[1] The Annunciation is a religious event described in the Bible which involves the archangel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary and announcing a sacred message.

[2] Furthermore, this painting incorporates important religious symbols and subjects such as the archangel Gabriel, The Virgin Mary, Saint Emidius, and the Holy Spirit to convey the sacredness of the scene.

In the painting archangel Gabriel descends from the heavens and informs the Virgin Mary that she is carrying God's child and will give birth to Jesus Christ.

By the fourteenth and fifteenth century Annunciation scenes commonly show the Virgin Mary as seated in an enclosed space reading, while the archangel Gabriel kneels before her, as in the painting.

[1] Later on, the painting was removed to the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan in 1811, but passed to Auguste-Louis de Sivry in 1820, and had reached England by the mid-19th century.

[2] This specific altarpiece was made for the convent of the Observant Friars who were located near the Adriatic Sea in the town of Ascoli Piceno.

[1] The man in the background behind St. Emidius as well as the small child to the left on top of the stairs, seem to be the only people who notice the Holy Spirit descending upon the Virgin Mary.

The bottom portion of the painting features the coats of arms of Pope Sixtus IV and the local bishop, Prospero Caffarelli.

[5] There are rounded Roman arches, white columns with gilded capitals, elaborate entablatures designed with intricate friezes, and coffered ceilings.

[1] Mary, Gabriel, and St. Emidius are all heavily adorned with gold and silver elements which include brocades, precious gems, and jewelry.

[1] Their clothing is also painted using rich tones of green, red, and orange, as well as surrounding areas that contain objects or are draped with fabric.

[1] The modest clothing that the Virgin Mary is wearing is from the fifteenth-century, depicted in a richly colored tight bodice detailed with gold flora and foliage and jewels.

[1] St. Emidius wears the attire of a bishop but has one of the most heavily jeweled, embroidered, and gilded outfits compared to Gabriel and Mary.

[1] His bishop's mitre is adorned with precious gems and he also has a large jeweled clasp to connect his lavish golden cope.

[1] Being born in Venice, Carlo Crivelli absorbed many artistic styles of painters around him, that being to create striking paintings that incorporated vibrant colors with clear strong lines.

[1] Crivelli created this artwork as an altarpiece with a single unified surface which allowed him to display his understanding and mastery of linear perspective as well as his appreciation for detail.

[11] According to historian Massimo Polidoro, the circular form in the sky is "a vortex of angels in the clouds, another frequent representation of God in Medieval and Renaissance sacred works of art".