Free downloadable public domain Catholic paintings on the topic of the Bible.
Details: This painted enamel plaque, based on a print by Albrecht Dürer, shows the Resurrection of Christ, two days after his death on the Cross. Christ stands triumphantly, right arm outstretched, on the displaced lid of the sarcophagus from which he has just emerged. The two soldiers in the foreground...
Details: This panel was painted for a multipaneled altarpiece believed to be from Szászrégen in Transylvania, in present-day Romania. The piece was painted by the same artist who created the nearby paintings Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, Seven Fat and Seven Lean Cows, and Two Men and Stocks. Each of the...
Details: King David playing the harp is a common representation in medieval art[2]. This iconography is often used to symbolize joy and redemption[5], as well as to express prayer and love to God[5]. It also reflects David's role as the composer/performer of the Psalms[2]. In...
Details: King David playing the harp is a common representation in medieval art[2]. This iconography is often used to symbolize joy and redemption[5], as well as to express prayer and love to God[5]. It also reflects David's role as the composer/performer of the Psalms[2]. In...
Details: This manuscript leaf comes from a Book of Hours illuminated by the French court painter Jean Bourdichon. It depicts the Presentation of Christ in the Temple of Jerusalem, an event celebrated in the liturgical calendar as Candlemas. Forty days after Jesus's birth, the Virgin Mary kneels before an altar...
Details: El Greco's son, Jorge Manuel, who was known to work in the style of his father, probably painted this canvas. A reduced version of El Greco's original painting for the Cathedral of Toledo, it shows the dramatic moment before the Crucifixion when Christ's executioners strip him of his red...
Details: The Adam and Eve story is found in the Bible's Book of Genesis[1]. God created Adam and then Eve, placing them in the Garden of Eden to care for it[1]. The Devil tempted Eve with the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, which she ate[2]...
Details: This late medieval manuscript miniature shows the dead Christ hanging from the Cross, suspended by three enormous nails that pierce his hands and feet. The skull of Adam, whose sin Christ redeemed, lies broken below the Cross; above is a banner with the letters INRI (the Latin initialism for...
Details: The Deccani School of Painting is an Indian miniature painting style that originated in the Deccan region of Central India during the late 16th century[1]. It was nourished and thrived under several Sultans of the Deccan[2] and had a certain amount of influence from Mughal schools of...
Details: On his way to Galilee, Jesus rests on a well outside the Samaritan city of Sychar, seen in the background. He asks for a drink from the woman on the right, who is surprised by this request, as Samaritans and Jews did not associate. When Christ is able to...
Details: The biblical King David strums his harp, performing the music of heaven in concert with five angels. Ornate fictive architecture frames this celestial tableau. Despite its small size, Rubens's painting displays a striking monumentality: this is due to its status as a modello (preparatory study) for a tapestry in...
Details: The painting "Christ in the Desert Served by Angels" (1581-1642) by Frans Francken II does not exist. While there are several paintings by Frans Francken II that depict Christ in the desert, none of them feature angels serving him. The closest painting to this description is "The Virgin and...
Details: According to the Bible, David played the harp for King Saul when an "evil spirit from the Lord" was upon him[1][2][3][4][5]. The music was thought to have a therapeutic effect and would help Saul relax and feel better, causing the evil spirit to depart...
Details: Dewing’s painting responds to a biblical story from the book of Tobit. After the elderly Tobit was blinded by sparrow dung, his son, Tobias—accompanied by a dog and the angel Raphael, disguised as a young man—traveled to Media to collect a debt for his father’s...
Details: Based on a passage from the New Testament book of Matthew, this work depicts Saint John the Baptist performing Christ's baptism in the river Jordan, during which the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. The powerful modeling of the bodies and luminous...
Details: Charles Sprague Pearce based this work on a passage from the biblical Book of Exodus describing the tenth plague of Egypt, in which God declared his intention to kill every first-born Egyptian child unless Pharaoh freed the Israelites.He instructed Moses to tell the Jews to mark their doors,...
Details: Sainte Madeleine au sépulcre (1842) is a painting by French history and portrait painter Léon Cogniet (1794-1880)[1][2][3][4]. It is an oil on canvas painting[1], located in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Petit Palais[1]. The painting depicts Mary Magdalen at...
Details: Samson and the Philistines (1863) is a painting by Carl Bloch which was uploaded on November 28th, 2019[4]. The painting depicts the biblical story of Samson and the Philistines[1], and was created in 1863 in Academicism style[1]. It is considered to be one of Bloch's most...
Details: The Denial of Saint Peter (1610) is a painting by the Italian painter Caravaggio[2]. It depicts Peter denying Jesus after Jesus was arrested[2]. It is thought to be one of the last two works Caravaggio painted before his death in 1610[3][4], and is known for...
Details: Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico is a tondo, or circular painting, dating from the mid-15th century[3]. It is believed to have been a collaboration between Fra Angelico and his colleague Filippo Lippi[1], with contributions from a number of hands[3]. It has sometimes been called...
Details: In 1773 Nicolás Enríquez created this set of five paintings for the private devotional use of Juan Bautista Echeverría, a Spanish-born merchant. Echeverría’s choice of subject matter is highly personal, reflecting both his Basque roots and his extended residence in Mexico. Enríquez lavished special attention on this painting...
Details: Juan Rodríguez Juárez was a versatile artist who excelled as a painter of altarpieces as well as portraits and small devotional works such as the Entombment of Christ. This work displays the brilliant color and vigorous modeling characteristic of the earliest phase of his career. The composition derives from...
Details: Jacob is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 25[1]. His name, Yaʿaqōv, is derived from ʿaqev meaning 'heel', as he was born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau[2]. Jacob's life was characterized by deception and manipulation, likely due to his dysfunctional family life[3]...
Details: The Adoration of the Shepherds is a scene in which shepherds are near witnesses to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem[1]. It is often combined with the Adoration of the Magi in Christian art and is sometimes included in a Nativity scene as a peripheral feature[1]. The...
