Giovanni FEDINI (1539-1600) - L'Annonciation

Giovanni FEDINI (Florence, 1539-1600)
Annunciation
circa 1571
Pen and wash in brown ink - 25,8 x 20 cm
Unidentified watermark

We would like to thank Professor Alessandro Nesi for attributing our drawing to Giovanni Fedini and for writing its full description (available on our website). A renowned art historian specialising in Florentine Mannerism, Professor Nesi has published several studies on this artist. Our drawing will soon appear in one of his upcoming publications.
The original study in Italian, signed and dated, is available upon request.

Stylistically, we can date our drawing to around 1571, a period when the artist was employed by Vasari to work on the decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio. If the Virgin is inspired by an engraving after Federico Zuccaro, the Archangel Gabriel, on the other hand, is a personal creation. The treatment of the body, exaggeratedly slender and elongated, along with the geometric stylization of the face and details of the clothing, are typical of Florentine Mannerism.

The artist employs a technique known in 16th-century Florence as “alla macchia”, meaning rapid, synthetic, and spontaneous execution, yet confident and controlled.