Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Achilles Discovered among the Daughters of Lycomedes 1680 Oil on canvas, 138 x 190 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague This painting by De Lairesse is a typical example of the style that came into fashion in Holland…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Cleopatra’s Banquet c.1675–1680 Oil on canvas, 74 x 95.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Cleopatra made a bet with Mark Antony on who could give the most lavish banquet. She won by dissolving a priceless pearl in vinegar and…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Apollo and Aurora 1671 Oil on canvas, 204.5 x 193.4 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Largely forgotten today, De Lairesse was celebrated in his lifetime as a painter and advocate for an idealizing manner based…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Bellona 1633 Oil on canvas, 127 x 97.5 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Typical of Rembrandt’s domestication of ancient myth, this depiction of the Roman goddess of war may have reflected the Dutch readiness for conflict during…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Judith at the banquet of Holofernes 1634 Oil on canvas, 143 x 154.7 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid In the past various authors have expressed their scepticism about the attribution of the painting to Rembrandt. However, the Rembrandt Research…
Cagnacci, Guido (1601-1663) La conversione della Maddalena (The Conversion of Mary Magdalene) c.1661–1662 Oil on canvas, 229.2 x 265.4 cm Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena In the seventeenth century, Guido Cagnacci was celebrated for his deeply sensual paintings of female saints and…
Guercino (1591-1666) Matrimonio mistico di santa Caterina (Mystical Marriage of St Catherine of Alexandria) c.1620 Oil on canvas, 89 x 75.7 cm Gemäldegalerie, Berlin Typical of Guercino‘s early, pre-Roman phase are the very delicate gradations of the main sections, shimmering…
Tiziano (c.1488-1576) Ritratto di Isabella del Portogallo (Portrait of Isabella of Portugal) 1548 Oil on canvas, 117 cm x 98 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid The portraits that Titian painted of Isabella (1503-1539), daughter of King Manuel of Portugal and wife…
Antonello da Messina (c.1430-1479) Madonna Salting (The Virgin and Child) c.1460–1469 Oil on wood, 43.2 x 34.3 cm National Gallery, London The Virgin Mary glances down at her baby son, Christ, who clutches a pomegranate in his tiny fist. The fruit,…
Madrazo y Kuntz, Luis de (1825-1897) Isabel la Católica c.1848 Oil on canvas, 225 x 140.8 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid The Chronological Series of the Kings of Spain was a museum project planned in 1847 by José de Madrazo to adorn…