Light pours from a shaft above the figure, with winged cherubic heads circling.

A small piece of paper on the ground to the extreme right of the painting shows the artist's signature and date.

The image portrays the moment in the Gospels when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is to be the mother of God.

[3] It was first documented in the collection of Cavaliere Francesco Saverio di Rovette, who sold it to the present owners in 1815.

[4] The painting has been described as having severe abrasion and a loss of much of the half-tones and a deepening of the dark-tones, leading to exaggerated contrast.