The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception maintains that the Virgin Mary was conceived free from sin, therefore ready to be the pure vessel for Christ’s birth. The Immaculate Conception enjoyed intense devotion in Spain during the 1600s, although it was only accepted as official doctrine in 1854. Th
These figures of the Virgin and Saint John once formed part of a Crucifixion group that would have originally included a figure of Christ on the cross shown at center. Fortunately the original polychromy of the two figures has been preserved, affording the viewer a rare opportunity to appreciate a r
This tempera and gold panel shows six of Christ's apostles standing in a row, each identifiable by his traditional attributes. It was painted by an unidentified Spanish painter working in Ona and is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This tempera and gold panel depicts the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, executed at the order of Herod as recounted in the Gospels. It was painted between 1430 and 1469 by an unidentified Catalan painter and is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A graceful Saint Michael is poised to deal a fatal blow to his monstrous opponent. Originally part of a larger ensemble, this painting was made in Italy by an artist inspired by the richness and refinement of Valencian art. The painter may have been associated with Gherardo Starnina (ca. 1360-1413),
This tempera-on-panel painting depicts the twelve-year-old Jesus found teaching among the doctors in the Temple, an episode from the Gospel of Luke and one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. It forms part of the main altarpiece of the Church of San Salvador in Ejea de los Caballeros, Spain, pain
This painting shows Mary turning toward the angel Gabriel, who kneels before her holding a branch of lilies, as she kneels before a table with an open book. Above, the dove of the Holy Spirit descends amid little angels on clouds. It is by the Spanish Baroque painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo.
This devotional panel, painted in oil on poplar around 1506 by the Spanish painter Fernando Yanez de la Almedina, presents a close study of the face of Christ. Yanez trained in Italy, likely in Leonardo da Vinci's circle, before returning to work in Spain.
This panel by the Spanish painter Domingo Ram shows the angel Gabriel appearing to the priest Zacharias to announce the birth of his son, John the Baptist. It comes from a retable depicting Saint John the Baptist and scenes from his life, painted in tempera on wood with a gold ground.
This volume is one of three containing the complete Spanish translation from the Latin of Saint Augustine’s City of God (De Civitate Dei), written in the early fifth century, after the sack of Rome by the Visigoths. Augustine, bishop of Hippo in North Africa, developed the concept of the Church as a
The Catalan sculptor, architect, and painter Guillem Seguer was active in the diocese of Lleida and elsewhere in the mid-1300s. This limestone statue with polychromy and gilding measures 132.7 x 41.6 x 32.1 cm (52 1/4 x 16 3/8 x 12 5/8 in.).
The seemingly weightless figures, the startling color combinations, and the moody, imprecise setting all show El Greco’s interest in conveying the intense spirituality of these figures rather than their concrete reality.
Oil on canvas painting by Jusepe de Ribera of the boy Jesus among the teachers in the Temple, dated 1612-1613.
This painting depicts a young Saint John the Baptist living as a hermit in the wilderness. His cross of reeds, pointing gesture, and the nearby lamb refer to his role as a prophet foretelling the coming of Christ, the so-called “lamb of God,” in the New Testament.
The figure of the Infant Saint John the Baptist was carved as a companion figure for the Infant Jesus Christ (on the opposite pedestal). source: artsmis.org Free DownloadThis image is in the public domain.download.jpg423 KBdownload-circle Please SUBSCRIBE or DONATE to help keep this site free!...
Tradition holds that Saint Mary Magdalene, a close follower of Jesus Christ, retreated to a cave in penitence during the final years of her life. Here, she clutches her purple robes and looks up at the bright divine light that falls upon her. Two attributes, or identifying symbols, of the...
With legs crossed and chin cupped in hand, Luis de Morales’s Jesus is both regal and melancholic. He sits among the instruments of his torture and death: the column to which he was tied during the Flagellation and the cross that he carried and to which he was nailed....
Christ’s expulsion of the money changers who were desecrating the temple in Jerusalem was a popular theme in Italy in this period. To Catholics, the image symbolized the purification of the Church through internal reform and the expulsion of Protestant heretics. El Greco depicts a chaotic swirl of figures...
Bernat Martorell was the greatest painter of the first half of the fifteenth century in Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Depicted here is the most frequently represented episode from the popular legend of Saint George in which the model Christian knight saves a town and rescues a beautiful princess.
This Baroque sketch likely served as a preparatory study for a larger work, depicting Saint Teresa of Ávila's ascent into heaven with dynamic movement and celestial light typical of Counter-Reformation religious ecstasy.
The painting is a formal and dignified portrait of Pope Benedict XV. It captures his authority and status while also conveying a sense of his humanity. The artist's skill in rendering the textures and details of the clothing and chair adds to the overall richness of the image.
This painting, by Francisco Antolínez, was painted between 1645 and 1700 and depicts the story from the Bible in which Jesus is found in the Temple after three days of searching. Antolínez was a historical and landscape painter. He was born in Seville, and was a nephew of José Antolínez.
Francisco Bayeu y Subías was a prominent Spanish painter, who had a significant influence on 18th-century Spanish art. His association with the Royal Collection suggests that his work was held in high regard, potentially commissioned or acquired by Spanish royalty. "San Francisco de Sales" being an oil...
The pendentives of the dome of the collegiate church of La Granja in Segovia, Spain were adorned with sketches by Francisco Bayeu. He took over the project initiated by Giambattista Tiepolo, who passed away in 1770. Bayeu's contributions brought harmony, solidity, and clarity to the compositions, reflecting the...
