Some of Domenico Tiepolo’s drawings series dealt with specifically identifiable subjects, including the baptism of Jesus Christ. Though the story of John baptizing Jesus appears in three of the New Testament gospels, the details of the accounts are scant, leaving artists great latitude in depicting this event. Domenico responded...
Shepherds have arrived in the stable in Bethlehem to see the newborn savior king, Jesus. Yet, Annibale has placed a massive wooden post in the foreground to emphasize the division between their earthly space and the miraculous space occupied by the radiant baby, his haloed parents and two angels. Though...
In the biblical story of the Massacre of the Innocents, King Herod orders the killing of all boys two and younger in Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace. Three magi (wise men) from the East had arrived in Jerusalem seeking the newborn king of the Jews, whose star they had seen. Taking this...
Mary, the mother of Jesus, insists you look her in the eye. She has long inspired intense devotion. Christians believed that a relationship with her would bring them closer to her son, and worshippers identified with her role as a mother. Segna portrays them both as very human and approachable—...
"Noli Me Tangere", originating from a predella created in medieval Italy, reflects the transition from Byzantine to early Romanesque artistic styles, characterized by stylized forms and spiritual symbolism over naturalistic representation. This scene, showing the resurrected Christ’s appearance to Mary Magdalene, was part of a narrative ensemble...
Created by Pietro Perugino during the height of the Italian Renaissance, "The Baptism of Christ" (1500–1505) reflects the period’s fascination with harmonious composition, balanced figures, and luminous color. Perugino, renowned as one of the leading artists of his generation and Raphael's teacher, masterfully incorporates...
The work features the crucifixion scene with Mary, John, and a clerical figure. It is part of the European Art collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, where it has been since 1979. The painting has changed hands several times, most notably when it was sold in Paris in 1954...
These four panels, together with another one depicting the Resurrection (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), once constituted a predella—a series of small pictures, often narrative scenes, forming the base of an altarpiece. These predella scenes depict moments when Jesus’s divine nature was revealed: at his birth, at...
These four panels, together with another one depicting the Resurrection (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), once constituted a predella—a series of small pictures, often narrative scenes, forming the base of an altarpiece. These predella scenes depict moments when Jesus’s divine nature was revealed: at his birth, at...
This series of panels illustrates scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold Jesus’s arrival as the Christian savior. The Art Institute’s collection includes six panels that were originally part of a group of 12 that possibly formed the doors of a reliquary...
This series of panels illustrates scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold Jesus’s arrival as the Christian savior. The Art Institute’s collection includes six panels that were originally part of a group of 12 that possibly formed the doors of a reliquary...
This series of panels illustrates scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold Jesus’s arrival as the Christian savior. The Art Institute’s collection includes six panels that were originally part of a group of 12 that possibly formed the doors of a reliquary...
This series of panels illustrates scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold Jesus’s arrival as the Christian savior. The Art Institute’s collection includes six panels that were originally part of a group of 12 that possibly formed the doors of a reliquary...
In this humanizing yet idealized depiction of the Virgin Mary embracing the baby Jesus, Sandro Botticelli conveyed the sacred beauty of maternal love. Mary, her expression soft and her skin luminous, nuzzles her son’s chubby cheek as he grasps the nape of her neck. An angel, smaller in scale,...
Below this resplendent vision of the Trinity—God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (shown as a white dove)—are souls in purgatory represented as anguished, naked figures in partial darkness. The light shining down on some of them and the Father’s compassionate gesture portend their eventual redemption. Corrado...
"Jesus Among the Doctors" (1560) by Paolo Veronese is a significant painting that depicts a scene from the Gospel of Luke.
According to sothebys.com, “God’s Creatures is a compelling portrait of a Catholic nun leaning out from her window, her hands clasped beneath her chin as she gazes wistfully at the flock of birds gliding about the tower. Von Blaas openly embraced the subject of religion throughout his career....
"Semper vivit amor" is Latin for "Love lives forever" and is the title of a 19th-century painting by Eugen von Blaas (also known as Eugene de Blaas) depicting a widow and children visiting a grave on All Souls Day, symbolizing enduring love beyond death. Free DownloadPublic...
This is one of six paintings illustrating scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, a prophet considered a forerunner of Jesus. They were originally part of a group of 12 that possibly formed the doors of a reliquary shrine to the saint.
This painting of the Madonna and Child displays the meticulous finish, rich colors, and intensely sweet piety characteristic of the Florentine Baroque artist Carlo Dolci.
Paolo Veronese was an Italian Renaissance painter, based in Venice, known for large-format history paintings of religion and mythology, such as The Wedding at Cana (1563) and The Feast in the House of Levi (1573).
This small altarpiece of the Virgin Mary and child Jesus flanked by saints, is designed for a household or private chapel. It is a triptych with three panels, making it easy to fold and transport.
This circular work of art, known as a tondo, shows the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph with the child Jesus, and Saint Elizabeth holding John the Baptist on the right.
John the Baptist collects water from a natural stream in this earth-toned painting by Italian Baroque painter Guercino.
