What story does the Annunciation with Saint Emidius by Carlo Crivelli express?

 

The ‘Annunciation’ by Carlo Crivelli is a famous painting created to portray the scene of the annunciation, a crucial event in christian religion. The annunciation is a christian celebration where angel Gabriel announces to Virgin Mary that she will become the mother of Jesus, the son of God. This event is recognized in this painting by looking closely and noticing the different symbols that represent this. For example, Crivelli imagined the annunciation as the heavens opening up and the dove representing the presence of the holy spirit coming down towards the Virgin Mary. Angel Gabriel is shown next to Saint Emidius, where he is announcing the news to Virgin Mary. Saint Emidius was the patron saint of Ascoli, and is shown carrying a model of the town.

Not only does this painting tell the story of the annunciation, but it was actually painted by Carlo Crivelli for the town of Ascoli. It was under papal rule at the time and in 1482 Pope Sixtus IV granted the town a degree of self-government. This painting was created for the church of SS Annunziata to celebrate the event. The news of Ascoli’s new status was announced to the town on March 25th, which happen to be the day of the feast of the Annunciation. This then became a special day to celebrate the town’s liberty. To represent the other reason of this painting, there is a small detail at the bottom of the painting which is a coat of arms of the Pope and Bishop of Ascoli.