Boucher, François (1703-1770) Le Bain de Vénus (The Bath of Venus) 1751 Oil on canvas, 107 x 84.8 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington In Enlightenment France the dedicated search to define truth engendered a re–evaluation of the natural. The belief that…
Sargent, John Singer (1856-1925) Dr. Pozzi at Home 1881 Oil on canvas, 201.6 x 102.2 cm Hammer Museum, Los Angeles Samuel-Jean Pozzi (1846–1918) was a pioneer in the field of modern gynecology in France; his practices advanced the reproductive safety and dignity…
Tiziano (c.1488-1576) Uomo in armatura (Man in Armour) c.1530 Oil on canvas, 65 x 58 cm Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milano In his Musaeum Federico Borromeo writes that “Titian would have wanted to paint his father like this, armour-clad, to celebrate in a playful…
Jordaens, Jacob (1593-1678) The Meeting of Odysseus and Nausicaa c.1630–1640 Oil on canvas, 117.5 x 194 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Jordaens was one of the most renowned and versatile Antwerp painters. Here he illustrates an episode from Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus, naked and…
Cranach, Lucas the Elder (1472-1553) Portrait of a Woman 1525–1527 Oil on wood, 35.9 × 25.1 cm National Gallery, London Cranach only painted a handful of portraits showing women of the Saxon court during his time as court painter to the…
Van Dyck, Anthony (1599-1641) Family Portrait 1621 Oil on canvas, 113.5 x 93.5 cm Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg In this, one of the most marvellous works by the famous Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, the compact composition creates an impression of…
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…
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…
Gonzalès, Eva (1849-1883) Une loge aux Italiens (A box at the Théâtre des Italiens) c.1874 Oil on canvas, 97.7 x 130 cm Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Van der Weyden, Rogier (c.1399-1464) Madonna Durán 1435–1438 Oil on panel, 100 x 52 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid The panel has been trimmed on all four sides but little of the painted surface can have been lost. It is made…