Bosch, Hieronymus (c.1450-1516) Christ Mocked (The Crowning with Thorns) c.1510 Oil on oak, 73.8 × 59 cm National Gallery, London Christ stares calmly out at us from the heart of this picture, his serenity a vivid contrast to the brutality of…
Bonheur, Rosa (1822-1899) La foire aux chevaux (The Horse Fair) 1855 Oil on canvas, 120 × 254.6 cm National Gallery, London This is a painting of sheer animal power. Brilliant white light builds up the turbulence and excitement of the scene.…
Bernini, Gian Lorenzo (1598-1680) Santi Andrea e Tommaso (Saints Andrew and Thomas) before 1627 Oil on canvas, 61.5 × 78.1 cm National Gallery, London Gian Lorenzo Bernini was one of the most successful sculptors and architects of seventeenth-century Rome. This image…
Bellotto, Bernardo (1721-1780) La fortezza di Königstein vista da Nord (The Fortress of Königstein from the North) 1756–1758 Oil on canvas, 132.1 × 236.2 cm National Gallery, London Sharp and angular, the Saxon fortress of Königstein, about 25 miles southeast of…
Manet, Édouard (1832-1883) Coin d’un café-concert (Corner of a Café-Concert) probably 1878–1880 Oil on canvas, 97.1 x 77.5 cm National Gallery, London In the middle of the nineteenth century the café-concert became extremely popular in France, and Parisian establishments such as the…
Manet, Édouard (1832-1883) Eva Gonzalès 1870 Oil on canvas, 191.1 x 133.4 cm National Gallery, London Eva Gonzalès (1849–1883), Manet’s only formal pupil, was a successful artist and a regular exhibitor at the Salon. This portrait was probably started in February…
Jordaens, Jacob (1593-1678) The Holy Family and Saint John the Baptist 1620–1625 Oil on oak, 123 x 93.9 cm National Gallery, London In this painting, the Virgin Mary, Joseph and Christ look almost as if they are posing for a family…
Jordaens, Jacob (1593-1678) Virgin and Child with Saints Zacharias, Elizabeth and John the Baptist c.1620 Oil on canvas, 114 x 153 cm National Gallery, London We are watching an intimate family moment, apparently unnoticed. Two children are being introduced – they…
Van der Heyden, Jan (1637-1712) A View in Cologne c.1660–1665 Oil on oak, 33.1 x 42.9 cm National Gallery, London This is one of at least four versions that Jan van der Heyden made of this scene of Cologne and its half-built…
Van der Heyden, Jan (1637-1712) A Farm among Trees c.1670 Oil on oak, 22.1 x 28.8 cm National Gallery, London There is something rather mysterious about this rare – and tiny – landscape by Jan van der Heyden, who specialised in painting…