Paintings for Advent

Advent looks two ways: back to the first coming of Christ, which the Church keeps at Christmas, and forward to his coming at the end of time (Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, n. 39). The paintings that belong to it follow both: the Annunciation and the Immaculate Conception, Saint John the Baptist, and the Last Judgment. Advent 2026 begins on Sunday 29 November 2026. The editions hold 43 of them, each printed to order from the holding museum’s photograph; 12 are below, and all are on the store’s Advent shelf.

The Annunciation
Fra Angelico, c. 1425–1426. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
From $39, shipping included
The Annunciation
Jan van Eyck, c. 1434–1436. National Gallery of Art, Washington.
From $39, shipping included
The Annunciation
Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472–1476. Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence.
From $39, shipping included
The Annunciation
Fra Filippo Lippi, about 1450–3. The National Gallery, London.
From $150, shipping included
The Immaculate Conception
Francisco de Zurbarán, 1632. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona.
From $110, shipping included
The Immaculate Conception
Jusepe de Ribera, 1637. Columbia Museum of Art.
From $39, shipping included
The Immaculate Conception
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1680. The Cleveland Museum of Art.
From $39, shipping included
The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1660–1665. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
From $39, shipping included
The Last Judgment
Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1617. Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
From $39, shipping included
The Last Judgment
Michelangelo, 1536–1541. Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums.
From $39, shipping included
The Nativity
Piero della Francesca, early 1480s. The National Gallery, London.
From $39, shipping included
Mystic Nativity
Sandro Botticelli, c. 1500–1501. The National Gallery, London.
From $39, shipping included

When does Advent begin in 2026?

On Sunday 29 November 2026, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. It runs to Christmas Eve.

What colour is Advent?

Violet. On the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday (Sunday 13 December 2026), rose may be worn.

Why are there Last Judgments among Advent paintings?

Because Advent prepares for both comings of Christ, and its First Sunday reads the Gospel of his return at the end of time.

Which painting is the Annunciation by Fra Angelico?

The altarpiece of about 1425–1426 in the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, with the expulsion of Adam and Eve in the garden at the left. Its edition is here.