Sargent, John Singer (1856-1925) Wineglasses probably 1875 Oil on canvas, 45 × 37.5 cm National Gallery, London This small painting of a shaded arbour could be set in a cafe or restaurant, but it may be a private garden. Dappled sunlight…
Constable, John (1776-1837) Cenotaph to the Memory of Sir Joshua Reynolds 1833–1836 Oil on canvas, 132 × 108.5 cm National Gallery, London Cenotaph to the Memory of Sir Joshua Reynolds, erected in the grounds of Coleorton Hall, Leicestershire by the late Sir…
Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre (1824-1898) L’été (Summer) before 1873 Oil on canvas, 43.2 × 62.2 cm National Gallery, London The theme of Puvis de Chavannes’s painting is an old one. Images of summer and harvesting can be found in medieval illuminated manuscripts,…
Poussin, Nicolas (1594-1665) Le Triomphe de Silène (The Triumph of Silenus) c.1636 Oil on canvas, 142.9 × 120.5 cm National Gallery, London This playful scene celebrates Silenus, companion to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and drunkenness. Silenus, a naked old…
Michelangelo (1475-1564) Deposizione di Cristo nel sepolcro (The Entombment, or Christ being carried to his Tomb) c.1500–1501 Oil on wood, 161.7 × 149.9 cm National Gallery, London This is one of perhaps only three surviving panel paintings by the great Florentine…
Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780-1867) Oedipe et le Sphinx (Oedipus and the Sphinx) c.1826 Oil on canvas, 17.5 × 13.7 cm National Gallery, London Oedipus, a figure from Greek mythology, stands nude and in profile before the Sphinx, who guards the…
Guardi, Francesco (1712-1793) Il Palazzo Ducale e il Molo dal Bacino di San Marco (Venice: The Doge’s Palace and the Molo from the Basin of San Marco) c.1770 Oil on canvas, 58.1 × 76.4 cm National Gallery, London Guardi delighted in capturing…
Guardi, Francesco (1712-1793) La Punta della Dogana con S. Maria della Salute (Venice: The Punta della Dogana with S. Maria della Salute) c.1770 Oil on canvas, 56.2 × 75.9 cm National Gallery, London The huge dome of the church of S.…
Ghirlandaio, Domenico (1448-1494) Madonna col Bambino (The Virgin and Child) c.1480–1490 Tempera on poplar, 88.9 × 57.8 cm National Gallery, London The Christ Child looks up at the Virgin Mary, raising the index finger of his right hand as though he…
Géricault, Théodore (1791-1824) Cheval effrayé par la foudre (A Horse frightened by Lightning) c.1813–1814 Oil on canvas, 48.9 × 60.3 cm National Gallery, London Jean-Louis-André-Théodore Géricault was a keen horseman, and his passion for horses was matched by his expert understanding…