David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690)

David Teniers the Younger The Bleaching Ground Possibly Antwerp, the 1640s Oil on canvas 85 x 120.5 cm The women of an unidentified town gather for the first spring wash after the long winter months. The setting is a communal bleaching ground with its wells and an open wash house to the right. This is … Read more

Ascribed to Jan de Beer (about 1475 – before 1528)

Ascribed to Jan de Beer Joseph and the Suitors (recto), The Nativity (verso) Antwerp, about 1515/20 oil on wood  137 x 137 cm This panel is painted on both sides and it formed part of an altarpiece or a screen illustrating the life of the Virgin Mary. She is shown in a nocturnal scene adoring … Read more

Attributed to Joos van Cleve (about 1485/90 – 1540/41)

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 formed a pair, with an … Read more

René Magritte (1898-1967)

The Flavour of Tears Brussels, 1948 Oil on canvas 59.4 x 49.5 cm Surrealist paintings stir the imagination by subverting our expectations and transgressing boundaries. To this beguiling mixture Magritte adds a disturbing reality that we know from our dreams. Here, a totem-like bird assumes the form of a tobacco leaf. The birdleaf is consumed … Read more

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

The Harvest Wagon Bath, exhibited 1767 Oil on canvas 120.5 x 144.7 cm A group of rustic figures travel in a harvest wagon at the end of the working day. The figures are unusually prominent for Gainsborough’s landscapes and are the result of careful study. Two of the women are based on the artist’s daughters … Read more

Jan Gossaert (about 1478–1532)

Hercules and Deianira Possibly Antwerp, 1517 Oil on wood 36.8 x 26.6 cm The classical hero Hercules is shown embracing his wife Deianira. Their seat is decorated with images of his heroic exploits, including the defeat of the Nemean lion and his victory over Antaeus. Their erotic encounter, however, is doomed. Deianira sits on the … Read more

Evaristo Baschenis (1617-1677)

Evaristo Baschenis A Still Life with Musical Instruments Bergamo, North Italy, about 1660 Oil on canvas 95.5 x 129 cm A dramatically-lit group of objects demonstrates the artist’s mastery of illusion. Note the dust on the lute, to the right, and the sumptuous folds of the curtain above. The painting is an example of a … Read more