The Annunciation

This is one of the three “paintings made with silk thread submitted for the service of His Majesty” made by Claude Girard, an eclectic decorative artist specialised in thread intarsia who worked for the Court of Savoy. This extremely rare technique is similar to embroidery and consists in creating little panels of silk thread stretched out and fastened on to a waxed paper support, forming close-knit chromatic mosaics. At first sight, it appears to be somewhere between a fabric and needle embroidery, with a very precious look. The Annunciation is the first certain work by the artist who has signed his name on the back, to-gether with the date, 1722