1471 Fresco Parish Church of Sant'Andrea, Cercina St Jerome, wearing a torn penitential robe, is looking across at St Barbara. His wiry, semi-naked body seems to have been ravaged by the hardships of his hermit life. In his right hand he is holding a stone with which to beat himself. His stance is reminiscent of classical contrapposto, his right foot protruding out of the space of the niche across the painted cornice. Artist: GHIRLANDAIO, Domenico Painting Title: St Jerome , 1451-1500 Painting Style: Italian , , religious
The Conversion of St Paul - Oil on canvas
Painting ID:: 63016
177,5 x 128,5 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Artist: PARMIGIANINO Painting Title: The Conversion of St Paul , 1501-1550 Painting Style: Italian , , religious
The Death of St Stanislas Kostka
Painting ID:: 63044
1705 Marble Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, Rome Le Gros' artistic makeup was such a successful synthesis of Italian and French elements that he never lacked work; his commissions, however, frequently embodied retardataire taste, none more so than the extraordinary multicolored St Stanislaus Kostka on his Deathbed. Here Le Gros'work looks back to the tradition of ecstatic or dying saints created by Bernini and Caffa, but instead of a white marble figure set off by coloured marbles, colour forms an integral part of Le Gros' work: black touchstone for the Jesuit habit, Sicilian jasper and yellow marble for the bedding, and gilt bronze for the fringe. The saints hands, feet and head are carved from white Carrara marble, with the hair left rough and unpolished and the nails and eyes delicately incised. The work's purpose was to shock visitors entering the room where the young man once lived, by conveying the impression of someone actually dying, and the Jesuits resisted Le Gros' attempts to have the sculpture moved from their novitiate to the church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, largely because of its effectiveness in its intended setting. Artist: LE GROS, Pierre Painting Title: The Death of St Stanislas Kostka , 1651-1700 Painting Style: French , , religious
David with the Head of Goliath
Painting ID:: 63052
1620 Oil on canvas, 153 x 125,1 cm Royal Collection, Windsor Feti was a peripatetic artist. Having been trained in Rome by the Florentine painter, Lodovico Cigoli, he worked at the court of Mantua from around 1613 and towards the end of his life spent some time in Venice. His principal patron was Duke Ferdinando Gonzaga at Mantua and it was with the purchase of the Gonzaga collection in 1625-27 that Charles I acquired a number of works by Feti. The artist was influenced by Venetian painters, as well as by Elsheimer and Rubens. His portraits and a series of small-scale pictures illustrating parables, probably commissioned by Ferdinando Gonzaga, are perhaps his best works. The artists technique is distinctive, with rapid brushstrokes of pure colour applied as highlights over broader areas of paint on canvases primed with dark tones. Similarly, the poses of his figures and the choice of viewpoints are often unusual. David with the Head of Goliath almost certainly formed part of the Gonzaga collection. A version of some quality is in Dresden (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen) and others are recorded. A date around 1620 has been suggested, that is, before the artist moved to Venice in 1622. The pose is somewhat reminiscent of the Ignudi by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, and it is possible that the painting was meant to be hung as an overdoor. The present work depicts the story of David and Goliath as recounted in the first Book of Samuel, 17:48-51. The shepherd boy, David, defeats Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, in single combat using a sling with a stone. Afterwards David cuts off Goliath's head using the giants own sword. The body of Goliath is visible on the left in the middle distance. Feti cleverly contrasts the large scale of the decapitated head and sword with David's smaller body. Artist: FETI, Domenico Painting Title: David with the Head of Goliath , 1601-1650 Painting Style: Italian , , religious
1550-55 Oil on wood, 120 x 92 cm Galleria Borghese, Rome Appearing to be full-size, this painting demonstrates the skill of the Mannerist painter in fitting a brilliant body-study into a small pictorial space. Artistically, all interest is on the nude, with the nakedness concealed more by the way the figure holds his body than the way he plays with the drapery and the hide mantle. The only symbol in the picture is the Jacob's staff, in the dark. This is cleverly foreshortened, and thus not the real message of the painting.Artist:BRONZINO, Agnolo Title: St John the Baptist Painted in 1501-1550 , Italian - - painting : religious
1598 Oil on canvas Galleria Borghese, Rome In this painting, recent restoration has revealed a lion, sleeping like a large cat in the background; it had been hidden under thick layers of paint that had darkened with age.Artist:BAROCCI, Federico Fiori Title: St Jerome Painted in 1551-1600 , Italian - - painting : religious
1633-37 Oil on canvas, 207,3 x 427,5 cm (whole painting) Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The exact title of the painting, the rightt side of it being illustrated here, is Officers of the Company of the Amsterdam Crossbow Civic Guard under Captain Reynier Reael and Lieutenant Cornelis Michielsz Blaeuw. It was commissioned from Frans Hals in 1633, but in 1636, when he had not yet finished it, was given to Pieter Codde for completition. It is dated at the right edge near the centre: A?1637.Artist:HALS, Frans Title: The Meagre Company (detail) Painted in 1601-1650 , Dutch - - painting : portrait
