The Annunciation captures the moment soon after the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the Christ Child. Mary is dressed in white, the color of purity. The post in the background represents a pillar, which in Renaissance art symbolized a separation between heaven and earth. And, according to early Christian literature, the small white feather on the right-hand side of the painting symbolizes faith and contemplation, as well as Mary’s newly departed angelic visitor.