Proof
of El Greco's popularity among his contemporaries are the numerous replicas of
a number of his pictures, painted by himself, which are still extant. Their quality
is such that in several cases it is difficult to determine which was the original
and which the replica. One of these is The Annunciation with its various shades
of sparkling pearl-grey, with the painter's signature in Greek letters in the
left-hand corner of the picture. The painting in the Toledo Museum of Arts (Ohio,
USA) is the closest to this one, which is at theMuseum of Fine Arts, Budapest.
