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…
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…
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…
Fantin-Latour, Henri (1836-1904) Autoportrait (Self Portrait) 1860 Oil on canvas, 31.4 × 25.4 cm National Gallery, London On loan from Tate: Bequeathed by Hans Velten 1931. Fantin-Latour painted a number of self portraits in the years 1854–61 which were characterised by…
Duccio di Buoninsegna (c.1255-c.1319) Guarigione del cieco nato (The Healing of the Man born Blind) c.1307–1311 Egg tempera on wood, 45.1 × 46.7 cm National Gallery, London This painting comes from the back of the predella of the large, double-sided altarpiece made…
Daubigny, Charles-François (1817-1878) Honoré Daumier probably 1870–1876, but possibly 1867–1868 Oil on canvas, 76.2 × 62.9 cm National Gallery, London Portraits by Daubigny are quite rare, as he was primarily a landscape painter who was closely associated with the Barbizon group.…
Cézanne, Paul (1839-1906) Autoportrait (Self Portrait) 1880–1881 Oil on canvas, 34.7 × 27 cm National Gallery, London Cézanne was about 40 years old when he painted this self portrait in his apartment in Paris around 1880–1. This was a significant period in…
Carriera, Rosalba (1675-1757) Ritratto di un uomo (Portrait of a Man) 1720s Pastel on paper, 57.8 × 47 cm National Gallery, London An unknown man looks out from this portrait with a self-assured stare. His rosy lips, soft eyes and pale, youthful…
Bosch, Hieronymus (c.1450-1516) Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns) c.1510 Oil on oak, 73.8 × 59 cm National Gallery, London Christ stares calmly out at us from the heart of this picture, his serenity a vivid contrast to the brutality of…
Ribera, Jusepe de (1591-1652) San Pietro penitente (Penitent Saint Peter) 1628–1632 Oil on canvas, 126.5 × 97 cm Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Emerging from darkness into a blaze of light falling from heaven, Saint Peter’s enraptured upward expression and gesture…