Category: Mythology,

Sandro Botticelli, 1445 – 1510, and workshop Venus, c. 1484-1490 Tempera on canvas Galleria Sabauda, Turin One of only two extant versions of Venus that Botticelli painted after his famed Birth of Venus (1486) (below), which hangs at the Uffizi, the painting features the sole figure of Venus against a simple black background, striking her familiar…

ITALIAN SCHOOL, (17th century)  MAGDALENE  Oil on panel  12 x 9 1/8 in. (30.5 x 23.2cm)  Private collection Mary Magdalene,  literally translated as Mary the Magdalene or Mary of Magdala, is a figure in Christianity who, according to the Bible, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers. She is said to have witnessed Jesus’…

After Michelangelo (1475–1564) Leda and the Swan, c. 1530 copy of a lost painting by Michelangelo Oil on canvas National Gallery The design appears to derive from a classical motif known from copies after sarcophagus reliefs and gems. The pose is similar to that of Michelangelo’s ‘Night’ (Medici Chapel, Florence).  The work is probably an…

Jeff Dizon, (b.1954) Pieta, c. 1986 Mixed media 29” x 37” (74 cm x 94 cm) Private Collection The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from…

Alfred-Pierre Agache, 1843 – 1915, FRENCH L’ANNONCIATION, c. 1891 Oil on canvas 55 7/8 by 41 1/2 in., 141.9 by 105.4 cm Private Collection The Annunciation referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the…

Maestro de Borbotó, ACTIVE IN VALENCIA FIRST QUARTER OF THE 16TH CENTURY SAINT LUCY oil on panel 10 3/8  by 12 1/2  in.; 26.5 by 31.8 cm. Private collection Saint Lucy, Italian Santa Lucia (died 304, Syracuse, Sicily), virgin and martyr who was one of the earliest Christian saints to achieve popularity, having a widespread following…