The Annunciation by Luca Giordano, oil on canvas, 1672. Luca Giordano was the leading painter in Naples in the late seventeenth century and one of the most sought-after Italian artists of the day. He worked in a variety of styles, often imitating Renaissance masters. This altarpiece was painted after a trip to Venice, and pays direct homage to the work of Titian. The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus (meaning Savior). Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25, nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. The Annunciation has been a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Marian art in the Catholic Church, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Mary has been venerated since Early Christianity, and is considered by millions to be the most meritorious saint of the Church. Christians of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary, as Mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God.