Rembrandt (1606-1669) The Woman taken in Adultery 1644 Oil on oak, 83.8 x 65.4 cm National Gallery, London A woman kneels and weeps. Darkness like a great cavern surrounds her. A shaft of light picks her out on the stone…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Belshazzar’s Feast c.1636–1638 Oil on canvas, 167.6 x 209.2 cm National Gallery, London Belshazzar’s Feast was painted somewhere between 1636 and 1638, when Rembrandt was about 30 years old. He had to make his way in Amsterdam, a…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Portrait of a Gentleman with a Tall Hat and Gloves c.1656–1658 Oil on canvas transferred to canvas, 99.5 x 82.5 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington After learning the fundamentals of drawing and painting in his native Leiden, Rembrandt van…
Rembrandt (1606-1669) Judith at the banquet of Holofernes 1634 Oil on canvas, 143 x 154.7 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid In the past various authors have expressed their scepticism about the attribution of the painting to Rembrandt. However, the Rembrandt Research…
Zurbarán, Francisco de (1598-1664) San Lorenzo (St Lawrence) 1636 Oil on canvas, 292 x 225 cm Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg Saint Lawrence is a splendid example of the austere laconic style of Francisco Zurbarán, who from 1628 was the chief…
Guercino (1591-1666) Sibilla Cumana con putto (The Cumaean Sibyl with a Putto) 1651 Oil on canvas, 222 x 168.5 cm National Gallery, London The Cumaean Sibyl is one of 12 pagan sibyls, or prophetesses, said to have foretold the coming…
Tiziano (c.1488-1576) Ritratto di Federico II Gonzaga (Portrait of Federico II Gonzaga) 1529 Oil on panel, 125 x 99 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid On 16 April 1529 Federico II Gonzaga, First Duke of Mantua (1500-1540), apologised to his uncle Alfonso…
Madrazo y Kuntz, Luis de (1825-1897) Isabel la Católica c.1848 Oil on canvas, 225 x 140.8 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid The Chronological Series of the Kings of Spain was a museum project planned in 1847 by José de Madrazo to adorn…
Raffaello (1483-1520) La dama col liocorno (Lady with a Unicorn) c.1505–1506 Oil on panel transferred to canvas, 67 x 56 cm Galleria Borghese, Roma The young woman depicted is a Florentine girl, as can be seen from the precious fashionable dress of…
Goya, Francisco de (1746-1828) La maja desnuda (The Naked Maja) 1795–1800 Oil on canvas, 97.3 x 190.6 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid An image of Venus in the nude, lying on a green velvet divan with pillows and a spread. Legend…