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A visit at Maria

“Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son…”
It is Archangel Gabriel himself who annunciates this to Mary. In some scenes he hands her a large white lily, the symbol of virginity, in others such as this he raises his index finger. The artist depicted Gabriels facial features as soft and feminine, as if to avoid everything that might terrify Mary.
Gabriel, the archangel specialised in announciation, in the course of time became the patron saint of all postmen and postwomen. And since 1951, after the modernisation of communication techniques, his scope of responsabilities also includes telecommunications. For all this he is honoured every year on the 29th of September.
This gentle Gabriel from Italy is part of the collections in the Bode-Museum.