The angel Gabriel appears before Mary carrying the Good News. He carries the staff of a messenger and is clothed in blue/grey suggesting his divine status. He is clearly running and holds his hand out in greeting. He cannot wait to tell her that she is to bear God’s son.

Mary holds her hand up in consternation and turns her head away slightly. But then she remembers herself “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto to me according to thy word.” And then comes the beautiful Magnificat. “My soul hath magnified the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

At the top of the icon we see the Holy Spirit descending. Across the top of the throne we see a scarlet cloth, a symbol of God bridging the cosmos.

This icon is a foretaste of all that is to come and is a prelude to the Christmas story.