The 3ft x 2ft 11in (98 x 90cm) work, in tempera and gilded stucco on wood, is a collaboration between two Venetian-born painters: Antonio Vivarini (c.1414- 76/84) and his brother-in-law Giovanni d’Alemagna (1411-50).
The artists worked collaboratively on a number of commissions in the city until Giovanni’s death, including the high altar in the San Tarazio chapel in the San Zaccaria which is still in situ.
Their collaborations are examples of the beginning of a move away from the Gothic towards the Renaissance with increased use of perspective and architectural motifs, in part through the influence of the contemporary Venetian innovator Jacopo Bellini (fl.1424-70).
The Annunciation on offer at Aguttes, which was made c.1449-50, exhibits these new tendencies in features such as the use of perspective in the architectural background of the painting which probably depicts buildings visible in Venice or Padua.
The relatively small size of the painting and the use of rich materials including gold on the stucco suggests that the work was probably created for private devotion by a wealthy patron rather than as a piece for a church.
Estimate €200,000-300,000.
