A label on the reverse, signed by Clays & dated Brussels 1870, identifies the view & states that the painting was painted for ' Joh [sic] Parsons (a Londres)'. ...

A label on the reverse, signed by Clays & dated Brussels 1868, identifies the view. The discrepancy between this date & the date on the painting (1869) suggests that the artist may have signed & dated it some time after it was completed. ...

This work is a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini & his wife, but is not intended as a record of their wedding. His wife is not pregnant, as is often thought, but holding up her full-skirted dress in the contemporary fashion. Arnolfini was a member of a merchant family from Lucca living in Bruges. The couple are shown in a well-appointed interior. The ornate Latin signature translates as ' Jan van Eyck was here 1434'. The similarity to modern graffiti is not accidental. Van Eyck often inscribed his pictures in a witty way. The mirror reflects two figures in the doorway. One may be the painter himself. Arnolfini raises his right hand as he faces them, perhaps as a greeting. Van Eyck was intensely interested in the effects of light: oil paint allowed him to depict it with great subtlety in this picture, notably on the gleaming brass chandelier. ...

Robert van den Hoeke (1622
- 1668), was a painter & engraver who worked in Antwerp & in Brussels. He became ' Contrôleur des fortifications'
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In classical mythology Silenus was the companion of Bacchus, god of wine. This painting is part of the decoration which Annibale Carracci executed on a keyboard instrument for Fulvio Orsini (1529
- 1600), the librarian to the Farnese family in Rome & tutor to Cardinal Odoardo. Being a classical scholar, Orsini may have advised on the subject matter of the work. The panel of ' Marsyas & Olympus' was probably part of the same decoration. In style & spirit these paintings are very close to the Farnese Gallery frescoes with which they are contemporary.
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Sir George Beaumont (1753
- 1827), painter & collector, promised to give his collection of pictures to the nation if a National
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While the artist Johan Barthold Jongkind painted similar compositions to this in the 1860s, this work is likely to be a forgery. Jongkind himself often produced paintings of Dutch subject matter, returning to the Netherlands each year in the 1860s, even when he was settled in Paris. ...

Create your own bespoke print of Telemaco Signorini’s Sketch for ' Straw Weavers at Settignano' from our collection. About this painting Sketch for ' Straw Weavers at Settignano', about 1880 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 2008 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. ...

Tradition states that the figure is wearing bridal attire, but it has also been noted that she may be dressed for a ball. The picture can be linked with Corot's numerous images of solitary women in pensive attitudes. The sombre tonality & modelling of the face are reminiscent of Rembrandt. The oval edge is perhaps intended to suggest the frame of a mirror. ...

Visiting country inns to eat, drink & play skittles & bowls became a popular pastime for the increasing urban population of the Dutch Republic. Here, Steen captures the carefree mood of time spent away from the burdens & obligations of everyday work ...