Free downloadable Catholic paintings which are in the public domain
Jacopo Tintoretto ran a busy workshop in Venice, specializing in dramatic, complex religious paintings, which he produced at incredible speed. This crowded composition, with its daring foreshortening and elongated figures, is consistent with Tintoretto’s style. However, the overall quality of the execution suggests the work is by studio assistants...
This small tapestry depicts the infant Jesus pressing grapes into a chalice. The imagery was widely understood at the time of its creation to reference the physical sacrifice Jesus would later make in his crucifixion. In the Christian ritual of the Eucharist, followers drink holy wine to remember Jesus’s...
Mariotto was famous for painting crisp details and the kind of subtle color shifts seen in the angels’ feathered wings and draped robes. These small panels once crowned the upper corners of a large altarpiece made for a church on the outskirts of Florence, Italy (Santo Stefano in Pane). During...
Saint Ambrose, who lived in the fourth century, was an important Christian scholar and bishop. Here he is depicted among his books in a forceful pose emphasized by his massive hands. On the table’s edge, a scourge, or whip—the knotted rope attached to a wooden rod—symbolizes Ambrose’...
According to legend, Veronica pitied Jesus as he carried his cross to Calvary and offered him her kerchief, or sudarium, which miraculously retained the imprint of Jesus' face after he wiped his brow. The cloth presumed to have been Veronica's-her name means vera icon, or true image-is...
This angel carries symbols of the Passion—the events associated with Jesus Christ’s suffering and death. The pitcher, basin, and cloth represent those used by Pontius Pilate to wash his hands of responsibility for Christ’s crucifixion.The painting belongs to a series of twelve angels carrying symbols of...
This painting illustrates a scene from the Christian Bible. A young maidservant accuses the apostle Peter, in the yellow cloak, of knowing Jesus. Fearing for his own safety, Peter denies the acquaintance. While working in Italy, the Dutch artist Gerrit van Honthorst earned the nickname Gerard of the Night for...
This painting is an altarpiece, a devotional image used in a Christian church, and many of the details are religious symbols. The walled garden, for instance, refers to the garden in the Bible’s Song of Songs and is associated with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. The...
Triptychs (hinged three-paneled works) such as this were often placed on or behind the altars of medieval churches and private chapels. The central panel of this triptych shows people mourning the death of Jesus. The city in the background is Bruges, where the artist worked. Saint John the Baptist and...
Lucas Cranach the Elder worked in a time of religious upheaval. Martin Luther (a close associate of Cranach) led the Protestant Reformation challenging the Catholic Church, arguing that man could have a direct relationship with God without the need for a priest to intermediate. Cranach adapted familiar Catholic imagery to...
This angel holds a tablet inscribed “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin was placed on the cross, above Jesus. The painting belongs to a series of twelve angels carrying symbols of Christ’s Passion—the events associated with Jesus Christ’s suffering and death--which...
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—...
Looser and less formal than the portraits that made him famous, this work was completed shortly before Van Dyck began a six-year stint in Italy. It follows the biblical description of Jesus Christ’s betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, brings a band of soldiers...
Small etched scenes depicting the suffering of Jesus and the life of Mary (Gospels). Jacques Callot: 17th-century French printmaker famed for technical mastery in detailed etchings. Free DownloadThis image is in the public domain.download.jpg526 KBdownload-circle Please SUBSCRIBE or DONATE to help keep this site free!...
An ornamental title page featuring religious monograms and foliage for a series on Christ and Mary. Abraham Bosse: 17th-century French artist and master etcher known for detailed depictions of daily life and religious subjects. Free DownloadThis image is in the public domain.download.jpg1 MBdownload-circle Please SUBSCRIBE or DONATE to...
Ovals and Rondels from the Mysteries of the Passion: – Series of small etchings depicting the suffering of Jesus and the life of Mary (Gospels). Jacques Callot: 17th-century French printmaker and draftsman, known for technical innovations in etching and depicting crowded, highly detailed scenes. Free DownloadThis image is in the public...
Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery: – Jesus saving a woman from accusers by challenging their sin (Gospels: John 8). Georg Pencz: 16th-century German artist, known for detailed Northern Renaissance engravings and religious paintings. Free DownloadThis image is in the public domain.download.jpg670 KBdownload-circle Please SUBSCRIBE or DONATE to...
Christ asks the Samaritan woman to give him water to drink. She is taken aback because Jews did not associate with Samaritans. He speaks to her of the water of life that cures all thirst and reveals himself as the Messiah. The maker of this metalcut used punches, gouges, and...
Jesus-Christ Donnant les Clefs a Saint Pierre: – Christ giving the keys of Heaven to Saint Peter, symbolizing his authority over the Church (Matthew 16). Robert de Seri: 18th‑century French etcher, known for reproductive prints after Renaissance masters like Raphael. Free Downloaddownload.jpg604 KBdownload-circle Please SUBSCRIBE or DONATE to help...
David, roi d’Israël: King David of Israel, biblical poet‑warrior and ancestor of Jesus (Old Testament: 1–2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1–2; Psalms). Nicolas Auguste Hesse: 19th‑century French painter known for religious, historical, and allegorical works and stained‑glass designs. Free DownloadThis image is in the public...
Sainte Elisabeth: Saint Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist and kinswoman of Mary (Gospel of Luke 1). Nicolas Auguste Hesse: 19th‑century French painter known for religious, historical, and allegorical works and stained‑glass designs. Free DownloadThis image is in the public domain307371rg.jpg363 KBdownload-circle...
Sainte Anne: Saint Anne, traditionally honored as the mother of the Virgin Mary (from the Protoevangelium of James). Auguste Hesse: 19th‑century French painter known for religious, historical, and allegorical works and stained‑glass designs. Free DownloadThis image is in the public domain307370rg.jpg412 KBdownload-circle...
Saint Joachim: Joachim, traditionally honored as the father of the Virgin Mary, shown as a holy elder (from later Christian tradition, not a specific Bible passage). Nicolas Auguste Hesse: 19th‑century French painter known for religious, historical, and allegorical works and stained‑glass designs. Free DownloadThis image is in the...
Subject: The way to Jerusalem – Crusaders marching toward Jerusalem, guided by an angel (likely during the Crusades, c. 1096–1291). Gustave Doré: 19th‑century French artist and master illustrator/engraver, famous for dramatic religious and literary scenes. Free DownloadThis image is in the public domain306096rg.jpg334 KBdownload-circle...
