Author Dr. Olsen is one of the leading experts on the Golden Section, & Professor of Philosophy & Religion at College of Central Florida in Ocala, Florida. His new book, out in Spring 2013, is Divine Proportion: the Mathematical Perfection of the Universe. The Golden Section: Nature's Greatest Secret is a concise & useful history book on the Golden Section
- also known as the Golden Ratio & Golden Mean.  The Golden Section is a line segment divided into two parts, such that the ratio of the short portion to the longer portion is equal to the ratio of the longer portion to the whole. It is one of the most elegant & beautiful ratios of the mathematical universe because of its combination of elegance & simplicity
- hence the divine nature of its name.   Drawing on art, architecture, philosophy, nature, mathematics, geometry, & music
- & beautifully illustrated with all manner of images- this mathematical history book will tell the story of this remarkable construct & its wide ranging impact on civilization & the natural world. This history book is one of many art books available from the National Gallery, which include art history books, art exhibition catalogues & gift books.


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In a parable recounted in the New Testament, Christ described how a traveller, stripped & beaten half-dead by robbers, was saved by a Samaritan, while a Priest & a Levite 'passed by on the other side' (Luke 10: 25-38). The flasks in the painting are for the oil & wine which the Samaritan pours on the traveller's wounds. The distant city is the artist's native Bassano. This work is also known in other versions. ...

Create your own bespoke print of William Hogarth’s The Graham Children from our collection. About this painting The Graham Children, 1742 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1934 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. ...

Ferdinand II de' Medici (1610
- 1670), who wears a commander's sash & the military order of San Stefano, & carries a commander's
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The market square (Grote Markt) is shown from the Prinsengracht. On the extreme left is the Groot Boterhuis (the former butter market), on the wall of which are various sale bills. In the centre, beyond the houses (most of which have been rebuilt), are the tower & roof of the choir of the Grote Kerk (St Jacobskerk). ...

The Haarlem Lock (' Haarlemmersluis') & the Herring-Packers' Tower (' Haaringpakkerstoren') are seen from the west side of the Singel Canal, at its junction with the Brouwersgracht. None of the buildings shown has survived. The tower was part of the town' ...

Create your own bespoke print of John Constable’s The Hay Wain from our collection. About this painting The Hay Wain, 1821 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1886 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. ...

Monticelli made a number of paintings of peasants at work in the fields, both in his native Provence & elsewhere in France. It is not certain where this particular harvest scene is set. ...

Herod's step-dughter, Salome, dances before him on the right, at a banquet. He promised to grant her any request & her mother Herodias told her to ask for the head of Saint John the Baptist on a dish; it is here delivered at the table, to the dismay of ...

The smaller scenes relate to life of the Baptist. Left medallion: the Baptism of Christ; right medallion: Salome receiving the Baptist's head. Lower scenes perhaps show Saint John preaching, the Calling of Saint Andrew, & Saint John, again, with two figures (one a donor?). The subject of the head on a charger may be derived from Milanese paintings. ...