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…
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…
Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441) Portrait of Giovanni (?) Arnolfini and his Wife 1434 Oil on oak, 82.2 x 60 cm National Gallery, London This must be one of the most famous paintings in the world, and one of the most intriguing.…
Rousseau, Henri (1844-1910) Portrait de Joseph Brummer (Portrait of Joseph Brummer) 1909 Oil on canvas, 115.9 × 88.3 cm National Gallery, London Staring straight at us while nonchalantly holding a cigarette is the Hungarian-born art dealer Joseph Brummer (1883‒1947). The portrait was…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) Woman Holding a Balance (Vrouw met weegschaal) c.1664 Oil on canvas, 39.7 x 35.5 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington Woman Holding a Balance is a superb example of Johannes Vermeer’s exquisite sense of stability and rhythm. A…
Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675) Girl with the Red Hat (Meisje met de rode hoed) c.1669 Oil on panel, 22.8 x 18 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington Girl with the Red Hat is one of Johannes Vermeer’s smallest works, and it is…