The Annunciation - watercolors fore edge painting

Information from accompanying cards: A finely executed fore-edge painting appears on each volume. Both are skillfully done copies of famous religious paintings, the first volume bearing "The Annunciation," after Fra Lippo Lippi.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library

The Annunciation is a biblical event in which the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that she had been chosen to give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. The event is recorded in the New Testament in the Gospels of Luke and is a central moment in the story of the Nativity of Jesus. The scene typically depicts Mary and Gabriel, who is usually shown holding a lily, a symbol of purity, and announcing the news of the birth of Jesus to Mary.