The Annunciation - Sandro Botticelli
Archival giclée
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Description
A refined Renaissance composition by Sandro Botticelli, depicting the Annunciation with characteristic grace and precise drapery.
This work, known as the Cestello Annunciation, represents a mature phase in the career of Sandro Botticelli. Commissioned for the chapel of the Guardi family in the church of Cestello in Florence, the painting depicts the moment the Archangel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary. The composition is divided by a central architectural element, which creates a distinct separation between the two figures. This structural choice directs the viewer's attention to the interaction between the divine messenger and the recipient of the news.
Botticelli employs a refined approach to form and drapery. The Archangel Gabriel is shown in a dynamic, kneeling posture, his robes caught in a gentle motion that suggests his recent arrival. Opposite him, the Virgin Mary displays a reserved, contemplative demeanour. Her heavy, voluminous garments are rendered with precise attention to the fall of fabric and the interplay of light and shadow. The colour palette relies on cool blues and soft pinks, balanced by the neutral tones of the interior setting and the distant landscape visible through the window.
The background features a view of a landscape, which provides a sense of depth beyond the immediate interior space. Botticelli uses linear perspective to organise the room, though the focus remains on the psychological connection between the two figures. The painting reflects the stylistic tendencies of the late fifteenth-century Florentine school, where artists sought to combine naturalistic observation with a sense of grace and balance. The work remains a primary example of the artist's ability to imbue religious narrative with human emotion and formal clarity.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Annunciation - Sandro Botticelli
Artist Biography
Sandro Botticelli
He worked in Florence under the patronage of the Medici family during the period art historians call the Early Renaissance. The Birth of Venus and Primavera, both painted in the 1480s, are his best-known works and among the most reproduced images in Western art. They are strange paintings. Venus stands on a shell, blown to shore by the wind, her body curved in a way that owes nothing to anatomical reality and everything to Gothic line. Primavera fills a dark orange grove with mythological figures whose feet barely touch the ground.
The paintings are technically tempera on canvas and panel, executed with a fineness of line that reflects his goldsmith training. The outlines are visible. The surfaces are flat compared to the oil-based modelling that Leonardo and other contemporaries were developing. Botticelli was not interested in three-dimensional illusion. He was interested in contour, pattern, and the way a line can describe both a body and an emotion simultaneously.
His later career was affected by the rise of the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola, who preached against secular art and luxury. Botticelli may have burned some of his own paintings in the Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497. Whether this represents genuine religious conversion or political self-preservation is unclear. His output declined. He died in 1510, largely forgotten, and was not rediscovered until the Pre-Raphaelites championed him in the nineteenth century.
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