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…
Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban (1617-1682) Autorretrato (Self Portrait) c.1670 Oil on canvas, 122 × 107 cm National Gallery, London Murillo probably painted this self portrait in about 1670, when he was in his early fifties – his hairline is receding and his…
Millet, Jean-François (1814-1875) Femme et enfant dans un paysage (Woman and Child in a Landscape) 1846–1847 Oil on canvas, 45.7 × 38.1 cm National Gallery, London A woman sits on a rocky ledge, her head gracefully turned toward a young naked…
Michelangelo (1475-1564) Deposizione di Cristo nel sepolcro (The Entombment, or Christ being carried to his Tomb) c.1500–1501 Oil on wood, 161.7 × 149.9 cm National Gallery, London This is one of perhaps only three surviving panel paintings by the great Florentine…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Delacroix, Eugène (1798-1863) Le Christ sur la croix (Christ on the Cross) 1853 Oil on canvas, 73.5 × 59.7 cm National Gallery, London Delacroix depicts a moment described in Gospel of John, when Christ addresses his mother, the Virgin Mary, and one…