Annunciation

Around 1600 Mochi attracted the attention of Duke Mario Farnese (d. 1619), who secured for him his first independent commission, the large marble Annunciation group for Orvieto Cathedral (now in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo). Originally placed on opposite sides of the high altar, the two free-standing figures of the Virgin and the Angel Gabriel electrify the broad space between them by their complementary gestures and powerful emotions.

The treatment of the Annunciation as an unfolding drama broke decisively with earlier sculptural traditions, which focused on self-contained, individual figures. Often considered the first truly Baroque sculpture of the 17th century, Mochi’s innovations compare to those of the early Roman Baroque painters Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci.