16th Century Paintings

Beyond life-sized, allegorical, Renaissance figural oil painting of Summer, featuring a nymph recessed in an alcove, swathed in drapery, wearing a foliate crown. In her right hand, a...

Lady Dormer, Mary Browne c. 1592 oil on panel 35 x 29 inches, unframed; 41 x 34.75 inches, inc. frame Inscribed 'Lady Dormore' Mary married Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton who gave birth to Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton - one of the great figures in Shakespears"s circle and founder of the Virginia company, developers of Virginia USA. Henry Wriothesley, born 6 October 1573 at Cowdray House, Sussex, was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, by Mary Browne, the only daughter of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague, and his first wife, Jane Radcliffe.[5] He had two sisters, Jane, who died before 1573, and Mary (c. 1567 – 1607), who in June 1585 married Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour.[6] After his father's death, Southampton's mother married firstly, on 2 May 1595, as his second wife, Sir Thomas Heneage (d. 17 October 1595), Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, and secondly, between 5 November 1598 and 31 January 1599, Sir William Hervey. She died in November 1607.[7] Early life When his father died on 4 October 1581 Southampton inherited the earldom and landed income valued at £1097 6s per annum. His wardship and marriage were sold by the Queen to her kinsman, Charles, Lord Howard of Effingham, for £1000. According to Akrigg, Howard then "entered into some further agreement, of which no documentation can now be found, which transferred to Lord Burghley personally the custody and marriage of the young Earl, but left Howard holding his lands", and late in 1581 or early in 1582 Southampton, then eight years of age, came to live at Cecil House in the Strand.[8] In October 1585, at age twelve, Southampton entered St John's College, Cambridge,[9] graduating M.A. on 6 June 1589.[10] His name was entered at the Gray's Inn legal society before he left the university, and he was admitted on 29 February 1588.[11] On Southampton's 16th birthday, 6 October 1589, Lord Burghley noted Southampton's age in his diary, and by 1590 Burghley was negotiating with Southampton's grandfather, Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague, and Southampton's mother, Mary, for a marriage between Southampton and Lord Burghley's eldest granddaughter, Elizabeth Vere, daughter of Burghley's daughter, Anne Cecil, and Edward de Vere...

Jan Van der Straet, known as Giovanni Stradano (Bruges 1523 - Florence 1605), Workshop of The Adoration of the Magi late 16th century - early 17th century oil painting on canvas Mea...

Pauwels Franck, known as Paolo Fiammingo (Antwerp, 1540 - Venice, 1596) Venus lying in a landscape Oil on canvas 116 x 150 cm. In antique frame 136 x 170 cm. The work is accompanied by a critical card by Dr. Federica Spadotto The splendid painting proposed sees portrayed, bare and stretched out on a red brocade cloth in gold sprinkled with roses, a refined and sensual Venus, in a composition with a profound symbolic value, and arriving at the perfect representation of the Renaissance woman who, like Venus, becomes an allegory love, eros, beauty and fertility. The canvas is part of the prestigious Venetian artistic and cultural environment of the second half of the sixteenth century, whose distinctive distinctive trait can be traced back to its cosmopolitan vocation. This characteristic, as Dr. Spadotto noted in her in-depth study, belongs to the same physiology of the Venetian capital, that is, being a distinctly commercial city located in a strategic point with respect to trade. Representing one of the liveliest ports in the Mediterranean also meant witnessing the continuous passage not only of goods, but of men, ideas, suggestions from distant countries, which influenced not only the taste of their people, but above all art. This happened thanks to the circulation of prints, as well as pictorial specimens, to which are added the stays of great foreign artists and, above all, the permanence in the capital of a non-negligible number of Dutch, Flemish and German masters. An emblematic case in this regard comes from Pauwels Franck (Antwerp, 1540 - Venice, 1596), better known as Paolo Fiammingo, who established himself in his native city at a young age - in 1561 a figure enrolled in the Guild of San Luca - and arrived in Venice in 1573. . He resided in Venice from 1584 until his death, although the stylistic and formal references of some of his works have led critics to believe that in previous years he had undertaken a journey to central Italy, or to Florence and Rome, where he would have metabolized the lively cultural debate that permeated these cities and which, on the other hand, seemed completely absent in Venice. Here Paolo will be fascinated by the sense of color and by the atmospheric component fixed on the canvas by Jacopo Tintoretto (Venice 1518 - 1594), of which he becomes a collaborator, to undergo, around 1590, the suggestion of Paolo Caliari...

Giacomo used to paint with his brother Giulio, identifying their works with the monogram «I I». The strong influence of his father, Francesco, is undeniable in all his works, althoug...

Portrait Of Thomas Smythe (1514-1577), 16th Century School of Hans HOLBEIN (1497-1543) Fine huge 16th Century English Old Master portrait of Sir Thomas...

16th Century Neapolitan Maestro Title: Vision of Saint John in Patmos Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: without frame 113 x 85 cm Painting without frame Expertise by Prof. Antonio Va...

Oil on oak panel Image size: 20 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches (52 x 60 cm) Hand made frame Herri Met de Bles, also known as Henri Blès, Herri de Dinant and Herry de ...

Ferrara school of the late sixteenth century - circle of Giuseppe Mazzuoli known as Bastarolo (Ferrara 1536 - 1589) St. Jerome penitent in the cave ...

Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch, 16th century Flemish / German school - oil on panel Beautiful large 16th century representation of the martyrdom of Saint ...

Follower of Paolo Veronese (Verona, 1528 - Venice, 1588) Allegory of wisdom and strength Oil on canvas, 48 x 36.5 cm Picture frame, 61 x 48 cm The Allegory of Wisdom and Strength...

The painting and the preparatory drawing are offered together. Provenance Private collection, Germany, Trier, c. 1980- 2013 Saint John the Baptist Brown ink and wash over red chalk on oatmeal paper 31 x 20.5 cm Inscribed: „Ferrau Fenzonio da Faenza invt. esque … imp. da Fran. Villamena …“. bears the collector's mark of Henry Scipio Reitlinger (1882-1950; Lugt 2274a) on a tiny label glued to the verso On the reverse is a partial drawing of a Pieta, pricked for transfer. Provenance New York, Doyle, 14. October 2015, No. 6 The painting and the preparatory drawing resemble the composition of an engraving after Ferraù Fenzoni by Francesco Villamena. Drawing, engraving and painting are almost identical, except for minor differences. Even the measurements nearly correspond: painting (32 x 25,5 cm), drawing (30 x 20,5 cm), engraving (31,1 x 23,5 cm). Dr. Guiseppe Scavizzi confirmed the attribution of the present panting to Fenzoni and he dates it to c. 1590. The inscription on the drawing reads “Ferrau Fenzonio da Faenza invt. esque. . . imp. da Fran: Villamena . . .”. The engraving’s inscription also lists place and date “Ferra Fensionius inventor/F. Villamoena sculpsit Rome/Aspectu fruitur… antra puer/cum Privilegio… 1613”. Interestingly, the engraving is not mirrored as it is in most printing processes. Painting, drawing and engraving are not reversed but the same. It is remarkable to note that there are further paintings by Fenzoni which were engraved in the same order and not reverted. They also show strong parallels regarding the compositions and the measurements (see for example “Deposition of Christ” ). Ferraù Fenzoni was an Italian painter mainly active in Todi. He is also called Il Faenzone after his birthplace (Faenza). He apprenticed in Rome during the papacy of Gregory XIII and contributed to numerous fresco cycles under pope Sixtus V, such as the Loggia della Benedizioni in the Lateran Palace, the frescoes on the walls and vaults of the Scala Santa of the adjacent Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, and the decoration in the Sistine library. His expressive canvases straddle the styles of Mannerism and Baroque. In 1594, he moved to Todi. A “Last Judgement” by him is housed in the cathedral of Todi. He returned to Faenza in 1599, where he decorated chapels in the cathedral from 1612 to 1616. In 1622, he completed a “Deposition”, now in the local Pinacoteca. In 1640, Fenzoni was named “cavaliere dello speron d’oro” by Cardinal Colonna and, on 25th April 1634, he was nominated vicar and “castellano of Granarolo”. Fenzoni‘s style is characterized by a mixture of the Mannerism of the Northern Netherlands and the Italian Baroque. Saint John the Baptist, Old Master, 17th Century, By Fenzoni, Religious Scene, Rome Art...

Crucifixion, cercle of Adriaen Isenbrandt, mid 16th century School of Bruges, cercle of Adriaen Isenbrandt (actif 1510-1551) Oil on oak panel with its original ebonized frame Dimensi...

Whitby Harbour In The Moonlight, 19th Century attributed to Louis Hubbard GRIMSHAW (1870-1943) 19th Century view of Whitby Harbour in the moonlight, oil on panel by Louis Grimshaw...

Triptych Of The Crucifixion, 19th Century after PIETRO PERUGINO (1446-1523) Large circa 19th Century Umbrian School Old Master triptych of the Crucif...

Tuscan painter active towards the end of the 16th century Portrait of Captain Niccolò Orsini (Pitigliano, 1442 - Lonigo, 1510), count of Pitigliano and Nola. Tuscany, end of the 16th century Oil on canvas, 64 x 47 cm., Framed 89 x 73 cm. The portrait we present to you shows the effigy of a vigorous high-ranking male figure in armor, in the most typical Renaissance pose, half-length and taken in profile, with his face and gaze turned to the side; the serious and intense expression and the facial features evoke at first glance the portraiture of early Florentine mannerism. He is Niccolò III Orsini (Pitigliano, 1442 - Lonigo, 1510), count of Pitigliano and Nola and son of Aldobrandino Orsini, famous leader and captain (or capitano di ventura) who lived between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, who served for the state Pontifical in Naples and Florence and above all for the Republic of Venice. Portraiture with these characters, which derives from ancient coinage, was used in the sixteenth century in the sequences of Portraits of Illustrious Men, both in painting and in sculpture. The profile portrait was in fact a genre reserved, according to the Renaissance tradition, for celebrations, presenting those characteristics of imperturbability typical of the military role covered. Our painting is a work created by an author active in Tuscany towards the end of the sixteenth century, adhering to those pictorial styles made famous by the portraitist Cristofano di Papi dell'Altissimo (1530-1605), a pupil of Bronzino and then of Pontormo, known for having created a collection of about 500 portraits of illustrious men, known as the 'Gioviana Series' (now in the Uffizi Gallery); and among these it is possible to identify one dedicated to Niccolò Orsini. Our painting is inspired, in particular, by a print taken from the collection of prints...

Christ and St John the Baptist embracing Studio of Joos van Cleve (1485 – 1541), Antwerp First half of 16th century Oil on oak panel, h. 55 cm, w. 43 cm A 17th century ebonized wood frame Framed: h. 100 cm, w. 83 cm Provenance: • Advertisement in Burlington Magazine, 1929, at the antique dealer Paul Larsen, 34 Duke's Street, London, United Kingdom • Clowes Sale, Christie's London, 7 July 1950, lot 153 (as Joos Van Cleve) • Acquired from the Katz antique dealers in Dieren (Netherlands) in the 1950s (one of the most important art galleries in the Netherlands specialising in Old Masters) • By descent, private European collection The composition of our painting depicting two naked babies embracing, Jesus and Saint John the Baptist, draws its source from a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, probably executed in Milan around 1490 (kept at Windsor Castle, United Kingdom). This scheme, widespread early in the Lombard school, was widely reproduced by Leonardo's Milanese followers (Marco d'Oggiono, Bernardino de Conti or Bernardino Luini.) It is very likely that Joos Van Cleve was inspired by one of the works of his artists during his stay in Italy, however some historians hypothesize that he borrowed the figures from the painting by Marco d'Oggiono who had copied it on site in Flanders (it would have belonged to Margaret of...

Oil on Board. Flemish school of the 16th century. The work bears a plaque at the base attributing it to Lambert Van Noort (1520 -1571), justified by the proximity to his painterly ma...

Portrait Of A Man With A Crucifix, 16th Century circle of Agostino Carracci (1557-1602) Huge 16th century Italian Old Master portrait of a gentleman holding a crucifix, oil on canvas. Exceptional early three quarter length portrait of the gentleman in black robes...

Circle of Michael Coxie (Malines, 1499 - Malines, 1592) Ecce Homo with Pontius Pilate Oil on panel Flemish school 16th-17th century 112 x 81 cm - framed 121 x 90 cm. The proposed p...

Cristoforo (Cristofano) Roncalli (Pomarance, Italy, 1552 - Rome, Italy, 1626) Title: Saint Catherine of Siena chooses the crown of thorns Medium: Oil on wood Dimensions: without frame 101.5 x 59.5 cm - with frame 120 x 76 cm Shaped, carved and sculpted wooden cassetta frame, partly gilded and partly ebonized wood Expertise by Marco Ciampolini and Alessandro Nesi, art historians The marvellous scene that opens before our eyes is that of Christ's apparition to Saint Catherine of Siena; she must choose between a golden crown, the symbol of earthly royalty, and a crown of thorns, the symbol of virtuous Christian sacrifice. Catherine does not hesitate to choose the crown of thorns, her life in imitation of...

This painting (in an excellent state of conservation and of fine executive workmanship, attests to the enormous luck of Raphael's inventions in the years following his death: in fact...

Portrait Of King Edward VI (1537-1553) as Prince Of Wales, 16th Century English School - Oil on panel - circa 1547 Large 16th Century portrait of Edward VI as Prince Of Wales, oil on panel. Early and important portrait...

Umbrian-Roman Master (16th-17th century) - Praying Madonna. 84 x 58.5 cm without frame, 96 x 70.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in wooden frame (not signed). Cond...

Portrait Of Eleanor Of Toledo, Duchess of Florence (1522-1562), 16th Century after AGNOLO BRONZINO (1503-1572) 16th century Italian Old Master court portrait of Eleanor Of Toledo, Duchess of Florence, oil on panel. Excellent quality and condition early portrait of the young Spanish noblewoman...

Study Of A Male, Possibly as St Sebastian, 16th Century Early Italian School Oil On Panel Fine 16th Century Italian School Old Master portr...

Two, large, stunningly painted, left and right, oil-on canvas, Italian paintings of the Emperor's Vespasian and Julius Caesar, with their names inscribed on the lower left hand corne...

16th Century Venetian Maestro Title: Deposition of Christ Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: without frame 40 x 25 cm Formerly Canesso Collection, Paris. Fairs: The International Biennial of Antiques in Florence 2022 (BIAF, Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze) Publications: Bozzetti, modelletti, sketches: dalla collezione di Giorgio Baratti (From the Giorgio Baratti Collection) curated by Anna Orlando, Agnese Marengo and Annalisa Scarpa, Genoa, 2022, pp. 22, 23. In this precious panel we can admire a lament over the body of Christ by a large group of bystanders among whom we can recognise the Virgin and, in the foreground, St Catherine of Alexandria...

Panel depicting the Holy Family with San Giovannino. At the center of the scene is the Virgin, with a red tunic and a blue cloak edged with gold embroidery,...

Giovan Battista Moroni (circle of) (Albino, Italy, 1520 – 1580 ca.) Title: Portrait of a woman Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 46 x 40 cm - with frame 55.5 x 50.5 cm Antique shaped and gilded wooden cassetta frame. Publications: unpublished. The present portrait shows an adult woman, no longer young, as can be seen from her slightly blistered cheeks, but not elderly either. The suspicious and veiledly inquisitive gaze is well matched by the elegance of her extremely fashionable black clothes...

Circle of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio 1483 - 1561 Oil on panel Image size: 20 ½ x 16 ½ inches (52 x 42 cm) Handmade contemporary style gilt frame The lamentation of Christ was one of the most popular scenes depicted in European art from the 11th to the 18th century. Depicting the lamentation or pieta from the Italian word for ‘Pity’ of Christ with Jesus’s mother Mary cradling his body. Christ is depicted nude, wearing only a blueish loincloth around his waist, a horizontal scar marking his rib cage. His head and torso are held upright, and his eyes are closed, his right arm lays to his side as does his left. Standing behind him, is the Virgin Mary, outfitted in her traditional dress of a robe with a white veil. She stands behind Christ and bends slightly, looking looking away from Christ to something that has caught her attention, her right hand holding his shoulder. Her left-hand carefully holds his arm. This work is quite unusual with Mary . This stunning work jumps out with its dark background and strong flesh colours. Ridolfo Ghirlandaio was the son of the eminent painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. Following his father’s death in 1494, when he was just eleven years old, Ridolfo is thought to have continued his training with his uncle Davide, who had taken over the Ghirlandaio workshop. Vasari noted that Ridolfo also studied with Fra Bartolommeo...

Giovanni Maria Butteri (Florence, Italy, 1540 - 1606) Title: Portrait of Francesco I Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: without frame cm. 47.7 x 39 - with frame cm. 55.2 x 46.5 Expertise by Carlo Falciani, art historian Fairs: The International Biennial of Antiques in Florence 2024 (BIAF, Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze) Publications: From Sacro to Profano, the Giorgio Baratti art collection from Milan, exhibition catalogue curated by Daiva Mitrulevičiūtė, Giovanni Matteo Guidetti and Ileana Maniscalco, (16 February – 27 September 2020), Vilnius, National Museum - Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, pp. 566-569. This valuable portrait, by the painter Giovanni Maria Butteri, an exponent of Mannerism and active mainly in Florence, portrays Francesco I de' Medici (1541 - 1587) eldest son of the Grand Duke of Tuscany...

William III At The Battle Of The Boyne, 1690, 17th Century attributed to Jan WYCK (1644-1702) Large 17th Century historical account of William II...

Francesco Zucco (Bergamo, c. 1570 - Bergamo, May 3, 1627) Crucifixion with saints Oil on canvas, 76 x 60 cm With frame 95 x 79 cm Critical Record Professor Giuseppe Sava The cru...

Portrait Of Czechoslovakian Theologian Jan Hus (1370-1415), 17th Century European School 17th Century European School portrait of Czech Theologian Jan Hus, oil on panel. Excellent...

Important late 16' early 17' century painting By Giovanni Battista Viola with finely carved gilt- wood frame. Landscape with a Mythological St...

Tempera on wood depicting a half-length female figure; she wears a red dress over a light-colored tunic, while a green drape rests on her right shoulder. The red hair is tied up with a central parting and is partly covered by a white headdress; the full face has an absorbed expression: a thoughtful gaze, arched eyebrows and slightly furrowed lips. Presented in a frame made with parts of an ancient larger frame. Historical-critical analysis: Our table in question is one of the numerous derivations from a lost fresco by Andrea del Sarto...

Herman Posthumus (East Frisia, 1512/1513 - Amsterdam, 1588) Leda & the Swan Oil on canvas, 87.5 x 142 cm Framed, 107 x 161 cm Initial 'P' in the center of a pillow decoration Cr...

Giovanni Battista del Verrocchio, known as The Master of Volterra (Florence 1494 - 1569) Madonna with Child and San Giovannino Oil on panel, 63 x 50 cm Frame: 92 x 80 cm The styl...

Circle of Amico Aspertini Oil on panel, 59x31 cm. Provenance: Asta Pandolfini 8 marzo 2023 lot. 47. He was born in Bologna to a family of painters (including Giovanni Antonio Asperti...

Pieta, 16th Century circle of Quinten MASSYS (1466-1530) Large 16th Century Netherlandish Old Master depiction of the Pieta, oil on oak panel. Large scene of the Virgin mother embracing the body of Christ in her arms. Presented in a large antique arched wooden frame. Stable surface condition and good panel condition/stability for its age. Some overpainting in the veil, hands and background as a result of over cleaning. Similar to the works of painter Van Cleeve...

Polidoro de Renzi known as Polidoro da Lanciano (Lanciano, 1515 - Venice, 1565) (attr.) Holy Family with San Giovannino Oil on canvas, 76 x 93 cm Framed, 88 x 104 cm The valuable...

Portrait Of Jeanne III d'Albret (1528-1572), 16th Century French School Court Portrait - oil on panel Fine 16th century French Old Master portrait of Jeanne III, Queen regent or Navarre, oil on panel. Rare and early depiction of the Queen regent in court attire by a French court painter circa 1550. Jeanne d"Albret married Antione De Bourbon to become the Duchess of Vendome. Her son Henri would be come Henri III...

Santi di Tito (Sansepolcro, 1536 - Florence, 1603) Portrait of a noblewoman, half-length, with a book in her hand 16th century Oil on panel 75 x 61 cm. - with frame 115 x 101...

Cristofano Rustici called il Rusticone was an artist active in Siena between the 16th and 17th century, son of Lorenzo Brazzi called il Rustico (Siena 1521-1572). Even if his artistic training started in the family workshop, he was mostly very influenced by the Flemish artist Bernhard van Rantwijk, who was also living in the Tuscan town at the same time. The subject of the four paintings are the Cardinal Virtues...

School of Andrea del Sarto (Florence, 1486 - Florence, 1530) Saint John Oil on panel, 57 x 39 cm Framed, 67 x 49 cm The panel depicts St. John, recognizable by his staff and red ...

16th-century Flemish master Circle of Quentin Metsys (Leuven, 1466 - Antwerp, 1530) Ecce Homo oil on panel cm. 34 x 23 with frame 47 x 37 (not contemporary) An important painting...

Landscape with Figures is an original Old Master Painting realized in the Second half of the 16th Century and attributed to the French painter Matthijs Bril (Antwerp, 1550 – Rome, 15...

This exquisite oil painting on wood, created by an unknown Flemish artist in 1594, depicts a young girl seated in a chair. The artwork is in very good condition, though some modest r...

Polidoro de' Renzi, called Polidoro da Lanciano (Lanciano, c. 1515 - Venice, 1565) Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine Oil on panel, 47.5 x 34.5 cm Framed, 71 x 58 cm The painting, ...

Follower of Andrea del Sarto (Florence, July 16, 1486 - Florence, September 29, 1530) Madonna and Child, St. John and two Angels Oil on panel, 73 x 61.5 cm With frame 100 x 90 cm...

Jacob de Backer (Antwerp, c. 1555 – Antwerp, c. 1585) The Redemption of Adam and Eve after their Expulsion from Eden Oil on oak panel (106 x 76 cm - In frame 126 x 96 cm) Th...

Oil on Board. Central-Italian school of the second half of the 1500s. The sacred scene of the Annunciation sees the two protagonist figures placed in the foreground in an interior th...

Oil on panel Image size: 12 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches (31.75 x 22.25 cm) Period style hand made frame This is a portrait of Thomas Cranmer (1489 - 1556). Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the reign of Henry VIII and launched the English Reformation. Few people have played so important a part in shaping the course of English history or had a more profound influence on England's language and literature than Thomas Cranmer. At the bottom of the painting Cranmer's name and title is inscribed. At the centre there is also Cranmer's coat of arms, the left half is the arms that all archbishops of Canterbury adopt and it has been enjoin to his own family arms...

Oil on canvas Image size: 26 x 37 inches (66 x 94 cm) Period hand carved gilt frame The pictorial arrangement of the Holy Family, with various saints in a landscape, was very popular in sixteenth-century Venice, following the prototype of Giovanni Bellini. Possibly intended for private devotion, this picture is a representative example of the compositional type known as the sacra conversazione...

Attributed to Francesco Bonsignori Italian 1455-1519 Christ as a Boy Oil on wood panel Image size: 12 1/4 x 16 inches (31 x 40.5 cm) Original gilt frame  In this painting on panel, ...

English School Cardinal Thomas Wolsey 16th Century Oil on oak panel Image size: 22 1/4 x 18 inches (56.5 x 46 cm) Contemporary style frame Provenance Tudor Exhibition, New Gallery, ...

Studio of Adriaen Isenbrandt 1510 - 1551 The Virgin and Child Enthroned Oil on oak panel, wax seal verso Image size: 10 3/4 x 8 inches (27 x 20.5 cm) Contemporary style frame (image below) POA Provenance Collection of Mrs Marianne Hudson Mary, holding Jesus in her arms, is centrally positioned against a gold detailed architectural backdrop, reflecting the traditional iconography of the enthroned Virgin and Child. This composition suggests the theme of “Maestà” or “Majesty,” emphasising the figures religious significance. In the painting from the studio of Adriaen Isenbrandt, the artist masterfully infuses the scene with rich symbolism and hidden meanings that reflect the cultural and religious context of the period. The infant Christ, seated on the Virgin Mary’s lap, is draped in a delicate, translucent white garment that symbolises his purity. In his hand, he clutches a piece of coral, a multifaceted symbol representing immortality, youth, and health. Notably, coral was also a common teething tool during that era, adding another layer of contemporary relevance. A scarlet-headed blackbird, native to South America, perches gracefully on Christ’s outstretched finger. This bird is a potent symbol of creation and protection, enhancing the divine narrative of the scene. Mary, with a tender and loving gesture, caresses Christ’s back while gazing adoringly at her son, underscoring her role as the nurturing mother of God. Mary is centrally positioned within an architectural alcove, which subtly suggests a heavenly halo without explicitly depicting one. The alcove’s niches, traditionally used to emphasise the importance of sculptures, further highlight her significance. She is adorned in a voluminous red gown, with the undulating folds of the fabric accentuated by white highlights. The red colour of her dress symbolises maternal qualities, while the iridescent blue undercoat, visible in certain areas, signifies sanctity and purity due to its rarity and expense at the time. Moreover, Mary is depicted as the epitome of contemporary Medieval...

Oil on oak panel Image size: 14 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches (36 x 30 cm) Period style frame This portrait shows Chaucer with a string of beads in one hand and a writing implement in the other. The Arms in the top left of the picture are the Arms of Chaucer, featuring a per pale argent and gules, a bend counterchanged. This painting appears to derive, like all other portraits of Chaucer, from an illustration in an early fifteenth-century manuscript, Hoccleve's De Regimine Principum. Here Hoccleve included one portrait of Chaucer, showing him with an inkhorn around his neck and holding a rosary in one hand. Since it is likely that Hoccleve had met Chaucer, many scholars believe this could be the most genuine representation of the English writer with all other depictions being seemingly based on it. In almost all portraits of Chaucer, including this one, the poet is shown wearing a pendant attached to his vest. This item is often considered to be a penner, included in the artworks as a sign of the general occupation of a writer. Whilst the pendant is generally accepted as a case for a writing instrument, possibly with equal plausibility, it has also been suggested that the item is an ampulla, a small lead vial containing water and the blood of St. Thomas Becket...

Workshop of Bartholomaeus Spranger 16th Century Flemish Leda and the Swan Oil on panel Retelling one of the most legendary Greco-Roman mythological tales, this exceptional oil on...