Some of the world’s most treasured artworks are arriving in Jerusalem. To mark the 65th anniversary of the State of Israel, Italy’s famed Uffizi Gallery has loaned Sandro Botticelli’s fresco The Annunciation to The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This fresco is the first of four masterpieces from the Renaissance and Baroque periods that will be exhibited at the museum over the next two years.
The loan is part of a collaborative program between The Israel Museum and the Italy‑Israel Foundation for Culture and the Arts. Originally painted for the hospital of San Martino della Scala in Florence, the fresco once adorned the wall above the hospital entrance. San Martino later served as a refuge for victims of the plague, and scholars believe the fresco was displayed as an expression of gratitude when the epidemic subsided in northern Italy.
Over time, the fresco sustained damage during renovations in the 17th century. In 1920 it was transferred to the Uffizi, where it has been conserved and studied. Its appearance in Jerusalem is notable both for its artistic and historical value and because it is the first Botticelli on public display at The Israel Museum.
The fresco is on view in the Aaron and Blima Shickman Old Masters Galleries and will remain installed through January 11. Visitors to the museum have the unique chance to see Botticelli’s delicate handling of form and light in person, alongside other important works that reflect the cultural exchange between Italy and Israel.
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