An unpublished analysis of a central theme for christian history, through the multiple readings that western and eastern art has given over the centuries. The Annunciation to Mary is not the only Annunciation reported in the Bible, but it is undoubtedly the one that has experienced exceptional fortune in the history of Christian art, to the point of being a source of inspiration for a heritage of images of unparalleled richness. A heritage accumulated from the origins of Christian art to the present day and developed on all media and in all formats, in the East as in the West. The authors have selected a representative sample of works of art from among those they considered the most beautiful, most representative, most finely conceived and most worthy of attention and contemplation. Each of them is reproduced in full page and described in detail by a commentary text. Some of the very recent works have the merit of suggesting to the reader how the long history of the translation and transmission of the Gospel in images, at the same time faithful and creatively innovative, continues over time, far from being completed.