The Annunciation is based on the testimony of the Gospel of Luke (1:26-38), as well as on additional information from the apocryphal "Protoevangelium of James" about the Virgin Mary being visited by Archangel Gabriel with the announcement of the birth of the future Savior of the world. According to the legend, at the time of the appearance the Virgin Mary was weaving a veil for the temple.
The plot of the Annunciation became widespread in early Christian, Byzantine, and Ancient Rus’ art in several different iconographs. The icon depicts a traditional iconographic version, widely known in the iconography of Ancient Rus’ since the second half of the 16th century. It includes figures of the Virgin Mary with yarn in her hands and the Archangel Gabriel with his hand extended to her in blessing, standing against architectural buildings on background. Above in the clouds the Lord of Hosts is depicted in white robes with a starry halo, a ray with a white dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, emanates from it directly at the Mother of God.
In the 19th century, to paint the icon, the master used an old woodboard with a hollow in the middle – the ark. The orientation towards the tradition of Stroganov icon painting of the 17th century can also be traced in “miniature painting” style: the elongated proportions of the figures of the Virgin and the Archangel, and the architectural scenes, diverse in forms, are conveyed through it.
