Die Verkündigung - Hendrick Goltzius

The Virgin Mary kneels at a prayer desk, her hand placed humbly over her heart as she receives the divine message. Gabriel kneels before her holding a stem of lilies, while a radiant dove representing the Holy Spirit descends from a swirling mass of clouds filled with energetic putti. In the foreground, a basket containing fabric and a pincushion adds a domestic touch to the highly stylized, dramatic scene.

This engraving is part of Goltzius's 'Master Prints' series, where he demonstrated a 'Protean' ability to imitate the styles of other great artists—in this case, the Italian painter Federico Barocci. The inscription's reference to Proteus reflects a Renaissance preoccupation with the artist as a transformative alchemist-like figure capable of changing their very nature through artifice.