Free downloadable Catholic paintings which are in the public domain
This small picture illustrates the biblical passage in which a woman accused of adultery-an offense punishable by death in Mosaic law-is brought before Christ. He responds to her accusers with the words written across the top of the painting: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a s
An artist of incomparable fantasy and expressive power, Tura was court painter to the dukes of Ferrara. This scene depicts a weary Holy Family fleeing to Egypt after receiving a warning that King Herod was seeking to kill the infant Jesus. This roundel belongs to a series of three showing the early
In the top scene, Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (270-343)-the original "Saint Nick"-is shown throwing three balls of gold through a window, providing the dowry of three poverty-stricken maidens. In the other panel he resuscitates three youths who had been pickled by an innkeeper during a famine. Th
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 close-up portrait shows Christ crowned with thorns, gazing upward as he bears his cross, one of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It was painted in 1513 by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Solario and is held in the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France.
This panel shows the Resurrection of Christ, who stands triumphant above his tomb bearing a banner of victory while the soldiers guarding it sleep on, one of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. It is part of the inner right wing of the Wurzach Altarpiece, painted in 1437 by the German sculptor and
This close-up composition shows Christ bearing the cross on the road to Calvary, one of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Painted in oil on canvas around 1565 by the Venetian master Titian, it measures 67 by 77 cm and is held in the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
This painting shows Christ mocked and crowned with thorns by his tormentors, one of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It was painted around 1618-1620 by the young Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck, then chief studio assistant to Peter Paul Rubens, and shows Rubens' influence in its sombre palette
This painting shows Roman soldiers pressing a crown of thorns onto the head of Christ during his Passion, one of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Dated to around 1604-1605, it is now held in the Cassa di Risparmi e Depositi of the Palazzo degli Alberti in Prato, Tuscany; its attribution to Car
This panel shows the Resurrection of Christ, who steps from the tomb bearing a cross-staff with a banner and gives a blessing with his right hand, while the soldiers guarding the tomb startle awake or continue sleeping. In the background are further scenes, from left to right: Christ in Limbo, the A
This small devotional panel shows Christ bearing his cross on the road to Calvary, accompanied by a kneeling Dominican friar in prayer, one of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It is a tempera-on-panel painting attributed to the circle of the Sienese painter Simone Martini, dated around 1350, n
This tempera-on-poplar panel depicts the Resurrection of Christ, shown emerging from the tomb bearing the banner of victory over death, one of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. It is the work of the Florentine painter Giovanni Dal Ponte (Giovanni di Marco, 1385-1437/38), painted in the 15th cent
This painting, also known as Lo Spasimo di Sicilia, shows Christ stumbling beneath the weight of the cross on the road to Calvary as Simon of Cyrene and the holy women look on, one of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It was painted around 1516 by the Italian Renaissance master Raphael and is n
This panoramic panel shows Christ carrying his cross to Calvary amid a vast crowd of onlookers, an episode from the Passion of Christ and one of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It was painted in 1564 by the Flemish master Pieter Bruegel the Elder and is now held in the Kunsthistorisches Museu
This fresco depicts the risen Christ appearing above his empty tomb as the women who came to anoint his body find it empty, an episode from the Gospel of Mark and one of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. It decorates Cell 8 of the Convent of San Marco in Florence, painted by the Italian Early Re
This painting depicts the Ascension of Christ, when the risen Jesus departed from earth into heaven before his gathered apostles, an episode described in the Acts of the Apostles and one of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. It is the work of the Italian Renaissance painter Benvenuto Tisi, known
This watercolor depicts Christ rising from the tomb as the soldiers guarding it lie asleep, an episode from the Gospels and one of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. It is part of French painter James Tissot's celebrated Life of Christ series, painted between 1886 and 1894 and now held by the Bro
This panel depicts the Ascension of Christ, the moment described in the Acts of the Apostles when the risen Christ departed from earth into heaven forty days after his Resurrection, watched by his apostles. It is a work of the Flemish painter Adriaen van Overbeke, active in Antwerp in the early sixt
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 depicts the twelve-year-old Jesus found teaching among the doctors in the Temple at Jerusalem, an episode from the Gospel of Luke and one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. It hangs in the Unionskirche in Idstein, Germany, and is attributed to the German draftsman and printmaker Jo
This painting shows the Virgin Mary, half-length, standing behind a balustrade with the Christ Child seated beside her on a raised step. It is by Garofalo, a leading painter of the School of Ferrara active in the early 16th century.
This tender painting shows the Virgin Mary tenderly embracing the Christ Child, who stands blessing with his right hand on her lap. It is attributed to the Venetian Renaissance master Giovanni Bellini, painted between 1470 and 1480.
This panel shows Christ stepping from the tomb holding a banner of victory and raising his right hand in blessing, while soldiers startle awake or sleep on around him. It is attributed to the circle of the Master of the Amsterdam Death of the Virgin, active around 1485-1500.
