The Annunciation

Frans Francken II · c. 1620

Medium

Oil on copper

Original size

29.2 × 23.5 cm (11 1/2 × 9 1/4 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Mannerism

Frans Francken II's *The Annunciation* is a jewel-like devotional work, painted on copper with a precision and luminosity that still feels remarkable four centuries on. Francken was one of the most accomplished members of a celebrated Antwerp dynasty, and his choice of copper as a support was deliberate — the smooth, non-absorbent surface allowed him to build up layers of translucent glaze and achieve a depth of colour impossible on canvas or panel. The result is a palette that seems lit from within, with the angel's drapery and the soft glow around the Virgin carrying the hallmark refinement of the Flemish cabinet-painting tradition. Painting on copper was fashionable among elite collectors in early seventeenth-century Antwerp, and works of this format were often commissioned as private devotional objects — intended for a domestic chapel or a wealthy patron's studiolo rather than a church altar. Our hand-painted oil reproduction is executed on artist-grade canvas, faithfully following the original's tonal relationships, figure placement, and characteristic warmth of colour, so the intimacy and careful craftsmanship Francken put into this small masterpiece translate directly to the finished piece you receive.