Botticello's Cestello Annunciation of 1489 is a spectacular painting in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence - in the same room as the larger, more well known Botticellos, but along with the Simone Martini painting a few rooms away, a masterpiece of this genre. The Virgin is the epitome of coyness, the Angel one of urgent entreaty. It's interesting to note that here the Virgin appears to be in control, or at least the dominant figure - previous Annunciations had the Angel dictating to a far more passive Mary. If in Florence, you will need to brave the crowds to get in, certainly in season. Let the bus tours and their guides swirl around the Venus, and sneak over to gaze at this painting for a while. You may be, relatively, undisturbed.
Written by
James Dunford Wood.
There are no posts. Why not be the first to have your say?
Design & Boutique Hotels. Great Rates, Reviews, Special Offers & Direct Online Booking !
Timeless treasures of a legendary land await you on Tauck's Italy travel packages. Travel from Tuscany to the stunning Amalfi Coast.
7 day tour exploring the highlights of both Rome and Florence including walking tours, day trip to Chianti region, and plenty of leisure time!
Specialist guided battlefield tours charting the history of the Italian campaign in world war two. Coach pick ups from various UK locations.
Fancy a spot of culture or maybe just some retail therapy? From November 5th - December 15th, Casa Howard Florence is offeri…

'Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso, depicting the Nazi German bombing of Guernica, Spain, by twenty-four bombers, on Apri…

'The Creation of Adam is a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti circa 1511. It illus…

Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), is a 16th century oil painting on a poplar panel by Leonardo Da Vinci. It is arguably t…

Much of the Uffizi's collection was once owned by the Medici family, a member of which originally commissioned the building in …

'The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. It depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a full gro…

Room with a View (Dir: James Ivory, 1986). Hotel degli Orafi, Lungarno degli Archibusieri 4, Florence, Italy. Lucy’s room…