Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640) Samson and Delilah c.1609–1610 Oil on wood, 185 × 205 cm National Gallery, London Peter Paul Rubens’s Samson and Delilah portrays a tragedy of love and betrayal. According to the Old Testament, Samson, a Jewish hero blessed…
Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre (1824-1898) L’été (Summer) before 1873 Oil on canvas, 43.2 × 62.2 cm National Gallery, London The theme of Puvis de Chavannes’s painting is an old one. Images of summer and harvesting can be found in medieval illuminated manuscripts,…
Poussin, Nicolas (1594-1665) Le Triomphe de Silène (The Triumph of Silenus) c.1636 Oil on canvas, 142.9 × 120.5 cm National Gallery, London This playful scene celebrates Silenus, companion to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and drunkenness. Silenus, a naked old…
Guardi, Francesco (1712-1793) Il Palazzo Ducale e il Molo dal Bacino di San Marco (Venice: The Doge’s Palace and the Molo from the Basin of San Marco) c.1770 Oil on canvas, 58.1 × 76.4 cm National Gallery, London Guardi delighted in capturing…
Guardi, Francesco (1712-1793) La Punta della Dogana con S. Maria della Salute (Venice: The Punta della Dogana with S. Maria della Salute) c.1770 Oil on canvas, 56.2 × 75.9 cm National Gallery, London The huge dome of the church of S.…
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…
Fragonard, Jean-Honoré (1732-1806) Psyché montrant à ses soeurs les présents de l’amour (Psyche showing her Sisters her Gifts from Cupid) 1753 Oil on canvas, 168.3 × 192.4 cm National Gallery, London This painting illustrates an episode from the classical story of Cupid…
El Greco (1541-1614) Cristo expulsando a los mercaderes del templo (Christ driving the Traders from the Temple) c.1600 Oil on canvas, 106.3 × 129.7 cm National Gallery, London El Greco has used theatrical gestures and intense colours to express the chaos and…
El Greco (1541-1614) Adoración del Nombre de Jesús (The Adoration of the Name of Jesus) late 1570s Oil and egg tempera on pine, 55.1 × 33.8 cm National Gallery, London This picture is closely related to a larger work of the…
Duccio di Buoninsegna (c.1255-c.1319) Resurrezione di Lazzaro (The Raising of Lazarus) 1310–1311 Tempera and gold on panel, 43.5 x 46.4 cm Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth This painting was part of the predella (the bottom tier) of the Maestà altarpiece made for…