In this tender and moving work, James Christensen captures the moment after the angel Gabriel has announced to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the Christ Child. Symbolism enriches the image. The post in the background resembles a pillar, which in Renaissance art symbolized a separation between heaven and earth. Mary is dressed in white, the color of purity. And according to early Christian literature, the small white feather on the right hand side of the work symbolizes faith and contemplation...or perhaps the plume drifted from Gabriel's wings. - JB