Annunciation is a painting, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, between 1472-1475 with the help of an artist Andrea del Verrocchio. This painting is hung in the Uffizi museum in the Florence city of Italy, since 1867.The painting shows an angel holding Madonna lily in her hands and kneeling before the Virgin Mary. The Madonna lily symbolizes the virginity of Mary and also of the Florence city.

The angel brings a message for Mary that she would be soon becoming mother of the Jesus Christ. It was supposed that the wings were originally copied from those of a flying bird, by Leonardo. But later on, the wings were lengthened by an artist.The background is believed to be one of the Rome’s Harbour scenes.After the Annunciation was brought to the Uffizi gallery in 1867, Domenico Ghirlandaio was ascribed to it.But in 1869, Leonardo’s youthful work of the painting was recognized by a person who was the central figure of the German expatriate art colony in Florence. Since then, Leonardo’s painting is recognized and attributed for his preparatory drawing of angel’s sleeves.

In spite of using heavy brush strokes and lead paints, Verrocchio somehow was not able to complete the painting. So, by leaving a note for Leonardo, he asked him to complete the angel and background of the painting. Instead of using lead paint and heavy brush strokes, Leonardo used light brush strokes. Verrocchio’s work was seemed to be evident in front of the Leonardo’s invisible angel.

Leonardo was very careful about sketching all the orthogonal lines, horizon lines and vanishing points of the figures in his Annunciation painting. He completed the Annunciation painting when he was just 21 years old. Annunciation is one of his paintings that are very regularly attributed.