Annunciation Triptych ( Merode Altarpiece)

Robert Campin

One of the fathers of the Northern Renaissance, Campin’s Annunciation Triptych is amongst the most celebrated works of Netherlandish painting. A deeply allegorical work, it is architectural in its layout with each panel a window into a different room across the same house. In the central panel, the angel Gabriel is about to tell the Virgin Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus. The room Campin painted is based on the living room of the donor who commissioned the painting. This same donor kneels at the doorway in the left hand panel, his wife stood behind them and on the right-hand panel Joseph drills holes in a board in his carpentry studio. The altarpiece was intended for private prayer, a prayer for the hopes of a child for the couple. Campin’s vignettes bring the holy down to earth, the scenes are recognisable in their exquisite detail but otherworldly in their figures.

Sunday 12th July

The Moon stands in front of the constellation of Taurus, and today it reaches its highest point in relation to the fixed stars. For the last two weeks, it has appeared to reach a higher zenith each day, but from today, over the next two weeks, it will appear to descend lower on the horizon. In biodynamics, this descending Moon welcomes a transplanting window, as the forces are understood to be concentrated below the surface of the earth, into the soil and roots. This allows roots to develop strongly, making it a good time to transplant out into our gardens over the next two weeks.