De Morgan, Evelyn (1855-1919) Queen Eleanor and the Fair Rosamund Probably 1901–1902 Oil on canvas, 75.6 x 66.7 cm De Morgan Collection Rosamund was the mistress of Henry II, who built a house for her at Woodstock in Oxfordshire. Legends say…
Morris, William (1834-1896) Peacock 1878 Tapestry, 290 x 168 cm Musée d’Orsay, Paris Tapestry: wool weave, twill weave (twisted woolen warp, green; woolen wefts, dark blue and light blue, and slatted wefts, ochre, orange, green, brown and blue); pattern reproduced 4…
Redon, Odilon (1840-1916) Saint Georges et le dragon (Saint George and the Dragon) c.1909–1910 Oil on paperboard, 53.3 x 67.9 cm Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia According to Christian legend, Saint George, a Roman soldier, heroically killed a dragon that was terrorizing a…
Mantegna, Andrea (c.1431-1506) Zuffa degli dei marini (Battle of the Sea Gods, with Envy (Invidia) on the Left) 1485–1488 Engraving on paper, 27.6 x 41.1 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Fight between satyrs riding on hippocampi and old woman as personification of envy…
Morris, William (1834-1896) Peacock and Dragon 1878 Weft-faced compound twill; wool, 206.6 x 174.7 cm Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Morris sought to produce textiles that could function as he imagined medieval wall hangings had, bringing warmth to stone-cold rooms. Boldly…
Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780-1867) Persée et Andromède (Perseus and Andromeda) c.1819 Oil on canvas, 19.7 × 16.2 cm Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
Zurbarán, Francisco de (1598-1664) Santa Margarita de Antioquía (Saint Margaret of Antioch) 1630–1634 Oil on canvas, 163 × 105 cm National Gallery, London The fourth-century saint Margaret was said to come from the city of Antioch. Her father, a pagan priest, cast…
Tintoretto, Jacopo (1518-1594) San Giorgio e il drago (Saint George and the Dragon) c.1555 Oil on canvas, 158.3 × 100.5 cm National Gallery, London Saint George plunges his lance into the jaws of the dragon which, according to legend, inhabited the…
Ghirlandaio, Domenico (1448-1494) Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni 1489–1490 Mixed media on panel, 77 x 49 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid This superb panel is a fine example of fifteenth-century Florentine portraiture. Artists of the time followed classical dictates: body proportions were idealised while…
Ribera, Jusepe de (1591-1652) Immacolata Concezione (The Immaculate Conception) c.1637 Oil on canvas, 220 × 160 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid