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The Angel and the Virgin of the Annunciation are the two upper panels of the polyptych executed by Lotto for the small village Ponteranica in a valley north of Bergamo. The other panels were probably partly completed by assistants, while the protagonists of the Annunciation are among the most fascinating images of Lotto's maturity. Lotto, who was very fond of the theme of the announcement that Mary was to give birth to the son of God, presented the episode in various ways. Here the evocation of the iridescent, almost incorporeal angel confers a dream-like fascination on the event, which is, however, placed on a plane of worldly normality by the Virgin's gesture and expression.
The angel in the upper left compartment of the polyptych is one of the most lyric creations of Lotto.
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