Although glazed terra-cotta had long been used as earthenware, Luca della Robbia popularized its use for sculpture. The medium gained great popularity in fifteenth-century Florence and became a specialty of the della Robbia family studio, which was directed by Andrea after Luca, his uncle, died. Altarpieces made of glazed terra-cotta were more colorful, less expensive, and easier to transport than similar sculptures in marble.
This Annunciation group has the solemnity and grace typical of the last years of the early Renaissance in Florence (1450—60s). Rediscovered in the small Florentine church of San Nicolo, the figures were probably made for a private chapel in the Bardi Palace, where they would have been placed at some distance from each other, perhaps flanking an altarpiece, portal, or window.
The entire group consists of Mary, the archangel Gabriel, and possibly the dove of the Holy Spirit. Mary's downcast eyes and hand across her breast indicate she is accepting the Incarnation with pious humility. She is represented with the refined features and graceful rhythms that late fifteenth-century artists used to suggest spiritual worthiness.
The della Robbia studio primarily produced pictorial reliefs. Figures of the size of those in The Annunciation , independent of any background, are very rare.
