This work is probably the picture mentioned by the painter and biographer Giorgio Vasari (1511 - 1574), as by an anonymous follower of Fra Angelico. The altarpiece comes from San Francesco fuori della Porta a San Miniato, Florence (usually called San Salvatore al Monte), where a Lanfredini Chapel is recorded. The Lanfredini arms are on the capitals of the columns in the painting. Concealed in the border of the Virgin's robe is the painter's name ZANOBI.
The Virgin is seated at prayer in her bedchamber. The Archangel Gabriel announces that she will bear the Son of God. The dove of the Holy Spirit is seen above Gabriel (Luke 1: 26-38). In the background are a walled garden and a lily, symbols of the Virgin's purity.
