The golden beam of light which bursts through the sky in Carlo Crivelli's Annunciation passes through an oh-so-convenient hole in the wall to reach the Virgin Mary: this is very much the chronicle of a birth foretold. But why does Crivelli, who with his masterful control of single vanishing point perspective and references to classical architecture shows himself to be in full Renaissance mode, continue to use gold leaf? Is he simply too old fashioned to shake off medieval habits, or could it be that he is more sophisticated than we might realise? Like the previous week's lecture, this talk will focus on one painting, putting it in the context of the very specific reasons for its commission.