Lagrenée was celebrated for his small-scale cabinet paintings of classical & mythological subjects. Here, three women tend to two infants within a sunlit loggia. The warm light, tiles underfoot, & leafy trees in the background suggest that the scene takes place in temperate climes. To an 18th-century audience, the women’s clothing would have been immediately understood as antique dress. Depictions of motherhood, & particularly breastfeeding, became increasingly popular in the second half of the 18th century. The writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau prompted a debate about mothers nursing their own children (then an uncommon practice). Lagrenée’s allegorical depiction of motherhood is both tender & elegant, executed with his characteristically meticulous brushwork & harmonious colouring. Signed & dated 1773, it is possible that Lagrenée exhibited Maternal Affection at the Salon of 1773 under the title ' La Douceur'. That painting was bought by the Earl of Shelburne (1737–1805), in whose posthumous sale of 1806 a ‘ Maternal Affection’ by Lagrenée appears. ...

This small panel is perhaps the companion to Monticelli's ' Fountain in a Park'. In both paintings the artist evokes the 18th-century tradition of the 'fete galante', initiated by Watteau, in which elegant courtiers enjoy themselves in parks & gardens. Mo ...

Create your own bespoke print of George Bellows’s Men of the Docks from our collection. About this painting Men of the Docks, 1912 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 2014 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. ...

During his years in Paris (1869-77) Maris painted a number of views of the Montmartre Quarry; another, dated 1872, is in Glasgow (Burrell Collection). After his brother Jacob returned to The Hague in 1871, the painter moved to new lodgings in Montmartre. ...

The hazy, golden light that suffuses the scenery of this picture is characteristic of Jan Both's Italianate landscapes. They were inspired by the artist's stay in Rome between about 1637 & 1641 where he studied the local landscape & the Mediterranean light. Because of the popularity of these works he continued to paint Italianate scenes after his return from Italy. The present picture was probably executed in the Netherlands. As is usually the case with his landscapes, they show an imaginary setting that evokes the Roman campagna. On occasions he had other painters insert figures & animals into his landscapes, yet they were painted by Both himself. ...

Apollo is apparently guarding the herd of Admetus. (Ovid, ' Metamorphoses', 2). This picture seems different in compositional treatment from the rest of the series. This work & the seven others in the Collection are a major part of a series of ten frescoe ...

Minerva, goddess of Wisdom, accompanied by Mercury, entrusts the key of knowledge to Intellect, beside whom is the naked figure of Truth. To the left is the she-wolf with the infants Romulus amd Remus, founders of Rome. Minerva gives a hammer to Artifice & Industry at whose feet lie other tools. In the background is Amphion or Eloquence, playing the viola & surrounded by birds. This painting is one of a group of 10 'modelli', or elaborated oil studies, made in preparation for the fresco projects that Giordano created for the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence. This painting is connected with the ceiling of the Galleria. ...

The painting was probably executed in England in 1629-30, illustrating Rubens' hopes for the peace he was trying to negotiate between England & Spain in his role as envoy to Philip IV of Spain. Rubens presented the finished work to Charles I of England as a gift. The central figure represents Pax (Peace) in the person of Ceres, goddess of the earth, sharing her bounty with the group of figures in the foreground. The children have been identified as portraits of the children of Rubens' host, Sir Balthasar Gerbier, a painter-diplomat in the service of Charles I. To the right of Pax is Minerva, goddess of wisdom. She drives away Mars, the god of war, & Alecto, the fury of war. A winged cupid & the goddess of marriage, Hymen, lead the children (the fruit of marriage) to a cornucopia, or horn of plenty. The satyr & leopard are part of the entourage of Bacchus, another fertility god, & leopards also draw Bacchus's chariot. Two nymphs or maenads approach from the left, one brings riches, the other dances to a tambourine. A putto holds an olive wreath, symbol of peace, & the caduceus of Mercury, messenger of the gods. ...

Misia Sert, née Godebska (1872
- 1950), was a notable figure in the circle of avant-garde artists in Paris at the turn of the
...

Create your own bespoke print of Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas’s Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando from our collection. About this painting Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, 1879 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1925 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. ...