Old Masters
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Start here: five ways to look 5 stops Highlights 8 stops Water and light 7 stops Portraits through time 8 stops Toward abstraction 6 stops Color set free 6 stops Three works to remember from Start here: five ways to look.
Self-Portrait with Saskia Compare the heavy shading of Rembrandt’s hat and sleeve with the light lines of Saskia behind him, then find the drawing tool in his hand.
The Basket of Apples Trace the table edge on either side of the cloth. Does it line up? Then compare the bottle’s tilt with the precarious stack of biscuits.
Portrait of a Government Official Look at the official’s shy smile, then at the single crane flying on his chest badge and the spotted leopard tail curling out at lower right.
Without looking back, how would you respond to this prompt for Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer)?
Compare the smaller stack with the larger one, especially where their warm edges meet the blue and violet shadows.
Three works to remember from Highlights.
Knight, Death, and the Devil Find the hourglass in Death’s hand, the skull at lower left and the tablet dated 1513, then the lizard running the other way.
Paris Street; Rainy Day Find where the lamppost divides the scene, then compare the couple’s size with the pedestrians beyond them. Notice how much empty pavement lies between the groups.
The Great Wave Follow the curl of the great wave out to its claw-like fingers of foam, then drop your eye to the tiny snow-capped Fuji framed in the hollow below.
Without looking back, how would you respond to this prompt for Old Man with a Gold Chain?
Look at the light on the steel gorget and the links of the chain, then find the monogram RHL in the lower left corner.
Three works to remember from Water and light.
Fishing Boats Follow the great pale sail upward to the white flag, then look past the small boats for a distant steamship.
Houses of Parliament, London Follow the building’s jagged silhouette, then look for the same blue and violet tones dissolving into the river and sky.
Mishima: Morning Mist Compare the sharp blues of the rider and the bearers in front with the gray gate, trees and walkers fading into the mist behind them.
Without looking back, how would you respond to this prompt for Cliffs on the Sea Coast: Small Beach, Sunrise?
Trace the shoreline away from the dark foreground rocks, then compare the steep green-topped cliff with the nearly level sea horizon.
Three works to remember from Portraits through time.
Portrait of a Gentleman Look past his shoulder to the window at upper left, with its farmhouse and grazing cattle, then back to his hand on the fur cuff.
Self-Portrait with Saskia Compare the heavy shading of Rembrandt’s hat and sleeve with the light lines of Saskia behind him, then find the drawing tool in his hand.
Portrait of a Government Official Look at the official’s shy smile, then at the single crane flying on his chest badge and the spotted leopard tail curling out at lower right.
Without looking back, how would you respond to this prompt for Portrait of Magdalena of Saxony, Wife of Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg?
Look from the wide red hat and its white plumes down to the heavy gold chains, the fur-lined gown and the rings on her folded hands.
Three works to remember from Toward abstraction.
Water Lily Pond Compare the floating lily pads with the deeper vertical reflections. Notice that there is no bridge or distant shoreline to orient the view.
Farm near Duivendrecht Compare the farm with its upside-down copy in the water, then follow the bare branches overhead as they knot into a net of curving lines.
Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue Notice how the red, yellow and blue blocks all sit at the edges, pushed out toward the frame around one big white square.
Without looking back, how would you respond to this prompt for Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons)?
Find the cannons and their wheels at the lower right, then the leaning towers near the top. Which shapes can you name, and which are only color?
Three works to remember from Color set free.
The Bedroom Trace the floorboards toward the back wall, then compare their angles with the bed, chairs, and tilted pictures.
Siberian Dogs in the Snow Find the blue in the shadows under the dogs, then look for the place where the two white bodies overlap and almost become one shape.
Painting with Troika Follow the three white horses from the blue block at left toward the pink blossoms, then look at the painted frame and the colors it repeats from the picture.
Without looking back, how would you respond to this prompt for Portrait of Madame Matisse. The Green Stripe?
Follow the green stripe from the hairline toward the nose, then compare the colors on either side of the face with those directly behind them.
Old Masters
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Old Masters Start here First room Old Masters Choose a room to explore
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Coronation of the Virgin 1420s Saint Anthony Abbot 1440–41 Virgin and Child with an Angel 1475–85 Virgin and Child with Two Angels 1485–95 The Adoration of the Magi 1440–45 Saint John the Baptist Entering the Wilderness 1455–60 Ecce Agnus Dei 1455–60 Saint John the Baptist in Prison Visited by Two Disciples 1455–60 Salome Asking Herod for the Head of Saint John the Baptist 1455–60 The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist 1455–60 The Head of Saint John the Baptist Brought before Herod 1455–60 Predella Panel from an Altarpiece: St. Catherine of Siena Invested with the Dominican Habit 1460s St. Catherine of Siena and the Beggar 1460s The Death of the Virgin c. 1470 The Temptation of Saint Anthony c. 1469/73 The Nativity, from Life of the Virgin 1470/75 The Madonna of the Rosary c. 1480 Death of the Virgin c. 1481 Ornamental Panel With Two Lovers 1480–90 The Virgin with the Dragonfly c. 1495 Hercules at the Crossroads c. 1498 Arm of Eve 1507 Knight, Death, and the Devil 1513 Melencolia I 1514 St. Jerome in His Study 1514 The Raising of Lazarus c. 1507 The Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan about 1510 The Large Saint Sebastian 1514 Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist c. 1517 Terminus, the Device of Erasmus c. 1532 The Bewitched Groom c. 1544 Portrait of Magdalena of Saxony, Wife of Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg c. 1529 The Baptism of Christ 1530s Adam 1533–37 Eve 1533–37 The Crucifixion 1538 Hunting near Hartenfels Castle 1540 The Nativity 1500–05 The Baptism of Christ 1500–05 Christ and the Woman of Samaria 1500–05 Noli Me Tangere 1500–05 Portrait of a Gentleman c. 1505 Studies of a Seated Female, Child's Head, and Three Studies of a Baby c. 1507–8 Upraised Right Hand, with Palm Facing Outward: Study for Saint Peter 1518/20 Group of Nine Standing Figures 1524/27 Old Shepherd Leaning on a Staff 1524/31 The Nativity with the Dream of Joseph c. 1527/30? The Entombment c. 1525–35 Page Serving Wine or The Painter's Apprentice 1530/40 Saint Helen Testing the True Cross c. 1545 Reclining Male Nude, Foreshortened 1562 Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo after c. 1571 Head of a Woman c. 1575 Tarquin and Lucretia 1578–80 Various Sketches of the Madonna and Child (recto) c. 1580 Christ Child: Study for the Madonna di San Giovanni c. 1565 Head of the Swooning Virgin: Study for the Deposition (recot) Base of Column (verso) 1568/69 The Vision of Saint Francis 1581 Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata c. 1581 The Annunciation c. 1585 Study for the "Madonna of the Rosary" c. 1589 Boy Drinking 1582–83 Portrait of the Artist's Son, Antonio Carracci 1592/95 Study of Hercules Resting, with Separate Studies of His Head and Foot (recto); Rectangular grid design (verso) 1595/97 Drunken Silenus (the "Tazza Farnese") c. 1597 Saint Jerome in Penitence c. 1602 Studies of a Roman Sarcophagus 1602/03 A Sheet of Anatomical Studies 1600/10 The Capture of Samson 1609–10 Nude Youth in the Pose of the Spinario 1610/16 The Last Supper late 1613 or early 1614 Saint Francis c. 1615 The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist c. 1615 St. Albert of Louvain 1620 Portrait of Isabella Brant c. 1620–25 The Adoration of the Eucharist c. 1626 Reconciliation of the Romans and the Sabines (recto) c. 1632/35 The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis 1636 The Feast of Herod (recto) c. 1637–38 Study for "The Bear Hunt" (for the Alcázar, Madrid) c. 1639 Esther before Ahasuerus 1620s Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist c. 1639–42 The Entombment 1656 The Genius of Salvator Rosa 1662 Polycrates and the Fisherman 1664 Polycrates' Crucifixion 1664 Kitchen Scene 1618–20 Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness c. 1622 The Crucifixion 1627 Portrait of the Jester Calabazas c. 1631–32 Saint Romanus of Antioch and Saint Barulas 1638 Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth c. 1640 Ecce Agnus Dei c. 1655 Laban Searching for His Stolen Household Gods c. 1665–70 The Immaculate Conception c. 1680 A Genoese Lady with Her Child c. 1623–25 Self-Portrait 1630/33 Jan Brueghel the Elder 1630/33 Frans Snyders 1630/33 Jan Snellinx 1630/33 Philippe Le Roy 1630/40 Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia) c. 1625–27 The Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth c. 1627 Landscape with Saint John on Patmos 1640 The Holy Family on the Steps 1648 Italian Landscape c. 1630 Pastoral Scene with Classical Figures c. 1640–45 Rest on the Flight into Egypt early 1640s Panorama from the Sasso 1649/1655 A Wooded River Landscape with Jacob, Laban, and His Daughters 1661 View of Delphi with a Procession 1673 Diogenes Seeking an Honest Man 1645–47 Satyr Resting beneath a Herm 1645–47 The Creation of Adam c. 1645/50 A Pagan Sacrifice c. 1645–50 Still Life c. 1625 Portrait of a Lady 1627 Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman 1634 Portrait of a Woman, probably Aeltje Dircksdr. Pater 1638 Breakfast Still Life 1647 Old Man with a Gold Chain 1631 Self-Portrait with Saskia 1636 The Three Trees 1643 The Hundred Guilder Print c. 1648 Shah Jahan c. 1656–61 Seated Female Nude 1660/62 Fishing Boats off an Estuary 1633 River Landscape with a View of Naarden 1642 Castle on a River 1644 A View of Vianen with a Herdsman and Cattle by a River c. 1643–c. 1645 Travelers in Hilly Countryside c. 1650 Italian Landscape with Travelers c. 1650 A Cottage in the Woods c. 1662 Wooded Landscape with Cottage and Horseman 1663 The Watermill with the Great Red Roof c. 1665 Landscape with a Windmill 1646 Landscape with the Ruins of the Castle of Egmond 1650–55 Wooded and Hilly Landscape 1660s Low Waterfall in a Wooded Landscape with a Dead Beech Tree c. 1660–70 Landscape with a Church by a Torrent c. 1670 Man with a Tankard at a Window 1650–60 Portrait of a Woman c. 1665 The Family Concert 1666 Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman c. 1668 The Music Lesson c. 1670 Merrymakers in an Inn 1674 Two Studies of a Dancer, Raising Her Skirt in Her Two Hands 1712/13 The Dreamer (La Rêveuse) 1712–14 The Old Savoyard c. 1715 Study for "The Romancer" (Le Conteur) c. 1716 Italian Comedians 1719/20 Fête champêtre (Pastoral Gathering) 1718–21 The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek c. 1719 The Last Communion of St. Jerome c. 1726 Three Angels Appearing to Abraham c. 1726 Virgin and Child with Saints Dominic and Hyacinth 1730–35 The Temptation of Saint Anthony c. 1734 Fantasy on the Death of Seneca 1735/40 Study for "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" (for the Augustinian monastery at Diessen, Germany) 1739 The Adoration of the Magi c. 1740 Democritus and Heraclitus Laughing and Sorrowing over the Follies of the World 1742/43 Armida Encounters the Sleeping Rinaldo c. 1742–45 Rinaldo and Armida in Her Garden c. 1742–45 Armida Abandoned by Rinaldo c. 1742–45 Rinaldo and the Magus of Ascalon c. 1742–45 Punchinellos Cooking and Tasting Gnocchi (Punchinellos' Repast) 1740/52 Sketch for a Ceiling 1750s Head of a Young Woman early 1730s Boy with a Carrot 1738 Music and Dance 1740s Cupids in Conspiracy 1740s Are They Thinking about the Grape? (Pensent-ils au raisin?) 1747 Study of a Triton 1748/53 Fountain of Venus 1756 A Young Lady with a Parrot c. 1730 Paul Before Felix c. 1751 Moses Brought to Pharaoh’s Daughter 1751 Head of a Philosopher 1758–64 Sarah Dupont c. 1777–79 Winter Scene c. 1786 Arbor with Two Children (Le Nid d'Armour) 1760 Portrait of a Man in Costume c. 1767–68 The Letter, or The Spanish Conversation c. 1778 Benjamin Franklin c. 1778 A Boy in a Red-Lined Cloak 1780s Invocation to Love c. 1781 Lady Sarah Bunbury Sacrificing to the Graces 1763–65 The Muse 1766 Mrs. Hugh Morgan and Her Daughter c. 1771 Figure Studies c. late 1770s A Dancing Young Woman as Terpsichore c. 1780 Portrait of Catherine Grey, Lady Manners 1794 Madame François Buron 1769 Villa in the Campagna 1775–80 Head of a Woman c. 1780 Madame de Pastoret and Her Son 1791–92 Portrait of Jeanbon Saint-André 1795 Elizabeth Shewell West and Her Son, Raphael c. 1770 Alexander's Confidence with his Physician Philip c. 1770 The Death of Procris 1770, retouched 1803 George III 1783 The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise 1791, retouched 1803 British Manufactory; A Sketch 1791 Portrait of the Artist's Mother 1775 Women and Children Mourning a Dead Man 1778 Madame Grand (Noël Catherine Vorlée, 1761–1835) 1783 Alexandre Charles Emmanuel de Crussol-Florensac (1743–1815) 1787 Comtesse de la Châtre (Marie Charlotte Louise Perrette Aglaé Bontemps, 1762–1848) 1789 The Meeting of Orestes and Hermione c. 1800 The Oath of the Seven Chiefs against Thebes c. 1800 Saint Ambrose c. 1796–99 Show artworks Ask Dawson Take your time. 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