would suggest a different answer, for here we find what is clearly a sustained effort to secure beauty.  The Annunciation is a large relief, in which the angel and the Virgin are placed within an elaborately carved frame, while on the cornice above there are six children holding garlands.  Its date has been the subject of even more discussion than that of the Crucifix,[50] and the conflict of opinion has been so keen that the intrinsic merits of this remarkable work have been sometimes overlooked.  The date is, of course, important for the classification of Donatello’s work, but it is a pity when the attention of the critic is monopolised by minor problems.  Milizia, when in doubt about the date of Alberti’s birth, did not go too far in saying “disgrazia grande per chi si trova la sua felicita nelle date.”  The Annunciation was erected by the Cavalcanti family, and the old theory that it was ordered to commemorate their share in the victory over Pisa in 1406 has been upheld by the presence on the lower frieze of a winged wreath, an emblem of victory.  The object of the donor is conjectural:  we know nothing about it; and the association of wings and a wreath is found elsewhere in Donatello’s work.[51] Moreover, the rich Renaissance decoration is quite sufficient to demonstrate that the work must be much later than 1406, though whether immediately before or after the second Roman visit must be founded on hypothesis.  The precise date of the particular decoration is too nebular to permit any exact statement on the subject.  There was never any line of demarcation between one school and another.  One can find Gothic ideas long after the Renaissance had established its principles,[52] while the period of transition lasted so long, especially in the smaller towns, that the old and new schools often flourished concurrently.  This relief is made of Pietra Serena, of a delicate bluish tint, very charming to work in, according to Cellini, though without the durability needed for statues placed out of doors.[53] It has been enriched with a most lavish hand and there is no part of the work without sumptuous decoration.  The base, with the central wreath, is flanked by the Cavalcanti arms:  above them rise two rectangular shafts enclosing the relief on either side.  These columns are carved with a fretwork of leaves, and their capitals are formed of strongly chiselled masks of a classical type, like those on the Or San Michele niche.  Above the shafts comes the plinth, which has a peculiar egg and dart moulding, in its way ugly, and finally the whole thing is crowned with a bow-shaped arch, upon which the six terra cotta Putti are placed, two at either extremity and the other pair lying along the curved space in the centre;[54] the panelled background and the throne are covered with arabesques.  But this intricate wealth of decoration does not distract attention from the main figures.  The Virgin has just risen from the chair, part of her dress still resting on the seat.  Her face