The Annunciation Group

The artist arrived in Silesia from Brno around 1720, and his work was clearly influenced by that of the Brokoffs, a family of artists based in Prague. It was in Wrocław that Mangold executed his celebrated masterpiece – the sculptural decoration of Aula Leopoldina in the ex-Jesuit college, which later became the main building of the University of Wrocław. The sculpture was originally housed in the side altar of the Church of St Mary on the Sand in Wrocław. The artist showed his absolute mastery in the dynamic spatial composition of the created group of sculptures. The massive figures of the Virgin Mary and Archangel Gabriel continue to act out the scene of the Annunciation in front of the observers’ eyes.