There’s something incredibly powerful about this piece.
At first glance, Annunciation is rich, beautiful and almost celebratory — full of gold, flowers, butterflies and extraordinary religious imagery. But the longer you look, the more layers begin to reveal themselves.
At its heart is the Annunciation — the moment the Angel Gabriel brings Mary the news of the Incarnation, drawn from Luke 1:26–38. It is a moment of faith, change and the beginning of something far greater than the people within the scene could possibly comprehend.
Surrounding the 14th-century altarpiece is 24-carat gold leaf, alongside photographs of roses taken from the artist’s own garden. Beneath it, an angel carries the words:
“Blessed is the man that endureth.”
And then comes the contrast I love most.
Among all that beauty sits a skull overflowing with spring flowers — bringing us back once again to Memento Mori: remember that you must die.
Life and death. Beauty and mortality. The temporary and the eternal.
The Latin inscription “AVE GRATIA PLENA DOMINUS TECUM” translates as “Rejoice, Mary, the Lord is with you.”
For me, that is what makes this piece so interesting. It isn’t simply religious imagery or decoration. It asks you to consider what sits beyond the obvious — faith, mortality, endurance and the significance of the moments that shape a life.
Mixed Media Collage
Smooth Fine Art Paper — 320gsm
Hand-finished with 24-carat gold leaf and gold gouache
Sold Out
Part of The Allun Lewis Collection.
Art changes everything.
There’s something incredibly powerful about this piece.
At first glance, Annunciation is rich, beautiful and almost celebratory — full of gold, flowers, butterflies and extraordinary religious imagery. But the longer you look, the more layers begin to reveal themselves.
At its heart is the Annunciation — the moment the Angel Gabriel brings Mary the news of the Incarnation, drawn from Luke 1:26–38. It is a moment of faith, change and the beginning of something far greater than the people within the scene could possibly comprehend.
Surrounding the 14th-century altarpiece is 24-carat gold leaf, alongside photographs of roses taken from the artist’s own garden. Beneath it, an angel carries the words:
“Blessed is the man that endureth.”
And then comes the contrast I love most.
Among all that beauty sits a skull overflowing with spring flowers — bringing us back once again to Memento Mori: remember that you must die.
Life and death. Beauty and mortality. The temporary and the eternal.
The Latin inscription “AVE GRATIA PLENA DOMINUS TECUM” translates as “Rejoice, Mary, the Lord is with you.”
For me, that is what makes this piece so interesting. It isn’t simply religious imagery or decoration. It asks you to consider what sits beyond the obvious — faith, mortality, endurance and the significance of the moments that shape a life.
Mixed Media Collage
Smooth Fine Art Paper — 320gsm
Hand-finished with 24-carat gold leaf and gold gouache
Sold Out
Part of The Allun Lewis Collection.
Art changes everything.
