Free downloadable public domain Catholic paintings on the topic of the Bible.
About the Image: By mid-eighteenth century Pompeo Batoni prevailed as the leading portraitist in Rome catering to an elite clientele of wealthy tourists from the British Isles. Decades earlier, he had launched his career painting historical and biblical subjects, and he continued to depict such subjects in a dignified, classicizing...
About the Image: The Return of the Prodigal Son is a story from the Bible, appearing in the Gospel of St. Luke[3]. It tells the story of a son who asks his father for his inheritance and leaves the parental home, only to fritter away all his wealth. He...
About the Image: "The Return of the Prodigal Son" is a renowned oil painting by Rembrandt that depicts the moment of the prodigal son's return to his father in the Biblical parable. The painting is part of the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg...
About the Image: Murillo's great talent for dramatic painting is apparent in this monumental depiction of the familiar parable of the prodigal son, an allegory of repentance and divine forgiveness. With players and props effectively placed to underscore the drama, it is reminiscent of a well-staged theater piece....
About the Image: The Return of the Prodigal Son is a story from the Bible, that appears in the Gospel of St. Luke[3]. It tells the story of a son who asks his father for his inheritance and leaves the parental home, only to fritter away all his wealth....
About the Image: Christ appears to his followers at the cenacle, the upper room where they had shared the Last Supper. Exposing his glowing wounds, Jesus reveals himself to them—to their delight and wonder—while the servants who tend the disciples peer through the curtains in astonishment. About the...
About the Image: In the Bible, there is a story about Jesus as a child, where he is seen debating with the doctors (Luke 2:41-51). This image depicts that scene, using perspective to create a visually stunning piece of art. The temple's four pillars are prominently displayed...
About the Image: In this parable, a young man leaves the comfort of family, wanders foreign lands, and resorts to begging after wasting a fortune through debauchery. Returning, he receives the embrace of his father, who warmly welcomes him home despite his mistakes, prompting the young man to repent the...
About the Image: "Jesus disputing with the doctors" refers to an event from Christ's childhood, which is described in the Bible (Luke 2:41-51). In this captivating image of that event, we see a teenage Jesus Christ engaging in a deep conversation with Jewish Bible scholars...
About the Image: The story of Jesus calming the storm is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Here is a summary of the story from Mark 4:35-41 and Matthew 8:23-27: * Jesus and his disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a...
About the Artist: Knut Magnus Enckell was a Finnish symbolist painter. At first he painted with a subdued palette, but from 1902 onwards used increasingly bright colors. He was a leading member of the Septem group of colorist painters. In Finland, Enckell is considered to have been a very influential...
Details: According to the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist began his ministry in the desert, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins4,5. He lived much of his life in the obscurity of the Judean desert before the word of God came to him, initiating his...
Details: The illuminator is unknown, but his style seems to conform to that known as "Antwerp Mannerism." It emerged among a group of Antwerp painters during the first half of the 1500s. Bolstered by its rich trade and cultural contacts, the port city of Antwerp attracted hundreds of...
Details: This small, gold-ground panel—most likely a fragment of a larger altarpiece—layers several episodes from Christ's Crucifixion at Golgotha (in Hebrew, "the place of the skull"). These are rendered in poignant detail and include the soldier piercing Christ's side with a lance,...
Details: DID YOU KNOW? All books of hours contain the same basic sections, the order of which can shift, and individual prayers can vary, sometimes significantly, from region to region. DESCRIPTION One section of a Book of Hours is the Prayers to the Virgin. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this...
Details: This image depicts a scene from the Bible story of David and Bathsheba. In the image, David is lying in bed, with Bathsheba standing over him, looking down at him with a sad expression. The image is in black and white, with a detailed and realistic style. The overall...
Details: An impressive eight-line initial represents a kneeling David praying before an altar amid stylized topiaries and set against a burnished gold ground. The text introduces Psalm 101: Domine exaudi orationem meam (Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my crying come unto thee). Facial types for the figures are...
Details: The Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph consecrated the baby Christ to God in the Temple of Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, in accordance with Jewish laws concerning purity and firstborn sons. Joseph brings a sacrifice of doves, the priest Simeon receives Christ on an altar, and the prophetess...
Details: The arrest of Jesus was a pivotal event in Christianity recorded in the canonical gospels. Jesus, a preacher whom Christians believe to be the Son of God, was arrested by the Temple guards of the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane. It occurred shortly after the Last Supper (during...
Details: Tanner painted The Annunciation soon after returning to Paris from a trip to Egypt and Palestine in 1897. The son of a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Tanner specialized in religious subjects, and wanted to experience the people, culture, architecture, and light of the Holy Land. Influenced...
The dead Christ hangs from the Cross, haloed and crowned with thorns. Blood issues from the wounds in his hands, feet, and side, where Roman soldiers pierced him with a lance. To either side stand his mother, the Virgin Mary, and his favorite disciple, John the Evangelist, to whom he...
In this large devotional panel, the condemned Christ stumbles as he drags the Cross through the city of Jerusalem to the site of his Crucifixion. His mother and disciples—passing through the city gate at left—watch sadly and console one another. Christ and his followers are taunted by crowds...
Details: Jonah is one of Ryder's most densely painted canvases. He reworked this image so many times that the paint layers are still soft to the touch after more than a century. Ryder chose a Biblical tale of damnation, terror, and salvation that suited his poetic temperament and...
Details: The crucified Christ is both the most popular and powerful image in the Catholic Church. It sits upon every altar where the Mass is said[1] because the Catholic Church requires that a crucifix be visible during the celebration of Mass. This reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus...
