Monet, Claude (1840-1926) Le pont du chemin de fer à Argenteuil (The Railway Bridge at Argenteuil) 1873 Oil on canvas, 60 x 98.4 cm Private collection Two men are standing by a sunlit river, as boats pass by, with a…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) The Woman taken in Adultery 1644 Oil on oak, 83.8 x 65.4 cm National Gallery, London A woman kneels and weeps. Darkness like a great cavern surrounds her. A shaft of light picks her out on the stone…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) The Lamentation over the Dead Christ c.1635 Oil on paper and pieces of canvas, mounted onto oak, 31.9 x 26.7 cm National Gallery, London Christ’s body has just been taken down from the Cross, and his family and…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Ecce Homo 1634 Oil on paper mounted onto canvas, 54.5 x 44.5 cm National Gallery, London ‘Ecce Homo’, the Latin title of this painting, is taken from the Bible, and means ‘Behold the man!’ These were the words…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Achilles Discovered among the Daughters of Lycomedes 1680 Oil on canvas, 138 x 190 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague This painting by De Lairesse is a typical example of the style that came into fashion in Holland…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Mercury Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus c.1680 Oil on canvas, 132 x 96 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam During his wanderings, Odysseus encounters the nymph Calypso, who falls in love with him and holds him captive on her island.…
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…
Cagnacci, Guido (1601-1663) La conversione della Maddalena (The Conversion of Mary Magdalene) c.1661–1662 Oil on canvas, 229.2 x 265.4 cm Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena In the seventeenth century, Guido Cagnacci was celebrated for his deeply sensual paintings of female saints and…
Guercino (1591-1666) L’estasi di San Francesco (The Ecstasy of St. Francis) c.1620–1621 Oil on canvas, 162 x 127 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
Guercino (1591-1666) Cane Aldrovandi (Aldrovandi Dog) c.1625 Oil on canvas, 112 x 173.3 cm Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena Canine portraits appear from the late 16th century forward, as dogs became beloved pets and, for the nobility, status symbols. This life-size…