The subject of Christ taking leave of his mother derives from devotional, not biblical sources. It relates to the moment when Christ leaves for Jerusalem & anticipates his coming death. The Virgin is shown prostrate with grief, attended by four holy women: Mary Cleophas, Mary Salome, Mary Jacobi & Mary Magdalene. The Virgin's companions also make an emotional appeal to Christ not to leave. Christ is accompanied by Saint Peter & Saint John the Evangelist. The minuscule family of donors at the bottom right have not been identified, although it is probable that they commissioned this picture. In this, as in other works by Altdorfer, the figures are elongated & their hands & feet enlarged. These distortions emphasise the language of gesture & stance, which Altdorfer uses so effectively. Much of the composition is taken up with landscape, particularly the tall fir trees which Altdorfer often depicted. On the left, through the arch, the sky is red, suggesting sunset &, perhaps, the death to come. ...

Jesus used Andrew & Peter's boat to preach to the crowds, & then led the fishermen to a miraculous catch of fish. New Testament (Luke 5: 1-10). After this he called on them to be fishers of men. The subject refers to the contemporary theological debat ...

Painted, probably in the 1560s, for the Chapel of the Sacrament in the Venetian Church of S. Trovaso (SS. Gervasio e Protasio) together with a ' Last Supper'. Before the Last Supper Christ washed his disciples' feet using a basin of water & wiping them 'with the towel wherewith he was girded', thus preparing them for priesthood. Peter protested, but Christ observed, ' If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me'. Peter then said, ' Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands & my head' (John 13: 1-9). Parts of the painting, the figure with a torch in the foreground to the left especially, are badly worn. ...

Christen Købke (1810-1848) was arguably the greatest painter of Denmark’s ‘ Golden Age’, the period of the nation’s supreme artistic achievement. He had the remarkable ability to invest the simplest corner of town or countryside with charm & delicacy, & endowed ordinary people & places, & simple motifs, with a universal significance; a world in microcosm. This beautiful designed & accessibly written book discusses Købke’s achievement & also highlights the most innovative aspects of his work, including his fascination with light & atmosphere, his exquisite originality & his experimental outlook. Christen Købke: Danish Master of Light accompanied the Christen Købke: Danish Master of Light exhibition at the National Gallery, London (17 March
- 13 June 2010) & the National Galleries of Scotl&, Edinburgh (5 July
- 3 October 2010). Author David Jackson With a contribution by Kasper Monrad David Jackson is Professor of Art History at the School of Fine Art, History of Art & Cultural Studies at Leeds University. Kasper Monrad is Chief Curator at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.

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Christina, younger daughter of Christian II of Denmark & Isabella of Austria, sister of Charles V, was born in 1522. In 1533 she married by proxy the Duke of Milan, who died in 1535. Holbein visited Brussels in 1538, & for three hours Christina sat fo ...

Create your own bespoke print of Théo van Rysselberghe’s Coastal Scene from our collection. About this painting Coastal Scene, about 1892 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 2000 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...

Create your own bespoke print of Flemish’s Cognoscenti in a Room hung with Pictures from our collection. About this painting Cognoscenti in a Room hung with Pictures, about 1620 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1889 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...

In Collected Writings on Velazquez a leading authority on the Spanish master Diego Velazquez discusses this enigmatic artist & explores the mysteries presented by his paintings. The essays collected here, written over the course of Jonathan Brown's distinguished career, include some which are published in English for the first time & one which has never before been published. Two themes unite them. The first concerns the changing relationship between Velazquez & his patron Philip IV, which provides a framework for Brown to interpret the painter's career. The centrepiece of this relationship is Velaquez's masterpiece, Las Meninas, & this painting is the subject of two essays. The second theme is the problem of attributions & the related issue of Velazquez's innovative technique. Since Velazquez was not a prolific painter, questions of authenticity become increasingly contentious. Brown considers this matter in its widest

Dimensions & participates in the debate about individual attributions. Jonathan Brown is the Carroll & Milton Petrie Professor of Fine Arts at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. He is the author of the standard biography on Velazquez, Velazquez, Painter & Courtier.

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Create your own bespoke print of Sir Joshua Reynolds’s Colonel Tarleton from our collection. About this painting Colonel Tarleton, 1782 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1951 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...

Create your own bespoke print of Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas’s Combing the Hair (' La Coiffure') from our collection. About this painting Combing the Hair (' La Coiffure'), about 1896 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1937 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...