Allori, Alessandro (1535-1607) Maria de’ Medici c.1555 Oil on poplar, 116 x 90 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Since the early Renaissance the foremost artists and workshops in Florence had worked for the Medici. In 1570, Cosimo I became Grand-Duke of Tuscany, elevating…
Cellini, Benvenuto (1500-1571) Saliera (Salt Cellar) 1540–1543 Gold, enamel, ebony, ivory, 28.5 × 21.5 × 26.3 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna The only extant work in gold by this Florentine artist already famous during his lifetime, Cellini’s masterpiece is far more than a…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Small Self-Portrait c.1657 Oil on walnut wood, 48 × 40.6 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna In this informal portrait, Rembrandt confronts the viewer in everyday attire – a brown skirt and red woollen shirt. With advancing age, simplicity of appearance and…
Veronese, Paolo (1528-1588) Cristo e la Samaritana (Christ and the Samaritan) c.1585 Oil on canvas, 143.5 × 288.3 × 3.2 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna The Gospel according to St. John reflects the thoughtful dialogue between Christ and the (non-Jewish) woman from Samaria…
Robbia, Luca della (1400-1482) Madonna col Bambino (Madonna and Child) 3rd quarter of the 15th century Terracotta and glazed clay, 53 × 38 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Emotional depictions of the Madonna for domestic worship were very popular in Florence in…
Reynolds, Joshua (1723-1792) Portrait Study of a Young Lady c.1760–1765 Oil on canvas, 76.5 × 63 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Poussin, Nicolas (1594-1665) La Destruction du temple de Jérusalem (The destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem) 1635 Oil on canvas, 147 × 198 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna The material is taken from Flavius Josephus’ Jewish War. Titus, the son of the…
Lotto, Lorenzo (1480-1557) Madonna col Bambino tra i santi Caterina e Tommaso (Madonna and Child with Saints Catherine and Thomas) 1527–1533 Oil on canvas, 117 x 152 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna The motif of a gathering of saints around the Madonna,…
Carracci, Annibale (1560-1609) Pietà c.1603 Oil on copper, 41.3 x 60.7 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Overwhelmed by her helplessness and pain, Mary holds her dead son in her lap. Pale colours and the pathos of marbles by Michelangelo and from antiquity…
Bellini, Giovanni (c.1430-1516) Giovane donna nuda allo specchio (Young woman at her toilette) 1515 Oil on poplar panel, 62.9 x 78.3 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Inscription: “Joannes bellinus faciebat M.D.X.V.” As an elderly man, Bellini turned to the depiction of a…