Tag: jewel

The Temptation of the Magdalene (c.1616)

Jordaens, Jacob (1593-1678) The Temptation of the Magdalene c.1616 Oil on panel, 126.2 × 96.8 cm Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago In this half-length biblical painting, an aged woman offering tempting jewels—possibly the proprietor of a brothel—and an angel bestowing spiritual…

Giuditta e Oloferne (c.1554)

Vasari, Giorgio (1511-1574) Giuditta e Oloferne (Judith and Holofernes) c.1554 Oil on panel, 108 x 79.7 cm Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis This biblical heroine’s strong arms and angled shoulders create lively diagonal lines that enhance her exaggerated musculature. Judith…

Ecce Homo (c.1570-1576)

Tiziano (c.1488-1576) Ecce Homo (Christ Shown to the People) c.1570–1576 Oil on canvas, 109.2 x 94.8 cm Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis By the glow of a blazing torchlight, Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler of ancient Judea, presents Jesus to…

Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni (1489-1490)

Ghirlandaio, Domenico (1448-1494) Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni 1489–1490 Mixed media on panel, 77 x 49 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid This superb panel is a fine example of fifteenth-century Florentine portraiture. Artists of the time followed classical dictates: body proportions were idealised while…

Venere allo specchio (c.1555)

Tiziano (c.1488-1576) Venere allo specchio (Venus with a Mirror) c.1555 Oil on canvas, 124.5 x 105.5 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington Titian’s goddess of love and beauty conjures the sense of touch. Observing her flushed cheek, one can almost feel its…

L’unione felice (c.1575)

Veronese, Paolo (1528-1588) Allegorie dell’amore: L’unione felice (Four Allegories of Love: Happy Union) c.1575 Oil on canvas, 187.4 x 186.7 cm National Gallery, London This is one of a series of four paintings by Veronese that concern the trials and rewards of…

La Bella Nani (c.1560)

Veronese, Paolo (1528-1588) La Bella Nani (Portrait of a Venetian woman) c.1560 Oil on canvas, 119 × 103 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris At the time of its rediscovery at the end of the 19th century, it was thought that this portrait…