Van der Weyden, Rogier (c.1399-1464) St Luke Drawing the Virgin 15th century Oil on canvas, 102.5 x 108.5 cm Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg The subject is taken from a 6th-century legend of Greek origin, according to which St Luke was the…
Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780-1867) Portrait d’une jeune femme (Portrait of a Young Woman) c.1815 Pencil on paper, 28 x 20.7 cm Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
Bronzino (1503-1572) Ritratto di Cosimo I de’ Medici (Portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici) 1537 Oil on canvas (handed over from wood panel), 117.5 x 87.5 cm Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg You are looking now at work by an outstanding Mannerist…
Zurbarán, Francisco de (1598-1664) Santa Casilda (Saint Casilda) c.1630–1635 Oil on canvas, 171 x 107 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid Images of saints depicted alone, holding their attributes and looking out of the picture space were among the most popular compositions within…
Tintoretto, Jacopo (1518-1594) Ritratto di senatore (Portrait of a Senator) c.1570 Oil on canvas, 118.5 x 100 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid In the 1570s Tintoretto considerably expanded his artistic activity by increasing the number of commissions executed by his studio. During…
Parmigianino (1503-1540) Santa Barbara (Saint Barbara) 1522 Oil on panel, 48 x 39 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid A portrait of Saint Barbara in profile on a black background. In her hands, she holds a tower, which was her symbol. A…
Tiziano (c.1488-1576) La Bella (Portrait of a Lady) 1536–1538 Oil on canvas, 89 × 75.5 cm Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Firenze The female portrait, known by its complimentary epithet “La Bella”, is one of the most famous paintings of the later years of…
Correggio (c.1489-1534) Noli me tangere c.1525 Oil on panel transferred to canvas, 130 x 103 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid Antonio Correggio’s stay in Rome between 1518 and 1519 powerfully affected his late work, which reflects that of late Raphael and…
Gentileschi, Artemisia (1593-c.1653) Autoritratto come allegoria della Pittura (Self-portrait as the Allegory of Painting) 1638–1639 Oil on canvas, 98.6 x 75.2 cm Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace, London Artemisia Gentileschi was invited to London in 1638 by Charles I, and probably produced this…
Lotto, Lorenzo (1480-1557) Ritratto di un uomo (Portrait of a Man, possibly Girolamo Rosati) 1533–1534 Oil on canvas, 108.2 x 100.5 cm Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland The gesture of the elegantly dressed man is a mystery. Is he rising from…