Jan van Eyck is considered to be the founder of the Early Renaissance style in the Northern Renaissance. It is believed that Eyck invented painting with oils. His paint is so transparent that his works have a unique, almost luminous sheen. So outstanding was his skill as an oil painter that the invention of the medium was at one time credited to him. Van Eyck exploited the qualities of oil as never before, building up layers of transparent glazes, thus giving him a surface on which to capture objects in the smallest detail and allowing for the preservation of his colors (Turner, 708). His naturalistic panel paintings, mostly portraits and religious subjects, made extensive use of disguised religious symbols.
             One of his magnificent religious paintings is the Annunciation. The Annunciation was done in the years 1434-1436. The medium, which was Eyck's favorite, is oil on canvas, transferred from panel. The size of this painting is 35 3/8 x 13 7/8". This painting can be found at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. The subject matter of this painting is history. This is a history painting because it depicts a scene from the Bible. The definition of annunciation is announcement. In the book of Luke 1:1-80, the angel Gabriel is announcing to the Virgin Mary that she will have a son sent from God. "The archangel Gabriel was sent by God' to Mary. Gabriel announced to her that she was to give birth to a son, Jesus, who 'will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will be king over Israel for ever; his reign shall never end'. "I am the Lord's servant," said Mary; "may it be as you have said." Then the angel left her" (Bible, Luke 1:26-38).
             In Jan Van Eyck's painting of the Annunciation there are some basic objects that tell the story of the announcement. In order for the scene to fit with the story in Luke, the a...