Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441) The Annunciation c.1434–1436 Oil on canvas transferred from panel, 90.2 x 34.1 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington The Annunciation described by Saint Luke is interpreted in terms of actuality in this painting, which was probably once…
Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441) Portrait of Giovanni (?) Arnolfini and his Wife 1434 Oil on oak, 82.2 x 60 cm National Gallery, London This must be one of the most famous paintings in the world, and one of the most intriguing.…
Tissot, James (1836-1902) Hush! 1875 Oil on canvas, 73.7 x 112.2 cm Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Modern life was the central theme of Tissot‘s art, with a focus on bourgeois social behaviour. His genre pieces typically dwelt on social nicety, flattering…
Tissot, James (1836-1902) Summer (‘Portrait’) 1876 Oil on canvas, 91.4 x 50.8 cm Tate Britain, London James Tissot is deliberately ambiguous here, inviting us to interpret it. His model, Miss Lloyd, stands at the entrance of a billiards’ room, a space…
Tissot, James (1836-1902) Cache-cache (Hide and Seek) c.1877 Oil on wood, 73.4 x 53.9 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington In early 1874 Degas wrote, “Look here, my dear Tissot. . . you positively must exhibit at the Boulevard [in the…
Rousseau, Henri (1844-1910) Fleurs dans un vase (Flowers in a Vase) 1909 Oil on canvas, 45.4 x 32.7 cm Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo For Henri Rousseau, the theme of the still life, especially flowers, offered a pleasant diversion from more ambitious,…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) Woman with a Pearl Necklace (Vrouw met parelsnoer) 1663–1665 Oil on canvas, 56.1 x 47.4 cm Gemäldegalerie, Berlin SIGNATURE / INSCRIPTION: Inscription on the table top: IVMeer (IVM in ligature) A young woman stands at a table and…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) Young Woman seated at a Virginal (Zittende virginaalspeelster) c.1672–1675 Oil on canvas, 25.5 x 20.1 cm Private collection, New York This entrancing picture, the only one of Vermeer’s mature works remaining in private hands, captures the quiet joy of…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman early 1660s Oil on canvas, 74.1 x 64.6 cm Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace, London A Lady at the Virginal with a Gentleman entered the Royal Collection in 1762 as a work…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) Woman in Blue Reading a Letter (Brieflezende vrouw) c.1663 Oil on canvas, 46.5 x 39 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Enjoying a quiet, private moment, this young woman is absorbed in reading a letter in the morning light. She is…