The Annunciation (Rubens)
The Annunciation is a painting by Peter Paul Rubens. Around 1610 Rubens drew the whole composition for the painting and painted the righthand half, but then left it incomplete for an unknown reason. In 1627-1628 he completed it and also modified the figure of Mary. It is now in the Rubenshuis in Antwerp, who acquired it in 1954.
History
The painting was in Madrid during Rubens' stay there from 28 August 1628 to 29 April 1629. There it was acquired by Diego Messia, marquis de Leganés, commander of the Spanish artillery and cavalry in the Spanish Netherlands. In 1655, the painting was in the inventory of the marquis' collection then it was left to the Altamira family, who sold it in London in 1827. It then passed through the Smith, Hamlet, earl of Caldon and Graupe collections in Britain before being acquired by the Brussels collector Gaston Dulière.
