Annunciation, Florentine School, c.1430-40 (tempera, gold leaf on panel)

The author of this work, whose identity remains unknown, is simply designated after the subject of one of his paintings (today held in Florence), which depicts the shepherd Paris deciding which Greek goddess is the most beautiful. Here, the same master has represented a religious scene: the annunciation to Mary that she will bear the child of God. Such a small-scale work was probably made as a devotional object for the household. The elaborate architectural elements manage to portray Mary both inside her home and outside, in a type of enclosed courtyard.