Nat Gal
Selection of the National Gallery, London
Original photos, no flash, colors & lights are not recorded precisely...
The National Gallery, London
Probably by Jean-Baptiste Perronneau
(1715/16-1783)
A Girl with a Kitten, 1743
The subject of this enigmatic portrait is unknown. The artist has used a variety of strokes to capture the smoothness of her skin, the frills of her frock and the wiry fur of the cat. Despite the signature, the authorship by Perronneau is uncertain.
Pastel on blue paper laid down on canvas
Studio of Peter Paul Rubens
Portrait of the Infanta Isabella,
about 1615
Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633) was the daughter of Philip II of Spain.
A portrait of her husband Albert, Archduke of Austria, forms a 'pendant' to this work. After Albert's death in 1621 Isabella was appointed governor of the Netherlands. Rubens, who was her court painter, became then a close adviser to Isabella.
Oil on canvas
Peter Paul Rubens
(1577-1640)
Portrait of Ludovicus Nonnius,
about 1627
Ludovicus Nonnius (about 1553-1645/6) was an antiquarian and doctor of Portuguese descent He was one of the first physicians to recognise the importance of a healthy diet Rubens emphasised his subject's erudition by showing him surrounded by books and a bust of the Greek founder of medicine, Hippocrates
Oil on wood
Rembrandt
(1606-1669)
Belshazzar's Feast, about 1636-38
At a lavish feast, the Babylonian king Belshazzar served wine in precious vessels that one of his predecessors had looted from the Temple at Jerusalem (Daniel 5:1-5; 25-28). A divine hand appeared and wrote in Hebrew:
'God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.'
Belshazzar was killed that same night.
Oil on canvas
Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569-1622)
Portrait of an Unknown Man, aged 56, 1591
This razor-sharp portrayal of an unknown man is a dazzling example of the hyper-realistic qualities attained in late 16-century Flemish portraiture. It foreshadows a type of naturalism that would become the norm in both Dutch and Flemish portraiture of the following century.
Oil on wood
Lucas Cranach the Elder
(1472-1553)
Portrait of a Man, 1524
The coat of arms in the upper left corner of this portrait is that of Johann Feige, Chancellor of Hesse. However, as the sitter seems to be older than biographical information suggests, another member of the Feige family may be shown. The prominence of the sitter's purse, hooked onto his belt, emphasises his status and wealth.
Oil on beech
Aelbert Cuyp
(1620-1691)
The Maas at Dordrecht in a Storm,
about 1645-50
Against the backdrop of Dordrecht seen from the south-west, a boat sails close to the wind across a choppy river. Lightning slices through the clouds and briefly illuminates the townscape in the distance. Cuyp's vigorous brushwork underscores the drama of the storm.
Oil on oak
Anthony van Dyck
(1599-1641)
Cornelis van der Geest, about 1620
Cornelis van der Geest (1555-1638) was a wealthy Antwerp spice merchant and an important patron of the arts, comnissioning works from both Rubens and Van Dyck. In this animated portrait, the young Van Dyck uses varied brushstrokes to convey the textures of skin and hair.
Touches of white suggest the moistness of the eyes and lips.
Touches of white suggest the moistness of the eyes and lips.
Oil on oak
Johannes Vermeer
(1632-1675)
A Young Woman seated at a Virginal,
about 1670-2
A tapestry is drawn aside, revealing a musician whose direct gaze invites us to pick up the viola da gamba and join her in an intimate duet.
A reproduction of a painting by Dirck van Baburen of a prostitute playing a lute (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) hangs on the back wall, a reminder of the traditional associations between love and music.
A reproduction of a painting by Dirck van Baburen of a prostitute playing a lute (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) hangs on the back wall, a reminder of the traditional associations between love and music.
Oil on canvas
Hendrick ter Brugghen
(1588-1629)
The Concert, about 1626
The lighting in this picture is particularly striking: the bright light of the candle creates sharp contrasts which heighten the three-dimensionality of the figures.
The subject of a group of richly dressed musicians seen by candlelight shows the influence of the Italian painter Caravaggio and his followers.
Oil on canvas
Jan van Eyck
(active 1422; died 1441)
Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?), 1433
The man's glance and the prominence of the words Als Ich Kan ('As well as I can') on the top of the original frame suggest that this is a self portrait. The motto appears on other paintings by van Eyck.
On the lower edge Latin words read:
"Jan van Eyck made me on 21 October 1433."
On the lower edge Latin words read:
"Jan van Eyck made me on 21 October 1433."
Oil on oak
Jan van Eyck
(active 1422; died 1441)
The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434
This portrait probably shows Giovanni Arnolfini, a wealthy Italian merchant resident in Bruges, and his wife.
The couple is shown in a richly furnished living room; beds were a commnon feature of such rooms. The mirror on the back wall reflects two figures in a doorway. Arnolfini's hand is raised, perhaps to greet them.
The painting is signed on the wall above the mirror, 'Jan van Eyck was here'.
The couple is shown in a richly furnished living room; beds were a commnon feature of such rooms. The mirror on the back wall reflects two figures in a doorway. Arnolfini's hand is raised, perhaps to greet them.
The painting is signed on the wall above the mirror, 'Jan van Eyck was here'.
Oil on oak
Petrus Christus
(active 1444; died 1475/76)
Edward Grimston, 1446
Grimston was a diplomat in the service of Henry VI, King of England. He holds a chain of linked SSs, a Lancastrian device, in his hand. On the wall behind him are two shields with his coat of arms. In 1446 Grimston is known to have visited Calais and Brussels as an ambassador. It would have been easy for him also to travel to Bruges, where Petrus Christus worked.
Oil on oak
Robert Campin
(1378/79-1444)
A Man and a Woman, about 1435
These two portraits are of a husband and a wife. Their dress suggests they are prosperous townspeople from Tournai in modern-day Belgium where Campin worked. The portraits may have been joined together. The backs are marbled which suggests that they were not intended to be hung on a wall.
Oil with some tempera on oak
Jan Gossaert (Jean Gossart)
(active 1508; died 1532)
An Elderly Couple, about 1520
This is Gossaert's only known double portrait. The pair have not been identified. The man grasps his fur collar and a staff which has an engraved metal top. His hat badge displays an image of a naked couple with a cornucopia, a symbol of fruitfulness. This is perhaps an ironic reference to the sitters' age.
Oil on parchment laid down on canvas
Lucas van Leyden
(active 1508; died 1533)
A Man aged 38, about 1521
The man's age is inscribed on the piece of paper he grips in his hand, but his identity remains unknown. The man's figure casts a shadow on the green background, creating a real sense of his presence, and attention is paid to the individual features of his face.
Oil on oak
Jan Brueghel the Elder
(1568-1625)
Bouquet in a Clay Vase, about 1609
Jan Brueghel the Elder is seen as the founding father of the genre of flower still lifes, in which flowers are not merely decorative or allegorical accessories but the sole focus of the painting. This major example of Brueghel's pioneering still lives shows an impressive bouquet from a high viewpoint to make sure that all the carefully rendered flowers and insects are clearly visible.
Oil on wood
Antonello da Messina
(active 1456; died 1479)
Portrait of a Man, about 1475-76
A young man wearing a red hat stares out at the viewer in three-quarter profile. This format was traditionally favoured by Netherlandish artists. Italian painters had instead tended to depict sitters in strict profile. Further affinities with Netherlandish art can be seen in the style and technique of the panel.
It is in excellent condition but has been cut at the lower edge.
It is in excellent condition but has been cut at the lower edge.
Oil on poplar
Titian
(active about 1506; died 1576)
The Tribute Money, about 1560-68
(perhaps begun in the 1540s)
Christ was asked by the Pharisees if they should pay tax to the Romans. He asked whose name appeared on the coin, and they replied Caesar's. Christ responded:
'Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's' (Matthew 22:17-22). This painting was sent to Philip II of Spain in 1568.
Oil on canvas
Leonardo da Vinci
(1452-1519)
The Virgin of the Rocks,
about 1491-1508 - second version
The Virgin holds out her hand above the Christ Child. Supported by an angel, Christ blesses his cousin, the infant Saint John the Baptist, who can be identified by his cross and scroll. The rocky setting may refer to the world at the dawn of time, or to the desert in which Christ lived after his flight into Egypt, or both.
In 1483, Leonardo and two Milanese painters were asked to gild and paint an altarpiece for the chapel of the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception in San Francesco, Milan, and to provide its main panel. Financial disputes with the confraternity caused Leonardo's first version of the composition (now in the Louvre, Paris) to be sold elsewhere and significantly delayed completion of this second version.
Still unfinished in places, it was finally installed and paid for in 1508.
Oil on wood
Paolo Veronese
(1528-1588)
The Adoration of the Kings, 1573
A shaft of light illuminates the Christ Child, before whom the Three Kings kneel in adoration. The stable is built on Roman ruins, symbolising the triumph of Christianity over the pagan order. Caspar, in orange and blue, is unusually prominent. The painting was made for a wall flanking the altar of a confraternity dedicated to Saint Joseph in the Church of San Silvestro in Venice.
Oil on canvas
Canaletto
(1697-1768)
Venice: Entrance to the Cannaregio,
probably 1734-42
Gondolas and fishing boats glide across the water near the entrance to the Cannareqio Canal, Venice's second largest waterway. On the left, we glimpse the church of San Geremia with its 13th-century bell tower and walled garden. Beyond the bridge is the ghetto, where the Jewish population of Venice were forced to live.
Oil on canvas
Canaletto
(1697-1768)
Venice: Campo S. Vidal and
Santa Maria della Carità
(TheStonemason's Yard'),
about 1728
This intimate view of Venice shows the Campo S. Vidal filled with large pieces of masonry and a workman's hut.
The stone was probably intended for the façade of the church of S. Vidal (not shown). The campo still exists but the bell-tovwer seen across the canal collapsed in 1744.
The stone was probably intended for the façade of the church of S. Vidal (not shown). The campo still exists but the bell-tovwer seen across the canal collapsed in 1744.
This is one of Canaletto's most celebrated works.
Oil on canvas
Canaletto
(1697-1768)
London: Interior of the Rotunda
at Ranelagh, 1754
A crowd of elegantly dressed figures wander about, conversing and listening to an orchestra in the rotunda. This edifice was opened in the Ranelagh Gardens in Chelsea in 1741 and, until its closure in 1803, was used for public entertainments, including orchestral performances and organ recitals.
Oil on canvas
Canaletto
(1697-1768)
Venice: The Grand Canal with S.
Simeone Piccolo, about 1740
The domed building on the left is the church of San Simeone Piccolo; further up is Santa Croce. The canal recedes to vanishing point off-centre, giving the painting its striking perspective. Beneath an expansive sky, Venice's architectural sights are picked out in precise detail. Such scenes of the city's everyday activity were very popular with English tourists.
Oil on canvas
Artemisia Gentileschi
(1593-1654 or later)
Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of
Alexandria, about 1615-17
The artist paints herself in the guise of Catherine of Alexandria, the 4th-century saint who survived being tied to a wheel studded with iron spikes. Her left hand rests on the instrument of her torture and the palm frond she holds signifies martyrdom. Painted in Florence, where Artemisia lived between 1613 and 1620, Saint Catherine's face is based on the artist's own features. At a time when she was gaining professional independence and considerable success, this may have been an act of conscious self-promotion.
The work recalls the style of her father Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639), under whom she trained in Rome. The tight crop and dramatic lighting owe much to Caravaggio (1571-1610).
Oil on canvas
