Deposizione di Cristo nel sepolcro (c.1500-1501)

Michelangelo (1475-1564) Deposizione di Cristo nel sepolcro (The Entombment, or Christ being carried to his Tomb) c.1500–1501 Oil on wood, 161.7 × 149.9 cm National Gallery, London This is one of perhaps only three surviving panel paintings by the great Florentine…

Oedipe et le Sphinx (c.1826)

Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780-1867) Oedipe et le Sphinx (Oedipus and the Sphinx) c.1826 Oil on canvas, 17.5 × 13.7 cm National Gallery, London Oedipus, a figure from Greek mythology, stands nude and in profile before the Sphinx, who guards the…

Young Man holding a Skull (1626-1628)

Hals, Frans (c.1582-1666) Young Man holding a Skull (Vanitas) 1626–1628 Oil on canvas, 92.2 × 80.8 cm National Gallery, London A life-size figure stands before us, holding a skull in one hand and gesticulating with the other. Shown close up, the…

Pentecoste (c.1310-1318)

Giotto (c.1267-1337) & Workshop Pentecoste (Pentecost) c.1310–1318 Egg tempera on poplar, 45.5 × 44 cm National Gallery, London The simplicity of the storytelling, the inclusion of lively details – like the old man who turns his head to better hear the…

Madonna col Bambino (c.1480-1490)

Ghirlandaio, Domenico (1448-1494) Madonna col Bambino (The Virgin and Child) c.1480–1490 Tempera on poplar, 88.9 × 57.8 cm National Gallery, London The Christ Child looks up at the Virgin Mary, raising the index finger of his right hand as though he…

Cheval effrayé par la foudre (c.1813-1814)

Géricault, Théodore (1791-1824) Cheval effrayé par la foudre (A Horse frightened by Lightning) c.1813–1814 Oil on canvas, 48.9 × 60.3 cm National Gallery, London Jean-Louis-André-Théodore Géricault was a keen horseman, and his passion for horses was matched by his expert understanding…

Madonna Quaratesi (1425)

Gentile da Fabriano (c.1370-1427) Madonna Quaratesi (Madonna and Child with Angels) 1425 Tempera on wood, 139.9 × 83 cm National Gallery, London On loan from His Majesty The King This panel formed the centre of an altarpiece commissioned by a member…

Un vase de fleurs (1896)

Gauguin, Paul (1848-1903) Un vase de fleurs (A Vase of Flowers) 1896 Oil on canvas, 64 × 74 cm National Gallery, London Gauguin painted this still life soon after he had arrived in Tahiti for his second and final stay in…