The central panel shows Christ crowning the Virgin surrounded by saints; while on the left shutter is the Nativity, on the right, the Crucifixion. Above are the Archangel Gabriel & the Virgin Annunciate. The reverse of the shutters shows scenes from the Birth & Life of the Virgin. These are, from left to right & top to bottom: the Expulsion of Joachim, the Angel appearing to Joachim, the Meeting at the Golden Gate, the Birth of the Virgin, the Presentation of the Virgin, & the Marriage of the Virgin. This triptych was painted for private devotions & is one of only two works by the artist known to have been made in Lombardy. It is not known for whom it was commissioned. The inclusion of gilded glass (verre eglomisé) in the spandrels of a panel is unusual. ...

The 12 main panels of the altarpiece, one of the largest to be commissioned in 14th-century Florence, are in the National Gallery Collection. The predella shows scenes from the life of Saint Peter & is dispersed in different collections. The painting was commissioned for the church of San Pier Maggiore in Florence, probably by the Albizzi family. The accounts of 1370 show that a certain Niccolò, probably Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, designed the altarpiece. It was probably painted by Jacopo di Cione & assistants. It was completed in 1371. In the centre of the composition are Christ & the Virgin, dressed in white & gold, & seated upon a canopied throne surrounded by angels. The panels to each side are densely crowded with saints; to the left a prominent Saint Peter carries a model of San Pier Maggiore. The middle tier of the altarpiece, which would have been supported by heavy buttresses, showed (from left to right) the Nativity, the Adoration of the Kings, the Resurrection, the Maries at the Sepulchre, the Ascension & Pentecost. In the three pinnacles above, the Trinity appeared in the centre with adoring angels on each side. A later, more fluent, Florentine version of the theme is ' The Coronation of the Virgin' by Lorenzo Monaco. ...

In the Trinity (top right), the four creatures with the heads of an eagle, man, ox & lion symbolise, respectively, the four Evangelists: John, Matthew, Luke & Mark. The ' Crucifixion' contains many of the incidents found in the nearly contemporary vers ...

The sitter was Ellen Odette Bischoffsheim (1857
- 1933). She married the 4th Earl of Desart in 1881 as his second wife, & from
...

Create your own bespoke print of Pieter de Hooch’s The Courtyard of a House in Delft from our collection. About this painting The Courtyard of a House in Delft, 1658 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1871 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. ...

An illustration of one of the parables of Jesus about coveting too much wealth. An already rich man became richer & instead of using any of his goods for religious or charitable works, he built larger warehouses & gloated over his stored-up wealth. But God said to him ' Fool! This night your soul is required of you: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, & is not rich toward God' (Luke 12). ...

Angels collect blood in chalices from the wounds of Christ. The Magdalen embraces the foot of the Cross. To the left stand the Virgin & Saint John; to the right, Longinus (in legend, the Roman centurion responsible for carrying out the Crucifixion, & s ...

At the centre Christ is on the cross. On the left are the Magdalen & the Virgin supported by two Holy Women. On the right are Saint John & a figure with a scalloped halo who may be Saint Anne. The tracery & ornament around the picture are original.R ...

The Virgin & Saint John the Evangelist mourn, & Saint Mary Magdalene clutches the foot of the cross, the other two Maries stand behind her. Joseph of Arimathaea & Nicodemus appear in the background on the left with a ladder to take down the body of C ...

Inscribed on the Virgin's robe, near her brow: stabat matre. On her hem a contraction of verse 3 in the Roman Missal: Quis est homo, qui non fleret/ Matrem Christi si videret/ In tanto supplicio? This is the centre panel of a triptych painted for the church of St Columba, Cologne. The wings are in Liverpool (Walker Art Gallery), & show Christ before Pilate & The Deposition. When closed the triptych shows two donors kneeling on the right, observing the Mass of Saint Gregory, on the left. Coats of arms identify the donors as Hermann Rinck (Mayor of Cologne in 1480 & 1488, died 1496) & his wife Gertrud von Dallem. ...