The Mystical Nativity

Prompt: In The Mystical Nativity, how is the Technique discussed?

The painting is on canvas – normally he would have used wood panel – perhaps for a painting with a dangerous message, canvas had the advantage that it could be rolled up and hidden. With his canvas prepared he would sketch a detailed design on paper, then he transferred this to canvas. He drew on many sources – the dancing angels echo his own three graces of Primavera, the scurrying devil was inspired by a German woodcut. X-rays show that very little of the original design changed – only an angel's wing was adjusted and trees added over the roof of the stable. Botticelli was now ready to build up the image using tempera paint – the canvas was an experimental medium. To create the heavenly dome Botticelli called on the goldsmith's craft he had learned as a boy. "The symbolism of the gold is to do with the unchanging, untarnished nature of heaven – gold doesn't decay, it doesn't darken like silver. Botticelli would have used an adhesive layer made of oil mixed with resin – not burnished, the gold just patted down on to the surface, following the surface irregularities of the canvas – a glitter, intricate, it would have helped the jewel like quality of the painting – it would have drawn the eye upwards from the Nativity into Heaven. Faith, hope and charity, [the angels clothed in] white, green and red – but the copper based green pigment has discoloured with time, to bronze. Originally it would have been vibrant."

The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece

"All those little toes that are climbing down the stairs – you can see the fascination with the patterns of the toes that are circling in the angels of the ''Mystical Nativity'' ... The ''Mystical Nativity'' worked a particular magic on members of the [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Portrait of a Lady known as Esmeralda Brandini

File:Edward Burne-Jones The Golden Stairs.jpg

Savonarola's preaching attracted huge crowds to [[Florence Cathedral

Category:Paintings by Sandro Botticelli in the National Gallery, London

Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester 1857


The Mystical Nativity

Prompt: Focus on The Mystical Nativity and explain the Later history.

Botticelli died in 1510. The Mystical Nativity remained little known for another three centuries. Rome at the end of the 18th century was very different to Renaissance Florence – except for the presence of French invaders. Many foreigners left, but not a young Englishman, William Young Ottley. He was an art lover, and wealthy with a slave plantation in the Caribbean. He bought up many paintings cheaply. At the Villa Aldobrandini he saw a small, unknown work, Botticelli's Mystical Nativity. Botticelli was then in obscurity.It arrived in London where Ottley's house became in effect a private museum of Italian masterpieces. After Ottley's death William Fuller Maitland of Stansted picked up the painting at an auction for £80. When he loaned it to the Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester 1857, it was probably exposed to a wide public for the first time. The exhibition's newspaper the Art Treasures Examiner printed a reproduction of it.From the moment Botticelli's art is shown in Manchester there's a real change in opinion about his work and certainly by the late 1870s, 1880s Botticelli becomes a real cult figure – somebody the artists who aspire to be on the cutting edge of the art world are looking to...Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones both adapted elements of it for their own work. Burne-Jones copied some of Botticelli's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy into his own sketchbooks. Rossetti demonstrated his affection for Botticelli's work by buying his portrait of Smeralda Bandinelli in 1867.John Ruskin helped to give the painting its name; after seeing it in London he referred to Botticelli's 'mystic symbolism'. When Maitland died in 1876 the National Gallery in London stepped in. According to Nicholas Penny the Gallery "was concerned to buy works from the earlier Renaissance – previously it had been its top priority to buy masterpieces which there would be no controversy about at all. There was an element of avant-garde excitement about buying pictures like this in the 19th century." When the Gallery bought the painting in 1878, it had to find £1,500, nearly 20 times what it had fetched just thirty years earlier.

The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece

"All those little toes that are climbing down the stairs – you can see the fascination with the patterns of the toes that are circling in the angels of the ''Mystical Nativity'' ... The ''Mystical Nativity'' worked a particular magic on members of the [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Portrait of a Lady known as Esmeralda Brandini

File:Edward Burne-Jones The Golden Stairs.jpg

Savonarola's preaching attracted huge crowds to [[Florence Cathedral

Category:Paintings by Sandro Botticelli in the National Gallery, London


The Mystical Nativity

Prompt: Explain the Later history of this artwork, The Mystical Nativity.

Botticelli died in 1510. The Mystical Nativity remained little known for another three centuries. Rome at the end of the 18th century was very different to Renaissance Florence – except for the presence of French invaders. Many foreigners left, but not a young Englishman, William Young Ottley. He was an art lover, and wealthy with a slave plantation in the Caribbean. He bought up many paintings cheaply. At the Villa Aldobrandini he saw a small, unknown work, Botticelli's Mystical Nativity. Botticelli was then in obscurity.It arrived in London where Ottley's house became in effect a private museum of Italian masterpieces. After Ottley's death William Fuller Maitland of Stansted picked up the painting at an auction for £80. When he loaned it to the Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester 1857, it was probably exposed to a wide public for the first time. The exhibition's newspaper the Art Treasures Examiner printed a reproduction of it.From the moment Botticelli's art is shown in Manchester there's a real change in opinion about his work and certainly by the late 1870s, 1880s Botticelli becomes a real cult figure – somebody the artists who aspire to be on the cutting edge of the art world are looking to...Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones both adapted elements of it for their own work. Burne-Jones copied some of Botticelli's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy into his own sketchbooks. Rossetti demonstrated his affection for Botticelli's work by buying his portrait of Smeralda Bandinelli in 1867.John Ruskin helped to give the painting its name; after seeing it in London he referred to Botticelli's 'mystic symbolism'. When Maitland died in 1876 the National Gallery in London stepped in. According to Nicholas Penny the Gallery "was concerned to buy works from the earlier Renaissance – previously it had been its top priority to buy masterpieces which there would be no controversy about at all. There was an element of avant-garde excitement about buying pictures like this in the 19th century." When the Gallery bought the painting in 1878, it had to find £1,500, nearly 20 times what it had fetched just thirty years earlier.

The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece

"All those little toes that are climbing down the stairs – you can see the fascination with the patterns of the toes that are circling in the angels of the ''Mystical Nativity'' ... The ''Mystical Nativity'' worked a particular magic on members of the [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Portrait of a Lady known as Esmeralda Brandini

File:Edward Burne-Jones The Golden Stairs.jpg

Savonarola's preaching attracted huge crowds to [[Florence Cathedral

Category:Paintings by Sandro Botticelli in the National Gallery, London


The Mystical Nativity

Prompt: How does The Mystical Nativity explain its Later history?

Botticelli died in 1510. The Mystical Nativity remained little known for another three centuries. Rome at the end of the 18th century was very different to Renaissance Florence – except for the presence of French invaders. Many foreigners left, but not a young Englishman, William Young Ottley. He was an art lover, and wealthy with a slave plantation in the Caribbean. He bought up many paintings cheaply. At the Villa Aldobrandini he saw a small, unknown work, Botticelli's Mystical Nativity. Botticelli was then in obscurity.It arrived in London where Ottley's house became in effect a private museum of Italian masterpieces. After Ottley's death William Fuller Maitland of Stansted picked up the painting at an auction for £80. When he loaned it to the Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester 1857, it was probably exposed to a wide public for the first time. The exhibition's newspaper the Art Treasures Examiner printed a reproduction of it.From the moment Botticelli's art is shown in Manchester there's a real change in opinion about his work and certainly by the late 1870s, 1880s Botticelli becomes a real cult figure – somebody the artists who aspire to be on the cutting edge of the art world are looking to...Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones both adapted elements of it for their own work. Burne-Jones copied some of Botticelli's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy into his own sketchbooks. Rossetti demonstrated his affection for Botticelli's work by buying his portrait of Smeralda Bandinelli in 1867.John Ruskin helped to give the painting its name; after seeing it in London he referred to Botticelli's 'mystic symbolism'. When Maitland died in 1876 the National Gallery in London stepped in. According to Nicholas Penny the Gallery "was concerned to buy works from the earlier Renaissance – previously it had been its top priority to buy masterpieces which there would be no controversy about at all. There was an element of avant-garde excitement about buying pictures like this in the 19th century." When the Gallery bought the painting in 1878, it had to find £1,500, nearly 20 times what it had fetched just thirty years earlier.

The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece

"All those little toes that are climbing down the stairs – you can see the fascination with the patterns of the toes that are circling in the angels of the ''Mystical Nativity'' ... The ''Mystical Nativity'' worked a particular magic on members of the [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Portrait of a Lady known as Esmeralda Brandini

File:Edward Burne-Jones The Golden Stairs.jpg

Savonarola's preaching attracted huge crowds to [[Florence Cathedral

Category:Paintings by Sandro Botticelli in the National Gallery, London


The Mystical Nativity

Prompt: In The Mystical Nativity, how is the Later history discussed?

Botticelli died in 1510. The Mystical Nativity remained little known for another three centuries. Rome at the end of the 18th century was very different to Renaissance Florence – except for the presence of French invaders. Many foreigners left, but not a young Englishman, William Young Ottley. He was an art lover, and wealthy with a slave plantation in the Caribbean. He bought up many paintings cheaply. At the Villa Aldobrandini he saw a small, unknown work, Botticelli's Mystical Nativity. Botticelli was then in obscurity.It arrived in London where Ottley's house became in effect a private museum of Italian masterpieces. After Ottley's death William Fuller Maitland of Stansted picked up the painting at an auction for £80. When he loaned it to the Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester 1857, it was probably exposed to a wide public for the first time. The exhibition's newspaper the Art Treasures Examiner printed a reproduction of it.From the moment Botticelli's art is shown in Manchester there's a real change in opinion about his work and certainly by the late 1870s, 1880s Botticelli becomes a real cult figure – somebody the artists who aspire to be on the cutting edge of the art world are looking to...Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones both adapted elements of it for their own work. Burne-Jones copied some of Botticelli's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy into his own sketchbooks. Rossetti demonstrated his affection for Botticelli's work by buying his portrait of Smeralda Bandinelli in 1867.John Ruskin helped to give the painting its name; after seeing it in London he referred to Botticelli's 'mystic symbolism'. When Maitland died in 1876 the National Gallery in London stepped in. According to Nicholas Penny the Gallery "was concerned to buy works from the earlier Renaissance – previously it had been its top priority to buy masterpieces which there would be no controversy about at all. There was an element of avant-garde excitement about buying pictures like this in the 19th century." When the Gallery bought the painting in 1878, it had to find £1,500, nearly 20 times what it had fetched just thirty years earlier.

The Private Life of a Christmas Masterpiece

"All those little toes that are climbing down the stairs – you can see the fascination with the patterns of the toes that are circling in the angels of the ''Mystical Nativity'' ... The ''Mystical Nativity'' worked a particular magic on members of the [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Portrait of a Lady known as Esmeralda Brandini

File:Edward Burne-Jones The Golden Stairs.jpg

Savonarola's preaching attracted huge crowds to [[Florence Cathedral

Category:Paintings by Sandro Botticelli in the National Gallery, London


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: Focus on The Procuress (Vermeer) and explain the abstract.

The Procuress (Dutch: De koppelaarster) is a 1656 oil-on-canvas painting by the then 24-year-old Johannes Vermeer. It can be seen in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden. It is his first genre painting and shows a scene of contemporary life, an image of mercenary love perhaps in a brothel. It differs from his earlier biblical and mythological scenes. It is one of only three paintings Vermeer signed and dated (the other two are The Astronomer and The Geographer). In 1696 the painting, being sold on an auction in Amsterdam, was named "A merry company in a room". The woman in black, the leering coupler, "in a nun's costume",: 224  could be the eponymous procuress, while the man to her right, "wearing a black beret and a doublet with slashed sleeves",: 172  has been identified as a self portrait of the artist; there is a resemblance with the painter in Vermeer's The Art of Painting.It seems Vermeer was influenced by earlier works on the same subject by Gerard ter Borch, and The Procuress (c. 1622) by Dirck van Baburen, which was owned by Vermeer's mother-in-law Maria Thins and hung in her home. Some critics thought the painting is atypical of Vermeer's style and expression, because it lacks the typical light. Pieter Swillens wrote in 1950 that—if the work was by Vermeer at all—it showed the artist "seeking and groping" to find a suitable mode of expression. Eduard Trautscholdt wrote 10 years before that "The temperament of the 24-year-old Vermeer fully emerges for the first time".The jug on the oriental rug is a piece of Westerwald Pottery. The kelim thrown over a bannister, probably produced in Uşak, covers a third of the painting and shows medallions and leaves. The instrument is probably a cittern. The dark coat with five buttons was added by Vermeer in a later stage. The man in the red jacket, a soldier, is fondling the young woman's breast and dropping a coin into her outstretched hand. According to Benjamin Binstock, this "dark and gloomy" painting could be understood as a psychological portrait of his adopted family: 81  and does not represent a didactic message.: 123, 85  Binstock says Vermeer used his family as models; the procuress could be Vermeer's wife Catherina: 231  and the lewd soldier her brother Willem.: 81–82

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, The Procuress (Vermeer).

The Procuress (Dutch: De koppelaarster) is a 1656 oil-on-canvas painting by the then 24-year-old Johannes Vermeer. It can be seen in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden. It is his first genre painting and shows a scene of contemporary life, an image of mercenary love perhaps in a brothel. It differs from his earlier biblical and mythological scenes. It is one of only three paintings Vermeer signed and dated (the other two are The Astronomer and The Geographer). In 1696 the painting, being sold on an auction in Amsterdam, was named "A merry company in a room". The woman in black, the leering coupler, "in a nun's costume",: 224  could be the eponymous procuress, while the man to her right, "wearing a black beret and a doublet with slashed sleeves",: 172  has been identified as a self portrait of the artist; there is a resemblance with the painter in Vermeer's The Art of Painting.It seems Vermeer was influenced by earlier works on the same subject by Gerard ter Borch, and The Procuress (c. 1622) by Dirck van Baburen, which was owned by Vermeer's mother-in-law Maria Thins and hung in her home. Some critics thought the painting is atypical of Vermeer's style and expression, because it lacks the typical light. Pieter Swillens wrote in 1950 that—if the work was by Vermeer at all—it showed the artist "seeking and groping" to find a suitable mode of expression. Eduard Trautscholdt wrote 10 years before that "The temperament of the 24-year-old Vermeer fully emerges for the first time".The jug on the oriental rug is a piece of Westerwald Pottery. The kelim thrown over a bannister, probably produced in Uşak, covers a third of the painting and shows medallions and leaves. The instrument is probably a cittern. The dark coat with five buttons was added by Vermeer in a later stage. The man in the red jacket, a soldier, is fondling the young woman's breast and dropping a coin into her outstretched hand. According to Benjamin Binstock, this "dark and gloomy" painting could be understood as a psychological portrait of his adopted family: 81  and does not represent a didactic message.: 123, 85  Binstock says Vermeer used his family as models; the procuress could be Vermeer's wife Catherina: 231  and the lewd soldier her brother Willem.: 81–82

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: How does The Procuress (Vermeer) explain its abstract?

The Procuress (Dutch: De koppelaarster) is a 1656 oil-on-canvas painting by the then 24-year-old Johannes Vermeer. It can be seen in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden. It is his first genre painting and shows a scene of contemporary life, an image of mercenary love perhaps in a brothel. It differs from his earlier biblical and mythological scenes. It is one of only three paintings Vermeer signed and dated (the other two are The Astronomer and The Geographer). In 1696 the painting, being sold on an auction in Amsterdam, was named "A merry company in a room". The woman in black, the leering coupler, "in a nun's costume",: 224  could be the eponymous procuress, while the man to her right, "wearing a black beret and a doublet with slashed sleeves",: 172  has been identified as a self portrait of the artist; there is a resemblance with the painter in Vermeer's The Art of Painting.It seems Vermeer was influenced by earlier works on the same subject by Gerard ter Borch, and The Procuress (c. 1622) by Dirck van Baburen, which was owned by Vermeer's mother-in-law Maria Thins and hung in her home. Some critics thought the painting is atypical of Vermeer's style and expression, because it lacks the typical light. Pieter Swillens wrote in 1950 that—if the work was by Vermeer at all—it showed the artist "seeking and groping" to find a suitable mode of expression. Eduard Trautscholdt wrote 10 years before that "The temperament of the 24-year-old Vermeer fully emerges for the first time".The jug on the oriental rug is a piece of Westerwald Pottery. The kelim thrown over a bannister, probably produced in Uşak, covers a third of the painting and shows medallions and leaves. The instrument is probably a cittern. The dark coat with five buttons was added by Vermeer in a later stage. The man in the red jacket, a soldier, is fondling the young woman's breast and dropping a coin into her outstretched hand. According to Benjamin Binstock, this "dark and gloomy" painting could be understood as a psychological portrait of his adopted family: 81  and does not represent a didactic message.: 123, 85  Binstock says Vermeer used his family as models; the procuress could be Vermeer's wife Catherina: 231  and the lewd soldier her brother Willem.: 81–82

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: In The Procuress (Vermeer), how is the abstract discussed?

The Procuress (Dutch: De koppelaarster) is a 1656 oil-on-canvas painting by the then 24-year-old Johannes Vermeer. It can be seen in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden. It is his first genre painting and shows a scene of contemporary life, an image of mercenary love perhaps in a brothel. It differs from his earlier biblical and mythological scenes. It is one of only three paintings Vermeer signed and dated (the other two are The Astronomer and The Geographer). In 1696 the painting, being sold on an auction in Amsterdam, was named "A merry company in a room". The woman in black, the leering coupler, "in a nun's costume",: 224  could be the eponymous procuress, while the man to her right, "wearing a black beret and a doublet with slashed sleeves",: 172  has been identified as a self portrait of the artist; there is a resemblance with the painter in Vermeer's The Art of Painting.It seems Vermeer was influenced by earlier works on the same subject by Gerard ter Borch, and The Procuress (c. 1622) by Dirck van Baburen, which was owned by Vermeer's mother-in-law Maria Thins and hung in her home. Some critics thought the painting is atypical of Vermeer's style and expression, because it lacks the typical light. Pieter Swillens wrote in 1950 that—if the work was by Vermeer at all—it showed the artist "seeking and groping" to find a suitable mode of expression. Eduard Trautscholdt wrote 10 years before that "The temperament of the 24-year-old Vermeer fully emerges for the first time".The jug on the oriental rug is a piece of Westerwald Pottery. The kelim thrown over a bannister, probably produced in Uşak, covers a third of the painting and shows medallions and leaves. The instrument is probably a cittern. The dark coat with five buttons was added by Vermeer in a later stage. The man in the red jacket, a soldier, is fondling the young woman's breast and dropping a coin into her outstretched hand. According to Benjamin Binstock, this "dark and gloomy" painting could be understood as a psychological portrait of his adopted family: 81  and does not represent a didactic message.: 123, 85  Binstock says Vermeer used his family as models; the procuress could be Vermeer's wife Catherina: 231  and the lewd soldier her brother Willem.: 81–82

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: Focus on The Procuress (Vermeer) and explain the Provenance and exhibitions.

The painting was in the Waldstein collection in Dux (now Duchcov), then bought in 1741 for August III of Poland, the Elector of Saxony.The painting was exhibited in 1980 at the Restaurierte Kunstwerke in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republic exhibit in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Altes Museum.This painting should not be confused with another painting by the same name, by Dirck van Baburen, nor with a fake version once attributed to Vermeer, of which technical analysis in 2011 revealed that there is Bakelite in the paint, definitively proving that the painting is a modern forgery. It was most probably executed by the notorious forger, Han van Meegeren, who was responsible for producing several fake Vermeers and known to use said resin to harden the paint.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: Explain the Provenance and exhibitions of this artwork, The Procuress (Vermeer).

The painting was in the Waldstein collection in Dux (now Duchcov), then bought in 1741 for August III of Poland, the Elector of Saxony.The painting was exhibited in 1980 at the Restaurierte Kunstwerke in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republic exhibit in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Altes Museum.This painting should not be confused with another painting by the same name, by Dirck van Baburen, nor with a fake version once attributed to Vermeer, of which technical analysis in 2011 revealed that there is Bakelite in the paint, definitively proving that the painting is a modern forgery. It was most probably executed by the notorious forger, Han van Meegeren, who was responsible for producing several fake Vermeers and known to use said resin to harden the paint.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: How does The Procuress (Vermeer) explain its Provenance and exhibitions?

The painting was in the Waldstein collection in Dux (now Duchcov), then bought in 1741 for August III of Poland, the Elector of Saxony.The painting was exhibited in 1980 at the Restaurierte Kunstwerke in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republic exhibit in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Altes Museum.This painting should not be confused with another painting by the same name, by Dirck van Baburen, nor with a fake version once attributed to Vermeer, of which technical analysis in 2011 revealed that there is Bakelite in the paint, definitively proving that the painting is a modern forgery. It was most probably executed by the notorious forger, Han van Meegeren, who was responsible for producing several fake Vermeers and known to use said resin to harden the paint.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: In The Procuress (Vermeer), how is the Provenance and exhibitions discussed?

The painting was in the Waldstein collection in Dux (now Duchcov), then bought in 1741 for August III of Poland, the Elector of Saxony.The painting was exhibited in 1980 at the Restaurierte Kunstwerke in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republic exhibit in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Altes Museum.This painting should not be confused with another painting by the same name, by Dirck van Baburen, nor with a fake version once attributed to Vermeer, of which technical analysis in 2011 revealed that there is Bakelite in the paint, definitively proving that the painting is a modern forgery. It was most probably executed by the notorious forger, Han van Meegeren, who was responsible for producing several fake Vermeers and known to use said resin to harden the paint.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: Focus on The Procuress (Vermeer) and explain the Painting materials.

The technical investigation of this painting was done in 1968 by Hermann Kühn. The pigment analysis revealed Vermeer's use of his usual pigments such as ultramarine in the blue wine jug and lead-tin-yellow in the jacket of the woman. He also employed smalt in the green parts of the tablecloth and in the greenish background which is less usual for him.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: Explain the Painting materials of this artwork, The Procuress (Vermeer).

The technical investigation of this painting was done in 1968 by Hermann Kühn. The pigment analysis revealed Vermeer's use of his usual pigments such as ultramarine in the blue wine jug and lead-tin-yellow in the jacket of the woman. He also employed smalt in the green parts of the tablecloth and in the greenish background which is less usual for him.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: How does The Procuress (Vermeer) explain its Painting materials?

The technical investigation of this painting was done in 1968 by Hermann Kühn. The pigment analysis revealed Vermeer's use of his usual pigments such as ultramarine in the blue wine jug and lead-tin-yellow in the jacket of the woman. He also employed smalt in the green parts of the tablecloth and in the greenish background which is less usual for him.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Procuress (Vermeer)

Prompt: In The Procuress (Vermeer), how is the Painting materials discussed?

The technical investigation of this painting was done in 1968 by Hermann Kühn. The pigment analysis revealed Vermeer's use of his usual pigments such as ultramarine in the blue wine jug and lead-tin-yellow in the jacket of the woman. He also employed smalt in the green parts of the tablecloth and in the greenish background which is less usual for him.

Category:Collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


The Mature Age

Prompt: Focus on The Mature Age and explain the abstract.

The Mature Age (French: L'Âge mûr), also named Destiny, The Path of Life or Fatality (1894–1900) is a sculpture by French artist Camille Claudel. The work was commissioned by the French government in 1895, but the commission was cancelled in 1899 before a bronze was cast. A plaster version of the sculpture was exhibited in 1899, and then cast in bronze privately in 1902.  A second private bronze casting was made in 1913, and it is thought that the plaster version was destroyed at that time.  The two bronzes are exhibited in Paris, the first at the Musée d'Orsay and the second at the Musée Rodin.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, The Mature Age.

The Mature Age (French: L'Âge mûr), also named Destiny, The Path of Life or Fatality (1894–1900) is a sculpture by French artist Camille Claudel. The work was commissioned by the French government in 1895, but the commission was cancelled in 1899 before a bronze was cast. A plaster version of the sculpture was exhibited in 1899, and then cast in bronze privately in 1902.  A second private bronze casting was made in 1913, and it is thought that the plaster version was destroyed at that time.  The two bronzes are exhibited in Paris, the first at the Musée d'Orsay and the second at the Musée Rodin.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: How does The Mature Age explain its abstract?

The Mature Age (French: L'Âge mûr), also named Destiny, The Path of Life or Fatality (1894–1900) is a sculpture by French artist Camille Claudel. The work was commissioned by the French government in 1895, but the commission was cancelled in 1899 before a bronze was cast. A plaster version of the sculpture was exhibited in 1899, and then cast in bronze privately in 1902.  A second private bronze casting was made in 1913, and it is thought that the plaster version was destroyed at that time.  The two bronzes are exhibited in Paris, the first at the Musée d'Orsay and the second at the Musée Rodin.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: In The Mature Age, how is the abstract discussed?

The Mature Age (French: L'Âge mûr), also named Destiny, The Path of Life or Fatality (1894–1900) is a sculpture by French artist Camille Claudel. The work was commissioned by the French government in 1895, but the commission was cancelled in 1899 before a bronze was cast. A plaster version of the sculpture was exhibited in 1899, and then cast in bronze privately in 1902.  A second private bronze casting was made in 1913, and it is thought that the plaster version was destroyed at that time.  The two bronzes are exhibited in Paris, the first at the Musée d'Orsay and the second at the Musée Rodin.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: Focus on The Mature Age and explain the Background.

Auguste Rodin had taken Camille Claudel on as a student in 1884, and she became his associate and lover.  He eventually refused to marry her, reluctant to end his long-term relationship with Rose Beuret, mother of his son and later his wife.  This love triangle, and an abortion, caused a separation between Claudel and Rodin in 1892, but they remained on reasonable terms until 1898.  Rodin tried to help Claudel through the agency of another person, and obtained an official commission for her from the Inspector of Fine Arts Armand Silvestre, in 1895, her first commission from the French state.  The evolution of the work can be judged from official reports made by Inspector Armand Dayot.The final rupture between Claudel and Rodin came in 1898, when she moved away and opened her own studio.  The commission was cancelled in unusual circumstances in June 1899 by the Fine Arts Director, Henry Roujon.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: Explain the Background of this artwork, The Mature Age.

Auguste Rodin had taken Camille Claudel on as a student in 1884, and she became his associate and lover.  He eventually refused to marry her, reluctant to end his long-term relationship with Rose Beuret, mother of his son and later his wife.  This love triangle, and an abortion, caused a separation between Claudel and Rodin in 1892, but they remained on reasonable terms until 1898.  Rodin tried to help Claudel through the agency of another person, and obtained an official commission for her from the Inspector of Fine Arts Armand Silvestre, in 1895, her first commission from the French state.  The evolution of the work can be judged from official reports made by Inspector Armand Dayot.The final rupture between Claudel and Rodin came in 1898, when she moved away and opened her own studio.  The commission was cancelled in unusual circumstances in June 1899 by the Fine Arts Director, Henry Roujon.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: How does The Mature Age explain its Background?

Auguste Rodin had taken Camille Claudel on as a student in 1884, and she became his associate and lover.  He eventually refused to marry her, reluctant to end his long-term relationship with Rose Beuret, mother of his son and later his wife.  This love triangle, and an abortion, caused a separation between Claudel and Rodin in 1892, but they remained on reasonable terms until 1898.  Rodin tried to help Claudel through the agency of another person, and obtained an official commission for her from the Inspector of Fine Arts Armand Silvestre, in 1895, her first commission from the French state.  The evolution of the work can be judged from official reports made by Inspector Armand Dayot.The final rupture between Claudel and Rodin came in 1898, when she moved away and opened her own studio.  The commission was cancelled in unusual circumstances in June 1899 by the Fine Arts Director, Henry Roujon.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: In The Mature Age, how is the Background discussed?

Auguste Rodin had taken Camille Claudel on as a student in 1884, and she became his associate and lover.  He eventually refused to marry her, reluctant to end his long-term relationship with Rose Beuret, mother of his son and later his wife.  This love triangle, and an abortion, caused a separation between Claudel and Rodin in 1892, but they remained on reasonable terms until 1898.  Rodin tried to help Claudel through the agency of another person, and obtained an official commission for her from the Inspector of Fine Arts Armand Silvestre, in 1895, her first commission from the French state.  The evolution of the work can be judged from official reports made by Inspector Armand Dayot.The final rupture between Claudel and Rodin came in 1898, when she moved away and opened her own studio.  The commission was cancelled in unusual circumstances in June 1899 by the Fine Arts Director, Henry Roujon.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: Focus on The Mature Age and explain the Description.

The work comprises three naked figures with swirling drapes:  a young woman kneeling has just released the hand of the second figure, an older standing man, and he is being drawn away by the embrace of the third person, an older woman.  It can be viewed as an allegory of ageing, the man leaving behind youth and progressing towards maturity and eventual death; but it can also be interpreted as reflecting Claudel's abandonment by Rodin: she is pleading with Rodin, but he has returned to Beuret. Claudel explained this symbolism in letters to her brother Paul Claudel, then consul in New York. According to her, the group represents Destiny. On the basis of these letters, The Mature Age can be considered an autobiographical work.The older woman is identified by some with the Goddess of Fates Clotho (another Claudel sculpture represented the goddess in 1893) or Venus. The young woman that represents Youth has been exhibited as Le Dieu Envolé (The God Has Flown Away), which references the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus.Rodin was shocked and angered when he saw the sculpture for the first time in 1899.  He cut off support for Claudel, and may have influenced the Ministry of Fine Arts to cancel their commission.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: Explain the Description of this artwork, The Mature Age.

The work comprises three naked figures with swirling drapes:  a young woman kneeling has just released the hand of the second figure, an older standing man, and he is being drawn away by the embrace of the third person, an older woman.  It can be viewed as an allegory of ageing, the man leaving behind youth and progressing towards maturity and eventual death; but it can also be interpreted as reflecting Claudel's abandonment by Rodin: she is pleading with Rodin, but he has returned to Beuret. Claudel explained this symbolism in letters to her brother Paul Claudel, then consul in New York. According to her, the group represents Destiny. On the basis of these letters, The Mature Age can be considered an autobiographical work.The older woman is identified by some with the Goddess of Fates Clotho (another Claudel sculpture represented the goddess in 1893) or Venus. The young woman that represents Youth has been exhibited as Le Dieu Envolé (The God Has Flown Away), which references the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus.Rodin was shocked and angered when he saw the sculpture for the first time in 1899.  He cut off support for Claudel, and may have influenced the Ministry of Fine Arts to cancel their commission.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: How does The Mature Age explain its Description?

The work comprises three naked figures with swirling drapes:  a young woman kneeling has just released the hand of the second figure, an older standing man, and he is being drawn away by the embrace of the third person, an older woman.  It can be viewed as an allegory of ageing, the man leaving behind youth and progressing towards maturity and eventual death; but it can also be interpreted as reflecting Claudel's abandonment by Rodin: she is pleading with Rodin, but he has returned to Beuret. Claudel explained this symbolism in letters to her brother Paul Claudel, then consul in New York. According to her, the group represents Destiny. On the basis of these letters, The Mature Age can be considered an autobiographical work.The older woman is identified by some with the Goddess of Fates Clotho (another Claudel sculpture represented the goddess in 1893) or Venus. The young woman that represents Youth has been exhibited as Le Dieu Envolé (The God Has Flown Away), which references the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus.Rodin was shocked and angered when he saw the sculpture for the first time in 1899.  He cut off support for Claudel, and may have influenced the Ministry of Fine Arts to cancel their commission.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: In The Mature Age, how is the Description discussed?

The work comprises three naked figures with swirling drapes:  a young woman kneeling has just released the hand of the second figure, an older standing man, and he is being drawn away by the embrace of the third person, an older woman.  It can be viewed as an allegory of ageing, the man leaving behind youth and progressing towards maturity and eventual death; but it can also be interpreted as reflecting Claudel's abandonment by Rodin: she is pleading with Rodin, but he has returned to Beuret. Claudel explained this symbolism in letters to her brother Paul Claudel, then consul in New York. According to her, the group represents Destiny. On the basis of these letters, The Mature Age can be considered an autobiographical work.The older woman is identified by some with the Goddess of Fates Clotho (another Claudel sculpture represented the goddess in 1893) or Venus. The young woman that represents Youth has been exhibited as Le Dieu Envolé (The God Has Flown Away), which references the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus.Rodin was shocked and angered when he saw the sculpture for the first time in 1899.  He cut off support for Claudel, and may have influenced the Ministry of Fine Arts to cancel their commission.

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: Focus on The Mature Age and explain the Evolution.

The sculpture reflects work by Claudel from at least 1893.  A design from the end of 1893 is held by the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and she referred to a "group of three" in a letter to her brother Paul in December 1893.  Claudel made a first plaster version of the sculpture in 1894-95, with three figures, one kneeling and two standing, in a more closed composition than the final version.  This first plaster version is held by the Musée Rodin.  It measures 87 cm × 103.5 cm × 52.5 cm (34.3 in × 40.7 in × 20.7 in).Claudel altered the composition to create a more dynamic second version, with two figures leaving the third behind.  The revised composition was completed in 1898, and exhibited in plaster in 1899 at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.The initial project shows the man to be resistant to the old woman but in the second project, he simply allows himself to be led away. Paul Claudel opines that these are not "the two versions of the same event, but of two chapters of a single drama."It was cast in bronze in 1902 by Thiebaut Frères for a private client, Captain Tissier.  The bronze was also exhibited at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1902, and at the Société des Artistes Français in 1903.  It was kept by Captain (later General) Tissier and his son André until 1982, when it was bought by the Musée d'Orsay.  It measures 114 cm × 163 cm × 72 cm (45 in × 64 in × 28 in) and weighs 350 kg (770 lb).A second bronze was cast by Frédéric Carvilhani in 1913, and is exhibited at the Musée Rodin since donated by Paul Claudel in 1952. It measures 121 cm × 180 cm × 73 cm (48 in × 71 in × 29 in), on a plinth of 10 cm × 195 cm × 78 cm (3.9 in × 76.8 in × 30.7 in).An edition of six smaller bronze version of the complete sculpture were made for Eugène Blot, and separate bronzes of the old man and the young woman, including 20 casts of the young woman ("l'Implorante") in its original size and 100 smaller versions.  The pleasing woman was known as The Vanished God in around 1905. It measures 61.5 cm × 85 cm × 375 cm (24.2 in × 33.5 in × 147.6 in).Paul Claudel, the artist's brother, commented on the work: "Ma soeur Camille, implorante, humiliée à genoux, cette superbe, cette orgueilleuse, et savez-vous ce qui s'arrache à elle, en ce moment même, sous vos yeux, c'est son âme". ("My sister Camille, imploring, humiliated on her knees, this great proud woman, and you know what is tearing at her, right now, before your eyes, it's her soul")

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: Explain the Evolution of this artwork, The Mature Age.

The sculpture reflects work by Claudel from at least 1893.  A design from the end of 1893 is held by the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and she referred to a "group of three" in a letter to her brother Paul in December 1893.  Claudel made a first plaster version of the sculpture in 1894-95, with three figures, one kneeling and two standing, in a more closed composition than the final version.  This first plaster version is held by the Musée Rodin.  It measures 87 cm × 103.5 cm × 52.5 cm (34.3 in × 40.7 in × 20.7 in).Claudel altered the composition to create a more dynamic second version, with two figures leaving the third behind.  The revised composition was completed in 1898, and exhibited in plaster in 1899 at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.The initial project shows the man to be resistant to the old woman but in the second project, he simply allows himself to be led away. Paul Claudel opines that these are not "the two versions of the same event, but of two chapters of a single drama."It was cast in bronze in 1902 by Thiebaut Frères for a private client, Captain Tissier.  The bronze was also exhibited at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1902, and at the Société des Artistes Français in 1903.  It was kept by Captain (later General) Tissier and his son André until 1982, when it was bought by the Musée d'Orsay.  It measures 114 cm × 163 cm × 72 cm (45 in × 64 in × 28 in) and weighs 350 kg (770 lb).A second bronze was cast by Frédéric Carvilhani in 1913, and is exhibited at the Musée Rodin since donated by Paul Claudel in 1952. It measures 121 cm × 180 cm × 73 cm (48 in × 71 in × 29 in), on a plinth of 10 cm × 195 cm × 78 cm (3.9 in × 76.8 in × 30.7 in).An edition of six smaller bronze version of the complete sculpture were made for Eugène Blot, and separate bronzes of the old man and the young woman, including 20 casts of the young woman ("l'Implorante") in its original size and 100 smaller versions.  The pleasing woman was known as The Vanished God in around 1905. It measures 61.5 cm × 85 cm × 375 cm (24.2 in × 33.5 in × 147.6 in).Paul Claudel, the artist's brother, commented on the work: "Ma soeur Camille, implorante, humiliée à genoux, cette superbe, cette orgueilleuse, et savez-vous ce qui s'arrache à elle, en ce moment même, sous vos yeux, c'est son âme". ("My sister Camille, imploring, humiliated on her knees, this great proud woman, and you know what is tearing at her, right now, before your eyes, it's her soul")

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: How does The Mature Age explain its Evolution?

The sculpture reflects work by Claudel from at least 1893.  A design from the end of 1893 is held by the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and she referred to a "group of three" in a letter to her brother Paul in December 1893.  Claudel made a first plaster version of the sculpture in 1894-95, with three figures, one kneeling and two standing, in a more closed composition than the final version.  This first plaster version is held by the Musée Rodin.  It measures 87 cm × 103.5 cm × 52.5 cm (34.3 in × 40.7 in × 20.7 in).Claudel altered the composition to create a more dynamic second version, with two figures leaving the third behind.  The revised composition was completed in 1898, and exhibited in plaster in 1899 at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.The initial project shows the man to be resistant to the old woman but in the second project, he simply allows himself to be led away. Paul Claudel opines that these are not "the two versions of the same event, but of two chapters of a single drama."It was cast in bronze in 1902 by Thiebaut Frères for a private client, Captain Tissier.  The bronze was also exhibited at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1902, and at the Société des Artistes Français in 1903.  It was kept by Captain (later General) Tissier and his son André until 1982, when it was bought by the Musée d'Orsay.  It measures 114 cm × 163 cm × 72 cm (45 in × 64 in × 28 in) and weighs 350 kg (770 lb).A second bronze was cast by Frédéric Carvilhani in 1913, and is exhibited at the Musée Rodin since donated by Paul Claudel in 1952. It measures 121 cm × 180 cm × 73 cm (48 in × 71 in × 29 in), on a plinth of 10 cm × 195 cm × 78 cm (3.9 in × 76.8 in × 30.7 in).An edition of six smaller bronze version of the complete sculpture were made for Eugène Blot, and separate bronzes of the old man and the young woman, including 20 casts of the young woman ("l'Implorante") in its original size and 100 smaller versions.  The pleasing woman was known as The Vanished God in around 1905. It measures 61.5 cm × 85 cm × 375 cm (24.2 in × 33.5 in × 147.6 in).Paul Claudel, the artist's brother, commented on the work: "Ma soeur Camille, implorante, humiliée à genoux, cette superbe, cette orgueilleuse, et savez-vous ce qui s'arrache à elle, en ce moment même, sous vos yeux, c'est son âme". ("My sister Camille, imploring, humiliated on her knees, this great proud woman, and you know what is tearing at her, right now, before your eyes, it's her soul")

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


The Mature Age

Prompt: In The Mature Age, how is the Evolution discussed?

The sculpture reflects work by Claudel from at least 1893.  A design from the end of 1893 is held by the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and she referred to a "group of three" in a letter to her brother Paul in December 1893.  Claudel made a first plaster version of the sculpture in 1894-95, with three figures, one kneeling and two standing, in a more closed composition than the final version.  This first plaster version is held by the Musée Rodin.  It measures 87 cm × 103.5 cm × 52.5 cm (34.3 in × 40.7 in × 20.7 in).Claudel altered the composition to create a more dynamic second version, with two figures leaving the third behind.  The revised composition was completed in 1898, and exhibited in plaster in 1899 at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.The initial project shows the man to be resistant to the old woman but in the second project, he simply allows himself to be led away. Paul Claudel opines that these are not "the two versions of the same event, but of two chapters of a single drama."It was cast in bronze in 1902 by Thiebaut Frères for a private client, Captain Tissier.  The bronze was also exhibited at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1902, and at the Société des Artistes Français in 1903.  It was kept by Captain (later General) Tissier and his son André until 1982, when it was bought by the Musée d'Orsay.  It measures 114 cm × 163 cm × 72 cm (45 in × 64 in × 28 in) and weighs 350 kg (770 lb).A second bronze was cast by Frédéric Carvilhani in 1913, and is exhibited at the Musée Rodin since donated by Paul Claudel in 1952. It measures 121 cm × 180 cm × 73 cm (48 in × 71 in × 29 in), on a plinth of 10 cm × 195 cm × 78 cm (3.9 in × 76.8 in × 30.7 in).An edition of six smaller bronze version of the complete sculpture were made for Eugène Blot, and separate bronzes of the old man and the young woman, including 20 casts of the young woman ("l'Implorante") in its original size and 100 smaller versions.  The pleasing woman was known as The Vanished God in around 1905. It measures 61.5 cm × 85 cm × 375 cm (24.2 in × 33.5 in × 147.6 in).Paul Claudel, the artist's brother, commented on the work: "Ma soeur Camille, implorante, humiliée à genoux, cette superbe, cette orgueilleuse, et savez-vous ce qui s'arrache à elle, en ce moment même, sous vos yeux, c'est son âme". ("My sister Camille, imploring, humiliated on her knees, this great proud woman, and you know what is tearing at her, right now, before your eyes, it's her soul")

Category:Sculptures in the Musée d'Orsay

the story of Psyche and Cupid, whose love is forbidden by Venus

1902 bronze casting, at the [[Musée d'Orsay


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: Focus on Madonna della Vittoria and explain the abstract.

The Madonna della Vittoria is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna; the painting was executed in 1496.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Madonna della Vittoria.

The Madonna della Vittoria is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna; the painting was executed in 1496.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: How does Madonna della Vittoria explain its abstract?

The Madonna della Vittoria is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna; the painting was executed in 1496.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: In Madonna della Vittoria, how is the abstract discussed?

The Madonna della Vittoria is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna; the painting was executed in 1496.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: Focus on Madonna della Vittoria and explain the History.

On 6 July 1495 the French army of Charles VIII of France, retreating from Italy after the French Invasion of 1494-1498, fought the Italic League at the Battle of Fornovo.  The League, commanded by Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua, was made up of numerous nation-states determined to prevent French dominance in Italy, and included the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Venice, Milan, and the Papal States controlled by Pope Alexander VI. Despite the League failing in its goal to destroy the French army, taking more casualties at Fornovo, and allowing Charles VIII to retreat back to France with his army intact, Francesco claimed victory. As a sign of his self-proclaimed victory at Fornovo, he commissioned Mantegna to paint the Madonna della Vittoria.During Francesco's absence from Mantua, Daniele da Norsa, a Jewish banker, had purchased a house in the city's San Simone quarter and replaced the image of the Virgin Mary which decorated its façade with his own coat of arms. The regent, Sigismondo Gonzaga, ordered him to restore the depiction. Although Daniele agreed to do so, the populace, inflamed by anti-semitic feeling, destroyed his house.When Francesco returned, he forced Daniele to fund a chapel and a devotional painting. The painting was to be executed by the Mantuan court painter, Mantegna, and was inaugurated in 1496 on the anniversary of the duke's victory at Fornovo. The work was placed in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which had been constructed over the ruins of Daniele da Norsa's house.The painting was one of the artworks looted by the French during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy, and by 1798 was being exhibited in the Louvre. The painting was never returned; the given excuse was that its large size made the transport difficult. The presence of a sulphur-crested cockatoo in the painting is considered as evidence of Arab trade in the Australasian region which dates all the way to when one such bird was gifted from Sultan al-Kamil to Frederick II in the 1240s.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: Explain the History of this artwork, Madonna della Vittoria.

On 6 July 1495 the French army of Charles VIII of France, retreating from Italy after the French Invasion of 1494-1498, fought the Italic League at the Battle of Fornovo.  The League, commanded by Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua, was made up of numerous nation-states determined to prevent French dominance in Italy, and included the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Venice, Milan, and the Papal States controlled by Pope Alexander VI. Despite the League failing in its goal to destroy the French army, taking more casualties at Fornovo, and allowing Charles VIII to retreat back to France with his army intact, Francesco claimed victory. As a sign of his self-proclaimed victory at Fornovo, he commissioned Mantegna to paint the Madonna della Vittoria.During Francesco's absence from Mantua, Daniele da Norsa, a Jewish banker, had purchased a house in the city's San Simone quarter and replaced the image of the Virgin Mary which decorated its façade with his own coat of arms. The regent, Sigismondo Gonzaga, ordered him to restore the depiction. Although Daniele agreed to do so, the populace, inflamed by anti-semitic feeling, destroyed his house.When Francesco returned, he forced Daniele to fund a chapel and a devotional painting. The painting was to be executed by the Mantuan court painter, Mantegna, and was inaugurated in 1496 on the anniversary of the duke's victory at Fornovo. The work was placed in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which had been constructed over the ruins of Daniele da Norsa's house.The painting was one of the artworks looted by the French during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy, and by 1798 was being exhibited in the Louvre. The painting was never returned; the given excuse was that its large size made the transport difficult. The presence of a sulphur-crested cockatoo in the painting is considered as evidence of Arab trade in the Australasian region which dates all the way to when one such bird was gifted from Sultan al-Kamil to Frederick II in the 1240s.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: How does Madonna della Vittoria explain its History?

On 6 July 1495 the French army of Charles VIII of France, retreating from Italy after the French Invasion of 1494-1498, fought the Italic League at the Battle of Fornovo.  The League, commanded by Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua, was made up of numerous nation-states determined to prevent French dominance in Italy, and included the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Venice, Milan, and the Papal States controlled by Pope Alexander VI. Despite the League failing in its goal to destroy the French army, taking more casualties at Fornovo, and allowing Charles VIII to retreat back to France with his army intact, Francesco claimed victory. As a sign of his self-proclaimed victory at Fornovo, he commissioned Mantegna to paint the Madonna della Vittoria.During Francesco's absence from Mantua, Daniele da Norsa, a Jewish banker, had purchased a house in the city's San Simone quarter and replaced the image of the Virgin Mary which decorated its façade with his own coat of arms. The regent, Sigismondo Gonzaga, ordered him to restore the depiction. Although Daniele agreed to do so, the populace, inflamed by anti-semitic feeling, destroyed his house.When Francesco returned, he forced Daniele to fund a chapel and a devotional painting. The painting was to be executed by the Mantuan court painter, Mantegna, and was inaugurated in 1496 on the anniversary of the duke's victory at Fornovo. The work was placed in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which had been constructed over the ruins of Daniele da Norsa's house.The painting was one of the artworks looted by the French during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy, and by 1798 was being exhibited in the Louvre. The painting was never returned; the given excuse was that its large size made the transport difficult. The presence of a sulphur-crested cockatoo in the painting is considered as evidence of Arab trade in the Australasian region which dates all the way to when one such bird was gifted from Sultan al-Kamil to Frederick II in the 1240s.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: In Madonna della Vittoria, how is the History discussed?

On 6 July 1495 the French army of Charles VIII of France, retreating from Italy after the French Invasion of 1494-1498, fought the Italic League at the Battle of Fornovo.  The League, commanded by Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua, was made up of numerous nation-states determined to prevent French dominance in Italy, and included the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Venice, Milan, and the Papal States controlled by Pope Alexander VI. Despite the League failing in its goal to destroy the French army, taking more casualties at Fornovo, and allowing Charles VIII to retreat back to France with his army intact, Francesco claimed victory. As a sign of his self-proclaimed victory at Fornovo, he commissioned Mantegna to paint the Madonna della Vittoria.During Francesco's absence from Mantua, Daniele da Norsa, a Jewish banker, had purchased a house in the city's San Simone quarter and replaced the image of the Virgin Mary which decorated its façade with his own coat of arms. The regent, Sigismondo Gonzaga, ordered him to restore the depiction. Although Daniele agreed to do so, the populace, inflamed by anti-semitic feeling, destroyed his house.When Francesco returned, he forced Daniele to fund a chapel and a devotional painting. The painting was to be executed by the Mantuan court painter, Mantegna, and was inaugurated in 1496 on the anniversary of the duke's victory at Fornovo. The work was placed in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which had been constructed over the ruins of Daniele da Norsa's house.The painting was one of the artworks looted by the French during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy, and by 1798 was being exhibited in the Louvre. The painting was never returned; the given excuse was that its large size made the transport difficult. The presence of a sulphur-crested cockatoo in the painting is considered as evidence of Arab trade in the Australasian region which dates all the way to when one such bird was gifted from Sultan al-Kamil to Frederick II in the 1240s.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: Focus on Madonna della Vittoria and explain the Description.

The altarpiece shows Francesco Gonzaga paying homage to Mary, who sits on a high throne decorated with marbles intarsias and bas-reliefs. The base of the throne, with lion paws, has, within a medallion, the inscription "REGINA/CELI LET./ALLELVIA" (Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia); it lies on a circular basement with a bas-relief of the "Original Sin" and other stories from the Book of Genesis which are partly obscured by the praying figures. The throne's back has a large solar disc, decorated with weavings and vitreous pearls.The child Jesus, who holds two red flowers (symbols of the Passion) and Mary look at Francesco Gonzaga, who is kneeling and has a grateful and smiling expression while receiving their blessing. The protection given to Gonzaga during the battle is also symbolized by Mary's mantle, which partially covers his head. Opposite to the donor are St. John the Baptist with a cross featuring the usual cartouche saying "ECCE/AGNVS/DEI ECCE/Q[VI] TOLL/IT P[ECCATA] M[VNDI]" (Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world), and his mother, St. Elizabeth, protector of Isabella d'Este, wife of Francesco Gonzaga. The choice of St. Elizabeth in the place of a patron may have been chosen as a message of judgement to the Norsa who were made to pay for the work as a penalty for removing an image of the Madonna from their home.  Unlike the Norsa, St. Elizabeth who is represented as a Jewess in a yellow turban, was said to be the first to recognize the sanctity of Mary.At the sides are two couples of standing saints: in the foreground are two military saints, the archangel St. Michael with a sword and St. Longinus with a broken spear, donning richly decorated armors; behind them are St. Andrew, patron saint of Mantua, with a long stick with the cross and St. George, another military saint, with a helmet and a long red lance.The scene is set in an apse formed by a pergola of leaves, flowers and fruits, with several birds; the pergola's frame has at the top a shell (an attribute of the Virgin as new Venus), from which hang threads of coral pearls and rock crystal, as well as a large piece of red coral, another hint to the Passion of Jesus. The parrot is a comment on the birth of Jesus.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: Explain the Description of this artwork, Madonna della Vittoria.

The altarpiece shows Francesco Gonzaga paying homage to Mary, who sits on a high throne decorated with marbles intarsias and bas-reliefs. The base of the throne, with lion paws, has, within a medallion, the inscription "REGINA/CELI LET./ALLELVIA" (Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia); it lies on a circular basement with a bas-relief of the "Original Sin" and other stories from the Book of Genesis which are partly obscured by the praying figures. The throne's back has a large solar disc, decorated with weavings and vitreous pearls.The child Jesus, who holds two red flowers (symbols of the Passion) and Mary look at Francesco Gonzaga, who is kneeling and has a grateful and smiling expression while receiving their blessing. The protection given to Gonzaga during the battle is also symbolized by Mary's mantle, which partially covers his head. Opposite to the donor are St. John the Baptist with a cross featuring the usual cartouche saying "ECCE/AGNVS/DEI ECCE/Q[VI] TOLL/IT P[ECCATA] M[VNDI]" (Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world), and his mother, St. Elizabeth, protector of Isabella d'Este, wife of Francesco Gonzaga. The choice of St. Elizabeth in the place of a patron may have been chosen as a message of judgement to the Norsa who were made to pay for the work as a penalty for removing an image of the Madonna from their home.  Unlike the Norsa, St. Elizabeth who is represented as a Jewess in a yellow turban, was said to be the first to recognize the sanctity of Mary.At the sides are two couples of standing saints: in the foreground are two military saints, the archangel St. Michael with a sword and St. Longinus with a broken spear, donning richly decorated armors; behind them are St. Andrew, patron saint of Mantua, with a long stick with the cross and St. George, another military saint, with a helmet and a long red lance.The scene is set in an apse formed by a pergola of leaves, flowers and fruits, with several birds; the pergola's frame has at the top a shell (an attribute of the Virgin as new Venus), from which hang threads of coral pearls and rock crystal, as well as a large piece of red coral, another hint to the Passion of Jesus. The parrot is a comment on the birth of Jesus.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: How does Madonna della Vittoria explain its Description?

The altarpiece shows Francesco Gonzaga paying homage to Mary, who sits on a high throne decorated with marbles intarsias and bas-reliefs. The base of the throne, with lion paws, has, within a medallion, the inscription "REGINA/CELI LET./ALLELVIA" (Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia); it lies on a circular basement with a bas-relief of the "Original Sin" and other stories from the Book of Genesis which are partly obscured by the praying figures. The throne's back has a large solar disc, decorated with weavings and vitreous pearls.The child Jesus, who holds two red flowers (symbols of the Passion) and Mary look at Francesco Gonzaga, who is kneeling and has a grateful and smiling expression while receiving their blessing. The protection given to Gonzaga during the battle is also symbolized by Mary's mantle, which partially covers his head. Opposite to the donor are St. John the Baptist with a cross featuring the usual cartouche saying "ECCE/AGNVS/DEI ECCE/Q[VI] TOLL/IT P[ECCATA] M[VNDI]" (Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world), and his mother, St. Elizabeth, protector of Isabella d'Este, wife of Francesco Gonzaga. The choice of St. Elizabeth in the place of a patron may have been chosen as a message of judgement to the Norsa who were made to pay for the work as a penalty for removing an image of the Madonna from their home.  Unlike the Norsa, St. Elizabeth who is represented as a Jewess in a yellow turban, was said to be the first to recognize the sanctity of Mary.At the sides are two couples of standing saints: in the foreground are two military saints, the archangel St. Michael with a sword and St. Longinus with a broken spear, donning richly decorated armors; behind them are St. Andrew, patron saint of Mantua, with a long stick with the cross and St. George, another military saint, with a helmet and a long red lance.The scene is set in an apse formed by a pergola of leaves, flowers and fruits, with several birds; the pergola's frame has at the top a shell (an attribute of the Virgin as new Venus), from which hang threads of coral pearls and rock crystal, as well as a large piece of red coral, another hint to the Passion of Jesus. The parrot is a comment on the birth of Jesus.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna della Vittoria

Prompt: In Madonna della Vittoria, how is the Description discussed?

The altarpiece shows Francesco Gonzaga paying homage to Mary, who sits on a high throne decorated with marbles intarsias and bas-reliefs. The base of the throne, with lion paws, has, within a medallion, the inscription "REGINA/CELI LET./ALLELVIA" (Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia); it lies on a circular basement with a bas-relief of the "Original Sin" and other stories from the Book of Genesis which are partly obscured by the praying figures. The throne's back has a large solar disc, decorated with weavings and vitreous pearls.The child Jesus, who holds two red flowers (symbols of the Passion) and Mary look at Francesco Gonzaga, who is kneeling and has a grateful and smiling expression while receiving their blessing. The protection given to Gonzaga during the battle is also symbolized by Mary's mantle, which partially covers his head. Opposite to the donor are St. John the Baptist with a cross featuring the usual cartouche saying "ECCE/AGNVS/DEI ECCE/Q[VI] TOLL/IT P[ECCATA] M[VNDI]" (Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world), and his mother, St. Elizabeth, protector of Isabella d'Este, wife of Francesco Gonzaga. The choice of St. Elizabeth in the place of a patron may have been chosen as a message of judgement to the Norsa who were made to pay for the work as a penalty for removing an image of the Madonna from their home.  Unlike the Norsa, St. Elizabeth who is represented as a Jewess in a yellow turban, was said to be the first to recognize the sanctity of Mary.At the sides are two couples of standing saints: in the foreground are two military saints, the archangel St. Michael with a sword and St. Longinus with a broken spear, donning richly decorated armors; behind them are St. Andrew, patron saint of Mantua, with a long stick with the cross and St. George, another military saint, with a helmet and a long red lance.The scene is set in an apse formed by a pergola of leaves, flowers and fruits, with several birds; the pergola's frame has at the top a shell (an attribute of the Virgin as new Venus), from which hang threads of coral pearls and rock crystal, as well as a large piece of red coral, another hint to the Passion of Jesus. The parrot is a comment on the birth of Jesus.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 03, francesco Gonzaga.jpg

Category:Paintings of Michael (archangel)

Category:Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists

File:Mantegna, madonna della vittoria, dettaglio 01.jpg

Category:Paintings of Saint George (martyr)

Category:Paintings of Andrew the Apostle

Category:Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure)


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: Focus on Madonna with the Long Neck and explain the abstract.

The Madonna with the Long Neck (Italian: Madonna dal collo lungo), also known as Madonna and Long Child with Angels and St. Jerome, is an Italian Mannerist oil painting by  Parmigianino, dating from c. 1535-1540 and depicting Madonna and Child with angels. The painting was begun in 1534 for the funerary chapel of Francesco Tagliaferri in Parma, but remained incomplete on Parmigianino's death in 1540. Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, purchased it in 1698 and it has been on display at the Uffizi since 1948.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Madonna with the Long Neck.

The Madonna with the Long Neck (Italian: Madonna dal collo lungo), also known as Madonna and Long Child with Angels and St. Jerome, is an Italian Mannerist oil painting by  Parmigianino, dating from c. 1535-1540 and depicting Madonna and Child with angels. The painting was begun in 1534 for the funerary chapel of Francesco Tagliaferri in Parma, but remained incomplete on Parmigianino's death in 1540. Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, purchased it in 1698 and it has been on display at the Uffizi since 1948.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: How does Madonna with the Long Neck explain its abstract?

The Madonna with the Long Neck (Italian: Madonna dal collo lungo), also known as Madonna and Long Child with Angels and St. Jerome, is an Italian Mannerist oil painting by  Parmigianino, dating from c. 1535-1540 and depicting Madonna and Child with angels. The painting was begun in 1534 for the funerary chapel of Francesco Tagliaferri in Parma, but remained incomplete on Parmigianino's death in 1540. Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, purchased it in 1698 and it has been on display at the Uffizi since 1948.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: In Madonna with the Long Neck, how is the abstract discussed?

The Madonna with the Long Neck (Italian: Madonna dal collo lungo), also known as Madonna and Long Child with Angels and St. Jerome, is an Italian Mannerist oil painting by  Parmigianino, dating from c. 1535-1540 and depicting Madonna and Child with angels. The painting was begun in 1534 for the funerary chapel of Francesco Tagliaferri in Parma, but remained incomplete on Parmigianino's death in 1540. Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, purchased it in 1698 and it has been on display at the Uffizi since 1948.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: Focus on Madonna with the Long Neck and explain the Description.

The painting depicts the Virgin Mary seated on a high pedestal in luxurious robes, holding a large baby Jesus on her lap.  Six angels crowded together on the Madonna's right adore the Christ-child. In the lower right-hand corner of the painting is an enigmatic scene, with a row of marble columns and the emaciated figure of St. Jerome. A depiction of St. Jerome was required by the commissioner because of the saint's connection with the adoration of the Virgin Mary.The painting is popularly called Madonna of the Long Neck because "the painter, in his eagerness to make the Holy Virgin look graceful and elegant, has given her a neck like that of a swan." On the unusual arrangement of figures, Austrian-British art historian E. H. Gombrich writes:Instead of distributing his figures in equal pairs on both sides of the Madonna, he crammed a jostling crowd of angels into a narrow corner, and left the other side wide open to show the tall figure of the prophet, so reduced in size through the distance that he hardly reaches the Madonna's knee. There can be no doubt, then, that if this be madness there is method in it. The painter wanted to be unorthodox. He wanted to show that the classical solution of perfect harmony is not the only solution conceivable ... Parmigianino and all the artists of his time who deliberately sought to create something new and unexpected, even at the expense of the 'natural' beauty established by the great masters, were perhaps the first 'modern' artists.Parmigianino has distorted nature for his own artistic purposes, creating a typical Mannerist figura serpentinata. Jesus is also extremely large for a baby, and he lies precariously on Mary's lap as if about to fall at any moment. The Madonna herself is of hardly human proportions—she is almost twice the size of the angels to her right. Her right foot rests on cushions that appear to be only a few inches away from the picture plane, but the foot itself seems to project beyond it, and is thus on "our" side of the canvas, breaking the conventions of a framed picture. Her slender hands and long fingers have also led the Italian medical scientist Vito Franco of the University of Palermo to diagnose that Parmigianino's model had the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome affecting her connective tissue.Following a recent restoration of the painting, the unfinished face of an angel just below the Madonna's right elbow can be seen more clearly. Also the angel in the middle of the bottom row now looks at the vase held by the angel on his right, in which can be seen the faint image of a cross. Before the restoration this angel looked down at the Christ child. The changes made during the restoration likely reflect the original painting, which must have been altered at some time in its history. The angel who faces the viewer has a resemblance to Parmigianino's Antea portrait.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino

Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: Explain the Description of this artwork, Madonna with the Long Neck.

The painting depicts the Virgin Mary seated on a high pedestal in luxurious robes, holding a large baby Jesus on her lap.  Six angels crowded together on the Madonna's right adore the Christ-child. In the lower right-hand corner of the painting is an enigmatic scene, with a row of marble columns and the emaciated figure of St. Jerome. A depiction of St. Jerome was required by the commissioner because of the saint's connection with the adoration of the Virgin Mary.The painting is popularly called Madonna of the Long Neck because "the painter, in his eagerness to make the Holy Virgin look graceful and elegant, has given her a neck like that of a swan." On the unusual arrangement of figures, Austrian-British art historian E. H. Gombrich writes:Instead of distributing his figures in equal pairs on both sides of the Madonna, he crammed a jostling crowd of angels into a narrow corner, and left the other side wide open to show the tall figure of the prophet, so reduced in size through the distance that he hardly reaches the Madonna's knee. There can be no doubt, then, that if this be madness there is method in it. The painter wanted to be unorthodox. He wanted to show that the classical solution of perfect harmony is not the only solution conceivable ... Parmigianino and all the artists of his time who deliberately sought to create something new and unexpected, even at the expense of the 'natural' beauty established by the great masters, were perhaps the first 'modern' artists.Parmigianino has distorted nature for his own artistic purposes, creating a typical Mannerist figura serpentinata. Jesus is also extremely large for a baby, and he lies precariously on Mary's lap as if about to fall at any moment. The Madonna herself is of hardly human proportions—she is almost twice the size of the angels to her right. Her right foot rests on cushions that appear to be only a few inches away from the picture plane, but the foot itself seems to project beyond it, and is thus on "our" side of the canvas, breaking the conventions of a framed picture. Her slender hands and long fingers have also led the Italian medical scientist Vito Franco of the University of Palermo to diagnose that Parmigianino's model had the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome affecting her connective tissue.Following a recent restoration of the painting, the unfinished face of an angel just below the Madonna's right elbow can be seen more clearly. Also the angel in the middle of the bottom row now looks at the vase held by the angel on his right, in which can be seen the faint image of a cross. Before the restoration this angel looked down at the Christ child. The changes made during the restoration likely reflect the original painting, which must have been altered at some time in its history. The angel who faces the viewer has a resemblance to Parmigianino's Antea portrait.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino

Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: How does Madonna with the Long Neck explain its Description?

The painting depicts the Virgin Mary seated on a high pedestal in luxurious robes, holding a large baby Jesus on her lap.  Six angels crowded together on the Madonna's right adore the Christ-child. In the lower right-hand corner of the painting is an enigmatic scene, with a row of marble columns and the emaciated figure of St. Jerome. A depiction of St. Jerome was required by the commissioner because of the saint's connection with the adoration of the Virgin Mary.The painting is popularly called Madonna of the Long Neck because "the painter, in his eagerness to make the Holy Virgin look graceful and elegant, has given her a neck like that of a swan." On the unusual arrangement of figures, Austrian-British art historian E. H. Gombrich writes:Instead of distributing his figures in equal pairs on both sides of the Madonna, he crammed a jostling crowd of angels into a narrow corner, and left the other side wide open to show the tall figure of the prophet, so reduced in size through the distance that he hardly reaches the Madonna's knee. There can be no doubt, then, that if this be madness there is method in it. The painter wanted to be unorthodox. He wanted to show that the classical solution of perfect harmony is not the only solution conceivable ... Parmigianino and all the artists of his time who deliberately sought to create something new and unexpected, even at the expense of the 'natural' beauty established by the great masters, were perhaps the first 'modern' artists.Parmigianino has distorted nature for his own artistic purposes, creating a typical Mannerist figura serpentinata. Jesus is also extremely large for a baby, and he lies precariously on Mary's lap as if about to fall at any moment. The Madonna herself is of hardly human proportions—she is almost twice the size of the angels to her right. Her right foot rests on cushions that appear to be only a few inches away from the picture plane, but the foot itself seems to project beyond it, and is thus on "our" side of the canvas, breaking the conventions of a framed picture. Her slender hands and long fingers have also led the Italian medical scientist Vito Franco of the University of Palermo to diagnose that Parmigianino's model had the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome affecting her connective tissue.Following a recent restoration of the painting, the unfinished face of an angel just below the Madonna's right elbow can be seen more clearly. Also the angel in the middle of the bottom row now looks at the vase held by the angel on his right, in which can be seen the faint image of a cross. Before the restoration this angel looked down at the Christ child. The changes made during the restoration likely reflect the original painting, which must have been altered at some time in its history. The angel who faces the viewer has a resemblance to Parmigianino's Antea portrait.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino

Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany


Madonna with the Long Neck

Prompt: In Madonna with the Long Neck, how is the Description discussed?

The painting depicts the Virgin Mary seated on a high pedestal in luxurious robes, holding a large baby Jesus on her lap.  Six angels crowded together on the Madonna's right adore the Christ-child. In the lower right-hand corner of the painting is an enigmatic scene, with a row of marble columns and the emaciated figure of St. Jerome. A depiction of St. Jerome was required by the commissioner because of the saint's connection with the adoration of the Virgin Mary.The painting is popularly called Madonna of the Long Neck because "the painter, in his eagerness to make the Holy Virgin look graceful and elegant, has given her a neck like that of a swan." On the unusual arrangement of figures, Austrian-British art historian E. H. Gombrich writes:Instead of distributing his figures in equal pairs on both sides of the Madonna, he crammed a jostling crowd of angels into a narrow corner, and left the other side wide open to show the tall figure of the prophet, so reduced in size through the distance that he hardly reaches the Madonna's knee. There can be no doubt, then, that if this be madness there is method in it. The painter wanted to be unorthodox. He wanted to show that the classical solution of perfect harmony is not the only solution conceivable ... Parmigianino and all the artists of his time who deliberately sought to create something new and unexpected, even at the expense of the 'natural' beauty established by the great masters, were perhaps the first 'modern' artists.Parmigianino has distorted nature for his own artistic purposes, creating a typical Mannerist figura serpentinata. Jesus is also extremely large for a baby, and he lies precariously on Mary's lap as if about to fall at any moment. The Madonna herself is of hardly human proportions—she is almost twice the size of the angels to her right. Her right foot rests on cushions that appear to be only a few inches away from the picture plane, but the foot itself seems to project beyond it, and is thus on "our" side of the canvas, breaking the conventions of a framed picture. Her slender hands and long fingers have also led the Italian medical scientist Vito Franco of the University of Palermo to diagnose that Parmigianino's model had the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome affecting her connective tissue.Following a recent restoration of the painting, the unfinished face of an angel just below the Madonna's right elbow can be seen more clearly. Also the angel in the middle of the bottom row now looks at the vase held by the angel on his right, in which can be seen the faint image of a cross. Before the restoration this angel looked down at the Christ child. The changes made during the restoration likely reflect the original painting, which must have been altered at some time in its history. The angel who faces the viewer has a resemblance to Parmigianino's Antea portrait.

Category:Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Parmigianino

Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany


Woman Holding a Balance

Prompt: Focus on Woman Holding a Balance and explain the abstract.

Woman Holding a Balance (Dutch: Vrouw met weegschaal), also called Woman Testing a Balance, is an oil painting by  Dutch Golden Age painter  Johannes Vermeer, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.At one time the painting, completed c. 1662–1663, was known as Woman Weighing Gold, but closer evaluation has determined that the balance in her hand is empty. Opinions on the theme and symbolism of the painting differ, with the woman alternatively viewed as a symbol of holiness or earthliness.

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Woman Holding a Balance

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Woman Holding a Balance.

Woman Holding a Balance (Dutch: Vrouw met weegschaal), also called Woman Testing a Balance, is an oil painting by  Dutch Golden Age painter  Johannes Vermeer, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.At one time the painting, completed c. 1662–1663, was known as Woman Weighing Gold, but closer evaluation has determined that the balance in her hand is empty. Opinions on the theme and symbolism of the painting differ, with the woman alternatively viewed as a symbol of holiness or earthliness.

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Woman Holding a Balance

Prompt: How does Woman Holding a Balance explain its abstract?

Woman Holding a Balance (Dutch: Vrouw met weegschaal), also called Woman Testing a Balance, is an oil painting by  Dutch Golden Age painter  Johannes Vermeer, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.At one time the painting, completed c. 1662–1663, was known as Woman Weighing Gold, but closer evaluation has determined that the balance in her hand is empty. Opinions on the theme and symbolism of the painting differ, with the woman alternatively viewed as a symbol of holiness or earthliness.

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Woman Holding a Balance

Prompt: In Woman Holding a Balance, how is the abstract discussed?

Woman Holding a Balance (Dutch: Vrouw met weegschaal), also called Woman Testing a Balance, is an oil painting by  Dutch Golden Age painter  Johannes Vermeer, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.At one time the painting, completed c. 1662–1663, was known as Woman Weighing Gold, but closer evaluation has determined that the balance in her hand is empty. Opinions on the theme and symbolism of the painting differ, with the woman alternatively viewed as a symbol of holiness or earthliness.

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Woman Holding a Balance

Prompt: Focus on Woman Holding a Balance and explain the Theme.

In the painting, Vermeer has depicted, what discreetly appears to be a young pregnant woman holding an empty balance before a table on which stands an open jewelry box, the pearls and gold within spilling over. A blue cloth rests in the left foreground, beneath a mirror, and a window to the left — unseen save its golden curtain — provides light. Behind the woman is a painting of the Last Judgment featuring Christ with raised, outstretched hands. The woman may have been modeled on Vermeer's wife, Catharina Vermeer.According to Robert Huerta in Vermeer and Plato: Painting the Ideal (2005), the image has been variously "interpreted as a vanitas painting, as a representation of divine truth or justice, as a religious meditative aid, and as an incitement to lead a balanced, thoughtful life." Some viewers have imagined the woman is weighing her valuables, while others compare her actions to Christ's, reading parable into the pearls. Some art critics, including John Michael Montias who describes her as "symbolically weighing unborn souls", have seen the woman as a figure of Mary. To some critics who perceive her as measuring her valuables, the juxtaposition with the final judgement suggests that the woman should be focusing on the treasures of Heaven rather than those of Earth, with the mirror on the wall reinforcing the vanity of her pursuits. Other historians have suggested that the balance represents her careful harmonization of worldly possessions and spiritual piety. In this interpretation, the mirror on the wall reflects the woman's self-knowledge.

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer


Woman Holding a Balance

Prompt: Explain the Theme of this artwork, Woman Holding a Balance.

In the painting, Vermeer has depicted, what discreetly appears to be a young pregnant woman holding an empty balance before a table on which stands an open jewelry box, the pearls and gold within spilling over. A blue cloth rests in the left foreground, beneath a mirror, and a window to the left — unseen save its golden curtain — provides light. Behind the woman is a painting of the Last Judgment featuring Christ with raised, outstretched hands. The woman may have been modeled on Vermeer's wife, Catharina Vermeer.According to Robert Huerta in Vermeer and Plato: Painting the Ideal (2005), the image has been variously "interpreted as a vanitas painting, as a representation of divine truth or justice, as a religious meditative aid, and as an incitement to lead a balanced, thoughtful life." Some viewers have imagined the woman is weighing her valuables, while others compare her actions to Christ's, reading parable into the pearls. Some art critics, including John Michael Montias who describes her as "symbolically weighing unborn souls", have seen the woman as a figure of Mary. To some critics who perceive her as measuring her valuables, the juxtaposition with the final judgement suggests that the woman should be focusing on the treasures of Heaven rather than those of Earth, with the mirror on the wall reinforcing the vanity of her pursuits. Other historians have suggested that the balance represents her careful harmonization of worldly possessions and spiritual piety. In this interpretation, the mirror on the wall reflects the woman's self-knowledge.

Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art

Category:Genre paintings by Johannes Vermeer