Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Odysseus and Calypso c.1680 Oil on canvas, 125 x 94 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The Greek poet Homer recounts how the heroic warrior Odysseus found refuge on the island of the nymph Calypso. The Trojan War is over:…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Cleopatra’s Banquet c.1675–1680 Oil on canvas, 74 x 95.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Cleopatra made a bet with Mark Antony on who could give the most lavish banquet. She won by dissolving a priceless pearl in vinegar and…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Apollo and Aurora 1671 Oil on canvas, 204.5 x 193.4 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Largely forgotten today, De Lairesse was celebrated in his lifetime as a painter and advocate for an idealizing manner based…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Bellona 1633 Oil on canvas, 127 x 97.5 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Typical of Rembrandt’s domestication of ancient myth, this depiction of the Roman goddess of war may have reflected the Dutch readiness for conflict during…
Zurbarán, Francisco de (1598-1664) Defensa de Cádiz contra los ingleses (Defence of Cadiz against the English) 1634–1635 Oil on canvas, 302 x 323 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid The event depicted is Cadiz’s defense from the attack of an English…
Guercino (1591-1666) Madonna coi santi protettori di Modena (Virgin and Child with Four Saints) 1651 Oil on canvas, 332 x 230 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris See also: • Modena (Italia)
Guercino (1591-1666) Sansone catturato dai filistei (Samson Captured by the Philistines) 1619 Oil on canvas, 191.1 x 236.9 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York According to the Bible, Samson, whose strength came from his hair, was shorn by his duplicitous…
Guercino (1591-1666) San Pietro liberato da un angelo (Saint Peter freed by an Angel) c.1622 Oil on canvas, 105 x 136 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid A youthful looking angel with curly hair imperiously points out the path of freedom…
Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528) Saint George (standing) c.1507–1508 Engraving, 11 x 7 cm Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA
Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528) Saint George and the Dragon c.1504–1505 Woodcut, 21.3 x 14.2 cm Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA