Annunciation - Luigi Ademollo, 1843

Ink and graphite on paper
27 x 19,2 cm
At the bottom left, the author's authentic signature in capital letters: Luigu Ademollo

Drawing representing the episode of the Annunciation.
The drawing belongs to a cycle executed in 1843, a date recorded on another sheet from the same series. The number “1” written on the verso indicates that this is the first episode of a cycle devoted to the Life of Christ. The sheets of the series were originally mounted together in a single passe-partout.

The scene shows the Virgin kneeling as she receives the announcement from the angel, depicted in a descending movement. The drawing is carried out with a firm and continuous line. The drapery is organised in broad and clearly articulated folds, a consistent feature of Ademollo’s graphic practice.

Luigi Ademollo was born in Milan on 30 April 1764 and died in Florence on 11 February 1849. He is documented as a painter, draughtsman and engraver. In 1789 he was called to Florence to work on the decoration of the Teatro della Pergola, a commission that played a decisive role in his long-term establishment in Tuscany. He was subsequently active mainly in Florence, working for the Grand-Ducal court and for the aristocracy, notably taking part in the decoration of the apartments of Palazzo Pitti and producing numerous religious, historical and allegorical cycles for palaces and villas.

Good condition. The paper shows some signs of age and time-related marks, without affecting the legibility or stability of the drawing.