Meeting at the Golden Gate

Meeting at the Golden Gate is one of the best-known scenes in the Scrovegni Chapel and closes the cycle devoted to Joachim. It depicts the moment when Joachim and Anne meet before Jerusalem's Golden Gate after each has received the announcement that, despite their advanced age, they will become the parents of Mary. The episode, derived from apocryphal tradition, gains extraordinary emotional force through the embrace of the two spouses at the center of the composition.

Giotto concentrates the action in physical contact. Joachim and Anne lean toward one another and their faces almost merge in a kiss. Their bodies form a compact mass beneath the garments, expressing tenderness, relief and hope. At the left, a shepherd is partly cut off by the edge of the fresco, an innovative device that suggests the action continues beyond the frame and belongs to a broader continuous world.