Botticelli: The Annunciation Holiday Cards

Our holiday cards celebrate a detail from one of the most beloved paintings in The Met’s Robert Lehman Collection. The Annunciation (ca. 1485-92) by Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi) (Italian, 1444/45–1510) shows the Virgin kneeling in humility as the Angel Gabriel delivers the news that she’s to bear the son of God. This painting was almost certainly commissioned as a private devotional image; while the patron’s identity remains unknown, this picture was in the famed Barberini collection in Rome during the 17th century. To learn more about the art that inspired our Christmas cards, read our blog post here. Please note that our holiday cards reproduce original works of art, some of which include visual artifacts and imperfections.