Giuseppe Cesari Saint Lawrence Among the Poor and Sick Rome, about 1588 Oil on canvas 61.5 x 73.5 cm Saint Lawrence (225-258 AD) was the archdeacon of Rome and was martyred for his Christian faith by Emperor Valerian (199-260 AD). He is positioned on the left, inviting the viewer to look carefully at the people … Read more
Francesco da Rimini The Angel of the Annunciation, Nativity to the Shepherds and Adoration of the Magi Rimini, about 1330-50 Tempera on wood 44.3 x 20.3 cm This panel is divided vertically into three sections, each section containing a story relating to the birth of Jesus. At the top, the Angel Gabriel kneels and faces … Read more
Bernardo Cavallino Saint Catherine of Alexandria Naples, the end of the 1640s Oil on canvas 71.7 x 59 cm Saint Catherine holds the martyr’s palm on top of part of her spiked wheel. She was sentenced to be crushed on the wheel by the Emperor Maxentius because she had condemned the worship of pagan idols. … Read more
Étienne Aubry Paternal Love Paris, exhibited 1775 Oil on canvas 78.7 x 101.6 cm Three generations of a family gather around a humble hearth, forming an image of domestic happiness in a modest setting. When Aubry exhibited the work in 1775 it was praised for its naturalism – the depiction of a range of objects … Read more
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione Rebecca Led by the Servant of Abraham Rome, about 1650 Oil on canvas 150 x 194.5 cm Rebecca is shown on horseback, making the journey to meet her future husband Isaac. She turns to address Abraham’s servant, who, according to the Old Testament, was guided by God to find Isaac a wife. … Read more
Rosalba Carriera A Portrait of Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne (1710 – 1746) Venice, about 1730 – 1 Pastel, heightened with white bodycolour on paper 59.7 x 47.6 cm This striking portrait of Lord Boyne shows him in Venetian carnival dress, wearing a fine ermine trimmed coat, a bauta or lace veil, black tricorn hat … Read more
Attributed to Joos van Cleve Portrait of a Man Probably Antwerp, 1530s Oil on wood 59.8 x 50.2 cm The identity of this man has been lost, though he could have been a scholar – the ring on his right hand is set with what may be a classical intaglio gem. The portrait probably originally … Read more
Valerio Castello The Madonna and Child, with Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Appearing to Saint Bruno in a Vision Genoa, about 1650 Oil on canvas 118 x 145.5 cm Saint Bruno (about 1030 – 1101) is shown in the white habit of the Carthusian monks whose order he founded. In his vision he sees the … Read more
Claude Monet The Church at Varengeville Varengeville, Normandy, 1882 Oil on canvas 65 x 81.3 cm The view is across a hidden gorge to the isolated cliff-top church at Varengeville. Monet painted various subjects along the Normandy coast in the summer of 1882. His practice was to work simultaneously on up to eight canvasses, moving … Read more
Paul Gauguin Bathers at Tahiti Tahiti, 1897 Oil on sacking 73.3 x 91.8 cm This is one of eight paintings that relate to the monumental canvas Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, a summation of Gauguin’s philosophy of life, civilization and sexuality. The paintings were described as ‘fragmentary replicas of … Read more
By Michele White The windswept trees in the foreground of Monet’s painting, The Church at Varengeville, were the inspiration for Michele White’s new work. Hand-crafted in silver, each layer was carefully constructed to represent the church in the background, and trees in the foreground. The glorious autumn colours were created by pausing the process of … Read more
New Work by Recent Local Graduates New Art West Midlands is a brand-new collaborative venture in partnership with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Grand Union, Birmingham, and funded by the Arts Council for England. From a bicycle wrapped in wool, through poignant photography, to a witty and entertaining animation: the best critically-engaged work by … Read more
17th- 19th-century British Miniatures from UK Private Collections Small masterpieces of British portraiture from two celebrated UK private collections – including a tiny portrait mounted on a finger-ring, of 18th-century British actor impresario David Garrick – are displayed in this exhibition, some for the first time ever. The exhibits range in date from about 1600 … Read more