Crivelli's meticulously drawn architecture is much more than a backdrop for this representation of the Virgin Mary being told by the archangel Gabriel that she will give birth to the son of God.
There are realistic details that relate this scene to the world in which Crivelli's viewers lived, such as the dribbling mortar used to repair the wall in the background, or the caged birds and pot plants on every window sill.
Other elements, however, remind viewers that something divine and mysterious is happening.
