The Annunciation by Hans Memling, oil on wood, circa 1465-75. One of the largest surviving depictions of the Annunciation, this imposing painting may have been the left wing of a triptych, as suggested by its tall, narrow shape and the diagonal thrust of the composition. Its patron must have been a member of the Clugny family, whose coat of arms - the two keys - decorates the carpet and stained-glass window. The composition is based on a design by Rogier van der Weyden. Possibly commissioned before his death in 1464, it was painted by Memling who, technical evidence suggests, was a journeyman in Rogier's workshop before establishing himself in Bruges in 1465. The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation.