THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY BY HERMAN HAN IN THE CHURCH OF KLÄCKEBERGA, SWEDEN
THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY BY HERMAN HAN IN THE CHURCH OF KLÄCKEBERGA, SWEDEN

Summary/Abstract: A painting by Herman Han dated 1616 in the church of Kläckeberga in Sweden shows the Annunciationto Mary. The painting is all that remains of a large, architectonically built altarpiece,originally containing five paintings by Han, that was taken as war booty in 1626 during KingGustav Adolf’s conquest of Braunsberg (Braniewo) in Prussia and in 1633 was installed on thehigh altar in Storkyrkan (St Nicholas Church) in Stockholm. After being replaced by anotherchurch altarpiece, from 1702 to c. 1820, it adorned the altar in Kungsholm Church (Ulrika EleonoraChurch), Stockholm. In 1839, the largest of the altarpiece’s paintings, the Annunciation,was put up for sale and later donated to Kläckeberga.The painting, which has long attracted the attention of Polish and Swedish art historiansalike, has hitherto only mainly been known to them “second-hand” – through black and whitephotographs. However, thanks to some recently taken colour photos, the author of the presentstudy has been able to identify some details that have escaped the attention of earlier writerson the subject, for example, that the Archangel Gabriel is wearing an episcopal outfit and nota pontifical one, as was hitherto surmised. Some objects denoting Mary’s domestic side havecome to light through the colour photographs. They also show more clearly how Han usedlight to pinpoint the most important actors in the scene, the Dove of the Holy Trinity, the VirginMary, and the Archangel Gabriel. Of particular interest is how Han, by letting some of the lightalso fall on the archangel’s sandal-clad foot, directs the viewer’s eye there, perhaps referring tothe winged sandals of the Greek messenger god Hermes, a subtle reminder of Gabriel beinga messenger from God.

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