Simone Martini’s Orsini Polyptych I
March 22nd 2025
“Angel Gabriel” and “The Virgin Annunciate” from the Orsini Polytypch, 1326-24, Simone Martini, Collection KMSKA, Flemish Community. Four panels of poplar wood, each about the size of an A4 page, all painted on both sides and hinged together so that
St Joseph and the Child Jesus by Juan Martínez Montañés
March 15th 2025
“Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus”, 1610 -20, Juan Martínez Montañés, Real parroquia de Santa María Magdalena, Sevilla. This St Joseph is young, good looking. At 5ft 7, the he sculpture is almost life size. His hair and his
THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST IN THE BOOK OF KELLS
March 8th 2025
“The Temptation of Jesus”, Book of Kells. folio 202v, late Eight Century Trinity College Dublin. Satisfactory images of Christ’s temptations are very few. How do you convincingly depict the devil? This illustration of Christ and the devil attempts to
ANDY WARHOL’S SOUP CANS
March 1st 2025
“32 Campbell’s Soup Cans” (detail) 1962, Andy Warhol, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York. What you see here is actually 32 hand painted and framed images of cans of Campbell’s soup. At the time the company sold 32
THE FOUR EVANGELISTS’ PAGE FROM THE BOOK OF KELLS
February 21st 2025
The Evangelists’ Symbols page from The Book of Kells, f.27v. early 9th Century. The Book of Kells and similar books contain the texts of the four Gospels. Each Gospel is richly embellished with beautiful and intricate decoration and is prefaced
Veronese’s Christ among the doctors in the Temple
February 16th 2025
“Christ among the Doctors in the Temple”, Paolo Veronese c.1560, Prado, Madrid. The 12 year old Jesus is shown teaching in Temple as told in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 2:41-52). Veronese clothes the doctors in beautiful and brightly
BASSANO’S MIRACULOUS HAUL OF FISH
February 8th 2025
“The Miraculous Draught of fishes”, Jacopo Bassano, 1545, National Gallery of Art, Washington. In 1545, Pietro Pizzamano, who was governor of the Italian town of Bassano del Grappa, about 65km from Venice, commissioned this work. What he got
CHAGALL’S WHITE CRUCIFIXION
January 24th 2025
“The White Crucifixion”, Marc Chagall, 1938, Art Institute of Chicago. The Jewish artist, Marc Chagall, shows the crucified Jesus as a Jewish martyr. His head is covered as if he were in prayer and around his waist is a
GIOTTO’S WEDDING AT CANA
January 17th 2025
“The Wedding at Cana”, Giotto di Bondone, c.1305, Capella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padova. Artists often show a large wedding banquet with Jesus and his mother as just two guests among many but in this painting by Giotto, the focus is
Piero’s Baptism of Christ
January 11th 2025
Piero della Francesca painted this baptism for the altar of a church in his native Borgo San Sepolcro. The town’s name – holy sepulchre – came from a legend that two pilgrims to Jerusalem had returned there in the 9th
