And the Angel Came in Unto Her And Said Hail Thou That Art Highly Favored

This passage in Luke (1:26-38) has been illustrated by some of the greatest artists of all time. My recent blogging hiatus was due to a long-planned trip to Florence where, among many other things, we saw many versions of it. Here are four.

Fra Angelico, painting on the wall of the San Marco abbey (now a museum):

Filippo Lippi, painting on the wall of the San Lorenzo church:

Sandro Botticelli, in a painting now hanging in the Uffitzi Gallery:

Leonardo Da Vinci, in a painting also in the Uffitzi Gallery (in fact in the very next room):

Truth be told, I don't have much to say about these works of art. But I saw them, and loved them and -- utterly inadequate as these jpg versions are -- wanted to show them to you.