Annuntiationis Puer. O Menino na Anunciação, em Portugal

Abstract

A rare form of representation of the evangelical episode of the Annunciation is one in which we see a tiny naked Child, coming down from heaven towards the Virgin Mary. Here are presented, in chronological order, the images of that kind of representation that exist in Portugal. In addition to images already made public in specialised publications, some quite unknown ones are also presented here for the first time. Considerable space is devoted to the search for the explanation of the origin of a woodcut that is printed in an edition of the Flos Sanctorum by Fr. Diogo do Rosário O.P., and the relationship of this print with similar miniatures or prints (of French, German or Spanish origin), both with and without the homunculus. A hitherto unknown woodcut with this subject, which is printed in a French book kept at a Santiago of Compostela library, is also presented here.