Kneeling before a prayer book as the Archangel Gabriel enters her bedchamber, the Virgin Mary receives the news that she will bear God’s son. Golden rays emanate from the mouth of God and traverse the composition, creating a mystical passage for a miniature Christ Child who sails toward the Virgin carrying the cross of his eventual Crucifixion. The dove of the Holy Spirit completes the image of the Trinity. The artist who produced this and the Nativity nearby for a large altarpiece worked for Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella in the vivid colors and detail-oriented style of the era’s celebrated Flemish painters.