Image Details

National Gallery, London

An unusual solution to the problem of getting the Word into Mary is provided by Fra Filippo Lippi in his Annunciation in the National Gallery in London (see photo of full painting at the beginning of this article). As can be seen in this detail, rays of light issue from the beak of the dove, and instead of entering Mary through her eyes or ears, they head straight toward her womb through a tiny slit in her tunic.