Canaletto (1697-1768) Eton College c.1754 Oil on canvas, 61.6 × 107.7 cm National Gallery, London This view is from the bank of the River Thames, looking across a sprawling meadow towards Eton College on the horizon. A shady glade gives way to…
Brueghel, Jan the Elder (1568-1625) The Adoration of the Kings 1598 Bodycolour on vellum, 32.9 × 48 cm National Gallery, London Jan Brueghel seems to have squeezed a whole world into his tiny picture. A crowd waits patiently for a turn…
Botticini, Francesco (1446-1498) La crocifissione (The Crucifixion) c.1471 Tempera on wood, 28.5 × 35 cm National Gallery, London Christ is shown nailed to the Cross at his crucifixion, flanked by the two thieves who were crucified alongside him. His mother, the Virgin…
Botticini, Francesco (1446-1498) L’Assunzione della Vergine (The Assumption of the Virgin) c.1475–1476 Tempera on wood, 228.6 × 377.2 cm National Gallery, London Heaven and earth are united in this vast, dramatic scene. A dome-shaped vault has opened up in the sky to…
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.…
Blake, William (1757-1827) Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims 1810, reprinted before 1881 Engraving on paper, 35.7 x 96.7 cm Tate Britain, London See also: • Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1343-1400)
Veronese, Paolo (1528-1588) La creazione di Eva (The Creation of Eve) c.1575 Oil on canvas, 81 × 103 cm Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Velázquez, Diego (1599-1660) Bodegón (Kitchen Scene) 1618–1620 Oil on canvas, 55.9 × 104.2 cm Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago In this modest kitchen scene, a type known as a bodegón (from the Spanish for pantry), Diego Velázquez depicted a young African…
Valadon, Suzanne (1865-1938) Le bain (The Bath) 1905 Pastel on paper, 68.5 × 54.8 cm Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago While she received little formal artistic training, Suzanne Valadon had many opportunities to observe artists at work as she modelled for…