Italian Renaissance

Noli me tangere, sometimes referred to as Christ and Mary Magdalene is High Renaissance master Titian’s early work from 1512 at age 22, depicting the moment after Christ’s resurrection when his follower Mary Magdalene attempts to greet him. Christ, about to begin his journey to heaven says: ‘touch me not’ (noli me tangere). This speech […]

Lamentation with Saints is a Christian religious painting by the nun and artist Plautilla Nelli who was the first known female painter from Florence. Taking as her models the work of Fra Bartolomeo, Bronzino and del Sarto, Nelli (1524-88) elaborated a classical Renaissance style. She is renowned as a nun-paintress and one of the few

Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli painted Virgin and Child with a Pomegranate around 1500, late in his career at age 55. It depicts the Virgin Mary and her infant son Jesus Christ. Christ holds in his right hand a pomegranate, a symbol of resurrection or rebirth. The painting, originally thought to be a copy by a

Madonna of the Meadow is a 1505 Religious Painting by Italian Renaissance master painter Giovanni Bellini. Bellini (1430-1516) painted Madonna of the Meadow, also known as Madonna del Prato, in 1505, late in his career at age 75. Here he presents an exquisite background here filled with animals and buildings in a pastoral setting that

This is a Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan, a sixteenth-century ruler of republican Venice which was completed in 1501 by Italian renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini. He is presented in ceremonial dress in an official capacity of power – however Loredan does not wear a crown as he is not royalty. His power is indicated by

A Blonde Woman is a Renaissance portrait by Italian artist Palma Vecchio which was completed in Venice in 1520, late in the artist’s career. The woman is likely the Pagan nymph Flora, the Goddess of Spring which is suggested to us by her striking green garment and bouquet of small flowers in her right hand.

Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Medallion is a 1475 portrait painting by High Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli. It is located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. Analysis of Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Medallion The identity of the sitter in Sandro Botticelli’s 1475 Portrait of a Young Man Holding a

St. Dominic is a 1505 religious painting by early Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli. It is located in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Analysis of Botticelli’s St. Dominic The painting depicts the Saint traveling on foot in an Italian landscape while raising his hand in praise to the heavens where we see what appears

One of Titian’s lesser-known works, Allegory of Prudence still holds many questions for modern audiences. The most common interpretation of this image is a multi-leveled representation of time, with the human figures embodying the three ages of Man – youth, maturity, and old age. The directions that they face adds a second, more symbolic level

Raphael’s Madonna and Child with the Book from 1502-3 has all of the aspects of the High Renaissance style, being marked by balance, the proportion of forms, and idealized expression. The pyramid shape of the Virgin Mary’s arms and head encloses the Christ child and signifies protection and nurture. This, however, is complicated by the

This Mannerist portrait of a man holding a statuette was painted by Bronzino in an unknown year. Born and trained in Florence, Agnolo di Cosimo, widely known as ‘Bronzino’, received his first Medici commissions as a young man and cemented his reputation as a talented portraitist, ultimately becoming a court painter to the Duke. Following

Bacchus and Ariadne is a 1523 mythological oil painting by Italian Renaissance master Titian. This masterpiece painting was completed in 1523 for Alfonse D’Este, the Duke of Ferrara in Italy. The painting depicts the arrival of Bacchus, the god of wine to the island of Naxos, where Ariadne, the daughter of the king of Crete