The Annunciation was the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive a Son of the Holy Spirit, and that he was to be called Jesus. This is related in Luke 1:26-38:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

The Annunciation appears frequently as a subject in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque art in Europe, because of its importance to Christianity as a prelude to the redemption of the world. Often illuminated in books of hours, in the Hours of the Virgin, typical representations of the Annunciation include a depiction of the angel Gabriel approaching Mary. Gabriel usually carries a stem of white lilies, and Mary is often employed in reading, needlework, or some such thing she is being interrupted in. Mary and Gabriel are both haloed, and often there is a depiction of the Holy Spirit as a white dove in flight, beaming light upon Mary. Both figures are robed and Mary, as is traditional, is in a red or white gown, and blue mantle. The positioning of the figures is often in profile, with Gabriel entering from the viewer's left, and Mary, usually seated, on the right, but in Eastern Orthodox depictions, this is reversed.

This particular Annunciation is on two panels that are to be installed facing one another, such that the viewer is in-between, in effect, inside the scene itself. The frame of the Gabriel panel reads Ne timeas, Maria, invenisti enim gratiam apud Deum. and the frame of the Mary panel reads Quomodo fiet istud quoniam virum non cognosco?, that is "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God." and "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?", from the Vulgate.

gabriel Oil on canvas with painted wood frame November 2002 22 x 28 inches

mary Oil on canvas with painted wood frame November 2002 22 x 28 inches