Flinck, Govert (1615-1660) Rembrandt as Shepherd with Staff and Flute c.1636 Oil on canvas, 75.1 x 64.4 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Depictions of shepherds and shepherdesses were popular in the 17th century. They show an idyllic world, one full of simple pleasures. Busy…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Bacchus and Ariadne c.1680 Oil on canvas, 175.2 x 92.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (on loan from Mauritshuis, The Hague) Ovid described the following scene in his Metamorphoses: on the island of Naxos, Bacchus, the god of wine, chances upon…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Mercury Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus c.1680 Oil on canvas, 132 x 96 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam During his wanderings, Odysseus encounters the nymph Calypso, who falls in love with him and holds him captive on her island.…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Odysseus and Calypso c.1680 Oil on canvas, 125 x 94 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The Greek poet Homer recounts how the heroic warrior Odysseus found refuge on the island of the nymph Calypso. The Trojan War is over:…
Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Selene and Endymion c.1680 Oil on canvas, 177 x 118.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The chaste goddess of the moon, Selene (or Diana), is in love with the shepherd Endymion. Only at night when he is asleep does…
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…
Botticelli, Sandro (c.1445-1510) Giuditta con la testa di Oloferne (Judith with the Head of Holofernes) c.1497–1500 Tempera on panel, 36.5 x 20 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
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…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) The Milkmaid (Het melkmeisje) c.1660 Oil on canvas, 45.5 x 41 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam A maidservant pours milk, entirely absorbed in her work. Except for the stream of milk, everything else is still. Vermeer took this simple everyday…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) The Love Letter (De liefdesbrief) c.1669–1670 Oil on canvas, 44 x 38.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Vermeer chose an unusual vantage point for this painting. From a dim space in the foreground, a glimpse is afforded of another room…