows that of Christ. This is an early work, made before Weyden entered Campin‘s workshop in 1427. The master’s hand is not unanimously accepted by critics. Acquired by Felipe II from the sculptor, Jacome Trezzo, this work entered El Escorial in 1584. (MNP)