The Meeting at the Golden Gate

The Meeting at the Golden Gate by Giotto di Bondone refers to a meeting at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem between the parents of the Virgin Mary, along with Joachim and Anne.

Narrative

This particular narrative was one of a number which did not originally appear within the New Testament but has been broadly accepted over the years. Giotto personally chose which scenes to include within his Scrovegni Chapel and clearly believed that The Meeting at the Golden Gate held enough integrity to be included.

Description

The painting itself features a charming scene of embracing, whilst a delightful use of architectural art is displayed in the background. The various figures express emotions across their faces as they meet up on this important occasion. They meet just outside the gate’s walls, over a small, perhaps symbolic bridge.

Giotto exaggerates the architectural features, with elements of the wall jutting out a considerable distance, the bridge curving over just a small distance, as well as an ornate archway which adds much to the overall aesthetic.

Closer examination reveals intricate brickwork around the lower half of the wall, and a flat blue sky which was typical of Giotto’s landscape and cityscape scenes. Giotto tended to keep his skies particularly simple as he did not want to distract our eyes from the main focal point, which tended to be the Bible-inspired narrative.

The Story

Joachim and Anne remain childless and believe that this is the will of God, who therefore must disapprove of their relationship. The embrace within the painting marks the point at which the couple are overjoyed to be told that they will in fact conceive after all, making this a joyous moment in their lives.

Overjoyed Anne threw herself into the arms of her husband; together they rejoiced about the honour that was to be granted them in the form of a child. For they knew from the heavenly messenger that the child would be a Queen, powerful on heaven and on earth.

Benedict Chelidonius

Scrovegni Chapel

This was just one of multiple series of frescoes produced by the artist within Scrovegni Chapel in what was one of his most ambitious projects. Giotto was joined by a team of assistants for the task and this allowed him to concentrate on the key tasks of each work.

Joachim features many times within the series, with Giotto handpicking important moments from his life, as well as items which would better suit his artistic style. As a skilled figurative artist, as well as someone who could produce believable architectural touches, The Meeting at the Golden Gate was an obvious choice for the artist.

Conclusion

Joachim and Anne Meeting at the Golden Gate remains a religious story which has inspired many artists over the centuries. Giotto’s version is amongst the best known, partly because of his own fame, but also due to the success of his impressive work within the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. The artwork displays many of his strengths as an artist, with emotional figures, bright tones of color and impressive touches of architecture.

Its location within the chapel also ensures the long term preservation of this piece, as the overall series brings many visitors to the region, making it entirely necessary to keep all of Giotto’s work protected for the future.

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