Da Vinci Silver Coin Leonardo Code Nude Woman Girl Vintage Artist Vatican Old UK

Description: Leonardo Da Vinci Coin Silver plated coin It is 35mm in diameter and weights 22 grams It has an image of the great artist and the words "Leonardo Da Vinci" with the years of his birth 1452 and his death 1519 The back has the image of a nude woman on a bed with the words "Maja Desnuda" I will include a coin case It is in Very Good Conditon Click Here to Check out my unusual Items! Bid with Confidence please read my 100% Positive feedback from over 1,000 satisfied customerRead how quickly they receive their items - I post all my items within 24 hours of receiving paymentI am a UK Based Seller with over 10 years of eBay Selling ExperienceI am Highly Rated Seller by Ebay and My selling Performance is Rated Premium Service International customers are welcome. I have shipped items to over 120 countries and I will ship anywhere worldwide UK Buyers can expect their items in a few days sometimes they arrive the next day Items sent to Europe usually take about a week and outside Europe take around 2 weeksInternational orders may require longer handling time if held up at customs. A small percentage do get held up at customs if they do they can take up to 6 weeks to arrive Returns Accepted Why not treat yourself? I always combine multiple items and send an invoice with discounted postage I leave instant feedback upon receiving yours All payment methods accepted from all countries in all currencies Are you looking for a Interesting conversation piece? A birthday present for the person who has everything?A comical gift to cheer someone up? or a special unique gift just to say thank you? You now know where to look for a bargain! All Items Dispatched within 24 hours of Receiving Payment. Thanks for Looking and Good Luck with the Bidding!! I have sold items to coutries such as Afghanistan * Albania * Algeria * American Samoa (US) * Andorra * Angola * Anguilla (GB) * Antigua and Barbuda * Argentina * Armenia * Aruba (NL) * Australia * Austria * Azerbaijan * Bahamas * Bahrain * Bangladesh * Barbados * Belarus * Belgium * Belize * Benin * Bermuda (GB) * Bhutan * Bolivia * Bonaire (NL) * Bosnia and Herzegovina * Botswana * Bouvet Island (NO) * Brazil * British Indian Ocean Territory (GB) * British Virgin Islands (GB) * Brunei * Bulgaria * Burkina Faso * Burundi * Cambodia * Cameroon * Canada * Cape Verde * Cayman Islands (GB) * Central African Republic * Chad * Chile * China * Christmas Island (AU) * Cocos Islands (AU) * Colombia * Comoros * Congo * Democratic Republic of the Congo * Cook Islands (NZ) * Coral Sea Islands Territory (AU) * Costa Rica * Croatia * Cuba * Curaçao (NL) * Cyprus * Czech Republic * Denmark * Djibouti * Dominica * Dominican Republic * East Timor * Ecuador * Egypt * El Salvador * Equatorial Guinea * Eritrea * Estonia * Ethiopia * Falkland Islands (GB) * Faroe Islands (DK) * Fiji Islands * Finland * France * French Guiana (FR) * French Polynesia (FR) * French Southern Lands (FR) * Gabon * Gambia * Georgia * Germany * Ghana * Gibraltar (GB) * Greece * Greenland (DK) * Grenada * Guadeloupe (FR) * Guam (US) * Guatemala * Guernsey (GB) * Guinea * Guinea-Bissau * Guyana * Haiti * Heard and McDonald Islands (AU) * Honduras * Hong Kong (CN) * Hungary * Iceland * India * Indonesia * Iran * Iraq * Ireland * Isle of Man (GB) * Israel * Italy * Ivory Coast * Jamaica * Jan Mayen (NO) * Japan * Jersey (GB) * Jordan * Kazakhstan * Kenya * Kiribati * Kosovo * Kuwait * Kyrgyzstan * Laos * Latvia * Lebanon * Lesotho * Liberia * Libya * Liechtenstein * Lithuania * Luxembourg * Macau (CN) * Macedonia * Madagascar * Malawi * Malaysia * Maldives * Mali * Malta * Marshall Islands * Martinique (FR) * Mauritania * Mauritius * Mayotte (FR) * Mexico * Micronesia * Moldova * Monaco * Mongolia * Montenegro * Montserrat (GB) * Morocco * Mozambique * Myanmar * Namibia * Nauru * Navassa (US) * Nepal * Netherlands * New Caledonia (FR) * New Zealand * Nicaragua * Niger * Nigeria * Niue (NZ) * Norfolk Island (AU) * North Korea * Northern Cyprus * Northern Mariana Islands (US) * Norway * Oman * Pakistan * Palau * Palestinian Authority * Panama * Papua New Guinea * Paraguay * Peru * Philippines * Pitcairn Island (GB) * Poland * Portugal * Puerto Rico (US) * Qatar * Reunion (FR) * Romania * Russia * Rwanda * Saba (NL) * Saint Barthelemy (FR) * Saint Helena (GB) * Saint Kitts and Nevis * Saint Lucia * Saint Martin (FR) * Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FR) * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines * Samoa * San Marino * Sao Tome and Principe * Saudi Arabia * Senegal * Serbia * Seychelles * Sierra Leone * Singapore * Sint Eustatius (NL) * Sint Maarten (NL) * Slovakia * Slovenia * Solomon Islands * Somalia * South Africa * South Georgia (GB) * South Korea * South Sudan * Spain * Sri Lanka * Sudan * Suriname * Svalbard (NO) * Swaziland * Sweden * Switzerland * Syria * Taiwan * Tajikistan * Tanzania * Thailand * Togo * Tokelau (NZ) * Tonga * Trinidad and Tobago * Tunisia * Turkey * Turkmenistan * Turks and Caicos Islands (GB) * Tuvalu * U.S. Minor Pacific Islands (US) * U.S. Virgin Islands (US) * Uganda * Ukraine * United Arab Emirates * United Kingdom * United States * Uruguay * Uzbekistan * Vanuatu * Vatican City * Venezuela * Vietnam * Wallis and Futuna (FR) * Yemen * Zambia * Zimbabwe and major cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, New York City, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Mexico City, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Manila, Mumbai, Delhi, Jakarta, Lagos, Kolkata, Cairo, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Shanghai, Karachi, Paris, Istanbul, Nagoya, Beijing, Chicago, London, Shenzhen, Essen, Düsseldorf, Tehran, Bogota, Lima, Bangkok, Johannesburg, East Rand, Chennai, Taipei, Baghdad, Santiago, Bangalore, Hyderabad, St Petersburg, Philadelphia, Lahore, Kinshasa, Miami, Ho Chi Minh City, Madrid, Tianjin, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Milan, Shenyang, Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Belo Horizonte, Khartoum, Riyadh, Singapore, Washington, Detroit, Barcelona,, Houston, Athens, Berlin, Sydney, Atlanta, Guadalajara, San Francisco, Oakland, Montreal, Monterey, Melbourne, Ankara, Recife, Phoenix/Mesa, Durban, Porto Alegre, Dalian, Jeddah, Seattle, Cape Town, San Diego, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Rome, Naples, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Tel Aviv, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Manchester, San Juan, Katowice, Tashkent, Fukuoka, Baku, Sumqayit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Sapporo, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Taichung, Warsaw, Denver, Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, Dubai, Pretoria, Vancouver, Beirut, Budapest, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Campinas, Harare, Brasilia, Kuwait, Munich, Portland, Brussels, Vienna, San Jose, Damman , Copenhagen, Brisbane, Riverside, San Bernardino, Cincinnati and AccraLeonardo da Vinci, his Life and Artworks Leonardo Da Vinci Portrait Leonardo da Vinci was a true genius who graced this world with his presence from April 15, 1452 to May 2, 1519. He is among the most influential artists in history, having left a significant legacy not only in the realm of art but in science as well, each discipline informing his mastery of the other. Da Vinci lived in a golden age of creativity among such contemporaries as Raphael and Michaelangelo, and contributed his unique genius to virtually everything he touched. Like Athens in the age of Pericles, Renaissance Italy is a summit in human history. Today, no name better seems to symbolize Renaissance age than Leonardo da Vinci.Early Years: 1452 to 1476Leonardo da Vinci was born in a Tuscan hamlet near Vinci. He began a nine-year apprenticeship at the age of 14 to Andrea del Verrocchio, a popular sculptor, painter and goldsmith who was an important figure in the art world of the day. At Verrocchio's busy Florence studio, the young Leonardo likely met such masters as Sandro Botticelli while working beside fellow apprentices Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi. Verrocchio, who had learned his craft under the master Donatello, was the officially recognized sculptor for the Medici family, the rulers of Italy during this era. Under Verrocchio's tutelage, da Vinci probably progressed from doing various menial tasks around the studio to mixing paints and preparing surfaces. He would have then graduated to the study and copying of his master's works. Finally, he would have assisted Verrocchio, along with other apprentices, in producing the master's artworks. Da Vinci not only developed his skill in drawing, painting and sculpting during his apprenticeship, but through others working in and around the studio, he picked up knowledge in such diverse fields as mechanics, carpentry, metallurgy, architectural drafting and chemistry. In 1473, when he was more than halfway through his studies with Verrocchio, he completed Landscape Drawing for Santa Maria della Neve, a pen and ink depiction of the Arno River valley. It is the earliest work that is clearly attributable to da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci's drawings would become an essential part of his legacy. Da Vinci sketched prolifically, planning inventions, exploring human anatomy, drawing landscapes, and blocking out plans for paintings such as The Virgin of the Rocks and his sole surviving mural, The Last Supper. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - By Leonardo da Vinci Much of his other creative output during his time with Verrocchio was credited to the master of the studio although the paintings were collaborative efforts. Over the years, historians have closely examined such Verrocchio masterpieces as The Baptism of Christ and The Annunciation to weigh in on which specific figures da Vinci was responsible for. In the "Baptism of Christ," which dates to 1475, experts speculate that one of the angels is da Vinci's own work, while in "The Annunciation," produced within the same time period, experts detect the work of the apprentice artist's brush in the angel's wings and the background. In fact, historians x-rayed "The Annunciation" to definitively distinguish between Verrocchio's heavier brush strokes with lead-based paint from da Vinci's lighter, water-based paint strokes. Although a member of the Florence painters' guild as of 1472, the artist continued his studies with Verrocchio as an assistant until 1476. The influences of his master are evident in the remarkable vitality and anatomical correctness of the Leonardo paintings and drawings. Middle Years: 1477-1499 After leaving the Verrocchio studio to set up his own, da Vinci began laying the groundwork for his artistic legacy. Like his contemporaries, he focused on religious subjects, but he also took portrait commissions as they came up. Over the next five years or so, he produced several notable paintings, including Madonna of the Carnation, Ginevra de' Benci, Benois Madonna, Adoration of the Magi, and St. Jerome in the Wilderness. The latter two pieces are unfinished. Leonardo da Vinci received a commission to paint his "Adoration of the Magi" from Florence church elders who planned to use it as an altarpiece. This artwork is historically significant by virtue of the innovations da Vinci made that were unique among the art conventions of the 1480s. He centered the Virgin and Christ child in the scene whereas previous artists had placed them to one side. Da Vinci improved on standard practices of perspective by making changes in clarity and color as objects became increasingly distant. Unfortunately, he did not complete the commission due to a better offer from the Duke of Milan to become the resident artist at his court. While in Milan, the artist called upon his varied interests and knowledge to create stage sets and military designs for the Duke as well as paintings. Early in his tenure at court, da Vinci produced his first version of Virgin of the Rocks, a six-foot-tall altarpiece also called the "Madonna of the Rocks." In this painting, which dates to 1483, the artist experiments with blending the edges of objects in indistinct light to create a sort of smoky effect known as sfumato, a technique the artist would continue to develop in his future works. It was perhaps because of his desire to fine-tune this technique that his other surviving painting from his years in Milan, The Last Supper, deteriorated so quickly. The artist used oil-based paint on plaster for this scene of Jesus and his apostles at the table because his customary water-based fresco paints were difficult to blend for the sfumato effect he sought. Within only a few decades, much of the painting had flaked away from the wall in its location at the Santa Maria del Grazie convent. The canvas of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" that now hangs in the Louvre is, in large part, a reproduction of the failed fresco. Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” - By Leonardo da Vinci Later Years: 1500-1519Upon the French invasion of Milan, the artist returned home, via Venice and Mantua, to Florence. His reputation preceded him, and he was lauded by old friends and up-and-coming artists captivated with his innovations in art. During this final era of his life, da Vinci completed a greater number of paintings than he had thus far. When he resettled in Florence in 1500, the artist made preliminary progress on his painting, Virgin and Child with Saint Anne," which he would set aside unfinished, not to be completed for another 10 years. Leonardo began creating his most well-known and replicated work, Mona Lisa, a couple of years later when he received a commission from Francesco del Giocondo to paint his wife. The precise date of completion for "Mona Lisa" is still in question, but many historians agree that da Vinci began the masterpiece in 1503. Leonardo da Vinci also accepted a commission for a mural to be installed in the Hall of 500 at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The subject was a battle scene at Anghiari, and the painting depicted a tangle of muscular horses and warriors. It was, however, destined to be unfinished. Contemporary master Michelangelo received a commission to paint the Battle of Cascina on the opposite wall, also a work left unfinished. Nothing of da Vinci's battle scene survived, except for a copy by artist Peter Paul Rubens and Leonardo's own preliminary sketches. In approximately the same period, the artist created his second version of the painting, "Virgin of the Rocks," which was likely a commission for installation in a chapel at Milan's church of San Francesco Maggiore. Chief differences between the two versions include color choices, lighting and details of composition. Leonardo Da Vinci Grave SiteLeonardo returned to Milan in 1506 to accept an official commission for an equestrian statue. Over the course of this seven-year residency in the city, the artist would produce a body of drawings on topics that ranged from human anatomy to botany, plus sketches of weaponry inventions and studies of birds in flight. The latter would lead to his exploratory drawings of human flight machine. All of his drawings during this time reflected da Vinci's interest in how things are put together and how they work. Upon his departure from Milan in 1513, Leonardo spent time in Rome. In October 1515, King Francis I of France recaptured Milan. The monarch had conferred upon him the title of premier architect, artist and mechanic to the king. In 1516, he entered Francis' service, and then journeyed to his last place of residence near the Fontainebleau court of French King Francis I. Many historians believe Leonardo completed his final painting, St. John the Baptist,at his rural home in Cloux, France. This masterwork exhibits his perfection of the sfumato technique. Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, on 2 May 1519 at the age of 67. The cause is generally stated to be recurrent stroke. Francis I had become a close friend. It was recorded that the king held Leonardo's head in his arms as he died, although this story, beloved by the French and portrayed in romantic paintings by Ingres, may be legend rather than fact. He was buried at Chapel of Saint-Hubert, Amboise, France. The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” - by Leonardo da Vinci Da Vinci's Influence on Life and ArtWithin the artworks created by his own circle of peers, the influence of Leonardo da Vinci's works is readily evident. Raphael and even sometime rival Michaelangelo adopted same of da Vinci's signature techniques to produce similarly active, anatomically realistic figures. His innovative breaks from the artistic standards of his day would guide generations of artists that followed. Although da Vinci painted the customary religious scenes of his era, such as the Magi and the Madonna and child, his unique placement of key figures, his signature techniques and his improvements upon perspective were all previously unheard of. In The Last Supper, the way in which he isolated Christ at the epicenter of the scene and made each apostle a separate entity, yet at the same time united them all in the moment, is a stroke of genius that subsequent artists throughout history would strive to replicate. To the present day, art enthusiasts worldwide consider the iconic "Mona Lisa" to be among the greatest paintings of all time. Her image continues to appear on items ranging from T-shirts to refrigerator magnets, and rather than trivializing the import of the masterpiece, this popularity serves to immortalize Leonardo paintings and drawings. They still remain at the forefront of people's hearts and minds centuries after his death. Just like William Shakespeare on literature, and Sigmund Freud on psychology, Leonardo's impact on art is tremendous. Throughout his life, Leonardo da Vinci avoided the intrigues of worldly ambitions and vanity. He was a reserved and withdrawn man, not concerned with glory, and yet absolutely sure of the value of his abilities. Along with a small band of contemporary Renaissance figures, Leonardo da Vinci become the center of a movement of artists that has permanently enriched western culture. Dancers in Pinkc.1876Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas Dancers in Pink, c.1876 by Degas | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$424 Canvas Print$58.08Monet's Water Garden and the Japanese Footbridge1900Claude MonetMonet's Water Garden and the Japanese Footbridge, 1900 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$509 Canvas Print$57.84Two Sisters (On the Terrace)1881Pierre-Auguste RenoirTwo Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881 by Renoir | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$588 Canvas Print$58.34The Triumph of Galateac.1511Raffaello Sanzio Raphael The Triumph of Galatea, c.1511 by Raphael | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1446 Canvas Print$47.9Cimon and Peroc.1630Peter Paul RubensCimon and Pero, c.1630 by Rubens | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$705 Canvas Print$60.06The Birth of Venusc.1485Sandro Botticelli The Birth of Venus, c.1485 by Botticelli | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1407 Canvas Print$77.7The Conversion of Saint Paulc.1600/01Michelangelo Merisi da CaravaggioThe Conversion of Saint Paul, c.1600/01 by Caravaggio | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$906 Canvas Print$92.02Netherlandish Proverbs1559Pieter Bruegel the Elder Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559 by Bruegel the Elder | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$4649 Canvas Print$51.35Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt1616Peter Paul Rubens Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt, 1616 by Rubens | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$3487 Canvas Print$92.66Young Girl Defending Herself against Eros1880Adolphe-William BouguereauYoung Girl Defending Herself against Eros, 1880 by Bouguereau | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$794 Canvas Print$51.22Napoleon Crossing the Alps on 20th May 18001803Jacques-Louis David Napoleon Crossing the Alps on 20th May 1800, 1803 by Jacques-Louis David | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1014 Canvas Print$59.4Dance Class at the Opera on Le Peletier Str.1872Hilaire Germain Edgar DegasDance Class at the Opera on Le Peletier Str., 1872 by Degas | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$421 Canvas Print$47.9Dancers Practicing at the Barre1877Hilaire Germain Edgar DegasDancers Practicing at the Barre, 1877 by Degas | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$451 Canvas Print$58.14L'aurore (Dawn)1881Adolphe-William BouguereauL'aurore (Dawn), 1881 by Bouguereau | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$794The Crown of Thorns (Ecce Homo)c.1612Peter Paul RubensThe Crown of Thorns (Ecce Homo), c.1612 by Rubens | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$794 Canvas Print$55.18Mars and Venus an Allegory of Peace1770Louis-Jean-Francois LagreneeMars and Venus an Allegory of Peace, 1770 by Lagrenee | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$876 Canvas Print$59.8Storm on the Sea of Galilee1633van Rijn RembrandtStorm on the Sea of Galilee, 1633 by Rembrandt | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$664 Canvas Print$58.34The Cestello Annunciationc.1489Sandro BotticelliThe Cestello Annunciation, c.1489 by Botticelli | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$866 Canvas Print$92.96Death and Lifec.1910/15Gustav KlimtDeath and Life, c.1910/15 by Klimt | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1824 Canvas Print$109.74Fumee d'Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris)1880John Singer SargentFumee d'Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris), 1880 by Sargent | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1099 Canvas Print$47.9Starry Night1889Vincent van Gogh Starry Night, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$498 Canvas Print$58.34Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)c.1503/06Leonardo da Vinci Mona Lisa (La Gioconda), c.1503/06 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$750 Canvas Print$49.9The Lunch on the Grass1863Edouard ManetThe Lunch on the Grass, 1863 by Manet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$628 Canvas Print$56.76Mistress and Maidc.1666/67Johannes Vermeer, van DelftMistress and Maid, c.1666/67 by Vermeer | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$880 Canvas Print$105.65Landscape: The Parc Monceau, Paris1876Claude MonetLandscape: The Parc Monceau, Paris, 1876 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$450 Canvas Print$53.06Two Calla Lilies on Pink1928Georgia O'Keeffe (inspired by)Two Calla Lilies on Pink, 1928 by O'Keeffe | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$464 Canvas Print$53.86The Teaser of the Narghile (The Pipelighter)c.1898Jean Leon GeromeThe Teaser of the Narghile (The Pipelighter), c.1898 by Gerome | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$514 Canvas Print$47.9Lady with a Unicornc.1505/06Raffaello Sanzio RaphaelLady with a Unicorn, c.1505/06 by Raphael | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$552 Canvas Print$86.24Young Girl in a Straw Hatc.1884Pierre-Auguste RenoirYoung Girl in a Straw Hat, c.1884 by Renoir | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$380Four Bathersc.1888/90Paul CezanneFour Bathers, c.1888/90 by Cezanne | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$525 Canvas Print$57.55Portrait of Emilie Floge1902Gustav KlimtPortrait of Emilie Floge, 1902 by Klimt | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1283 Canvas Print$50.78Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies1899Claude MonetBridge over a Pond of Water Lilies, 1899 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$626 Canvas Print$58.08The Purification of the Templec.1600Domenikos Theotokopoulos El GrecoThe Purification of the Temple, c.1600 by El Greco | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$655The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles1888Vincent van Gogh The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$625 Canvas Print$58.61Agnus Deic.1636/40Francisco de ZurbaranAgnus Dei, c.1636/40 by Zurbaran | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$470 Canvas Print$47.9A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery1766Joseph Wright of DerbyA Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery, 1766 by Wright of Derby | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1613Sick Bacchus (Self-Portrait as Bacchus)c.1592/93Michelangelo Merisi da CaravaggioSick Bacchus (Self-Portrait as Bacchus), c.1592/93 by Caravaggio | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$496 Canvas Print$85.22Portrait of Francesco Savorgnan della Torre, a ...c.1560Tiziano Vecellio TitianPortrait of Francesco Savorgnan della Torre, a Member of the Maggior Consiglio, c.1560 by Titian | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$540Perseus and Andromedac.1554/56Tiziano Vecellio TitianPerseus and Andromeda, c.1554/56 by Titian | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$744 Canvas Print$57.16Gold Fishc.1901/02Gustav KlimtGold Fish, c.1901/02 by Klimt | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$670 Canvas Print$47.9The Ninth Wave1850Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky The Ninth Wave, 1850 by Aivazovsky | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$823 Canvas Print$48.31Plum Brandy1878Edouard ManetPlum Brandy, 1878 by Manet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$458 Canvas Print$47.9Dedham Vale1802John ConstableDedham Vale, 1802 by Constable | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$204 Canvas Print$47.9Venus Consoling Love1751Francois BoucherVenus Consoling Love, 1751 by Boucher | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$785Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni1488Domenico Ghirlandaio Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, 1488 by Ghirlandaio | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$785The Argenteuil Bridge and the Seinec.1883Gustave CaillebotteThe Argenteuil Bridge and the Seine, c.1883 by Caillebotte | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$488The Dance Classc.1873/76Hilaire Germain Edgar DegasThe Dance Class, c.1873/76 by Degas | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$517 Canvas Print$78.62Moret, the Loing Canal (The Towpath at Saint-Mammes)1902Camille Jacob PissarroMoret, the Loing Canal (The Towpath at Saint-Mammes), 1902 by Pissarro | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$452 Canvas Print$57.16Kizette in Pinkc.1926Tamara de Lempicka (inspired by)Kizette in Pink, c.1926 by Lempicka | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$610 Canvas Print$54.61The Swingc.1765Jean-Honore FragonardThe Swing, c.1765 by Fragonard | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$548 Canvas Print$62.17The Sleeping Bather (The Sleeper)1897Pierre-Auguste RenoirThe Sleeping Bather (The Sleeper), 1897 by Renoir | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$532 Canvas Print$55.18Camille (The Woman in the Green Dress)1866Claude MonetCamille (The Woman in the Green Dress), 1866 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$468 Canvas Print$78.38Apples and Biscuitsc.1879/82Paul CezanneApples and Biscuits, c.1879/82 by Cezanne | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$246 Canvas Print$59.4The Lady with a Fanc.1640Diego Rodriguez de Silva VelazquezThe Lady with a Fan, c.1640 by Velazquez | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$630 Canvas Print$47.9Irises1889Vincent van Gogh Irises, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$421 Canvas Print$57.16Landscape on the Coast, near Menton1883Pierre-Auguste RenoirLandscape on the Coast, near Menton, 1883 by Renoir | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$532 Canvas Print$47.9The Girl with a Pearl Earringc.1665/66Johannes Vermeer, van Delft The Girl with a Pearl Earring, c.1665/66 by Vermeer | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$532 Canvas Print$47.9The Fountain of Vaucluse1841Thomas ColeThe Fountain of Vaucluse, 1841 by Thomas Cole | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$856 Canvas Print$47.9The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus1618Peter Paul Rubens The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus, 1618 by Rubens | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1148 Canvas Print$67.32Japanese Bridge at Giverny (Water Lily Pond)1900Claude Monet Japanese Bridge at Giverny (Water Lily Pond), 1900 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$525 Canvas Print$64.15Villa Medici in Rome (Pavillion of Ariadne)c.1630Diego Rodriguez de Silva VelazquezVilla Medici in Rome (Pavillion of Ariadne), c.1630 by Velazquez | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$284 Canvas Print$50.05King Philip IV of Spain1644Diego Rodriguez de Silva VelazquezKing Philip IV of Spain, 1644 by Velazquez | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$735 Canvas Print$67.34The Kissc.1907/08Gustav Klimt The Kiss, c.1907/08 by Klimt | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$2285 Canvas Print$72.6Spring Flowers1864Claude MonetSpring Flowers, 1864 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$636 Canvas Print$47.9The Broken Pitcher1891Adolphe-William BouguereauThe Broken Pitcher, 1891 by Bouguereau | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$672 Canvas Print$55.92La Rue de La Bavolle at Honfleur1864Claude MonetLa Rue de La Bavolle at Honfleur, 1864 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$345 Canvas Print$47.9Dance at Bougival1883Pierre-Auguste RenoirDance at Bougival, 1883 by Renoir | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$517 Canvas Print$47.9Primaverac.1482Sandro Botticelli Primavera, c.1482 by Botticelli | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$3137 Canvas Print$78.21Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Cadlelightc.1768/70Joseph Wright of DerbyTwo Girls Dressing a Kitten by Cadlelight, c.1768/70 by Wright of Derby | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$608St John the Baptistc.1513/16Leonardo da VinciSt John the Baptist, c.1513/16 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$599 Canvas Print$94.39Man and Woman Contemplating the Moonc.1824Caspar David FriedrichMan and Woman Contemplating the Moon, c.1824 by Caspar David Friedrich | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$349 Canvas Print$47.9Mill on the Couleuvre at Pontoise1881Paul CezanneMill on the Couleuvre at Pontoise, 1881 by Cezanne | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$508 Canvas Print$56.76Venus in Front of the Mirrorc.1613/14Peter Paul RubensVenus in Front of the Mirror, c.1613/14 by Rubens | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$768 Canvas Print$57.29Susanna and the Eldersc.1555/56Jacopo Robusti TintorettoSusanna and the Elders, c.1555/56 by Tintoretto | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$568 Canvas Print$79.2Water Lilies, Evening Effectc.1897/98Claude Monet Water Lilies, Evening Effect, c.1897/98 by Monet | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$367 Canvas Print$88.27Leda and the Swanc.1505/15Leonardo da VinciLeda and the Swan, c.1505/15 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$3108 Canvas Print$70.72Old Jew with the Boy1903Pablo PicassoOld Jew with the Boy, 1903 by Picasso | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$444In Wikström's Studio1889Anders ZornIn Wikström's Studio, 1889 by Anders Zorn | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$462 Canvas Print$48.18The Princess Sabra Led to the Dragon1866Sir Edward Burne-JonesThe Princess Sabra Led to the Dragon, 1866 by Burne-Jones | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$540 Canvas Print$55.81Boreas Abducts Oreithyac.1615Peter Paul RubensBoreas Abducts Oreithya, c.1615 by Rubens | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$849 Canvas Print$76.56Grand Canal Near the Campo San Vioc.1730Giovanni Antonio Canal CanalettoGrand Canal Near the Campo San Vio, c.1730 by Canaletto | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$794 Canvas Print$47.9The Love Letterc.1669/70Johannes Vermeer, van DelftThe Love Letter, c.1669/70 by Vermeer | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$758 Canvas Print$47.9Don Gabriel de la Cueva, Count of Albuquerque1560Giovanni Battista MoroniDon Gabriel de la Cueva, Count of Albuquerque, 1560 by Giovanni Battista Moroni | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$711The Wanderer Above a Sea of Mist1818Caspar David Friedrich The Wanderer Above a Sea of Mist, 1818 by Caspar David Friedrich | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$433 Canvas Print$56.89The Strawberry Girlc.1772/73Sir Joshua ReynoldsThe Strawberry Girl, c.1772/73 by Reynolds | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$462Caligula's Palace and Bridge1831Joseph Mallord William TurnerCaligula's Palace and Bridge, 1831 by J. M. W. Turner | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$575 Canvas Print$47.9Lady with an Ermine (Cecilia Gallarani)1496Leonardo da Vinci Lady with an Ermine (Cecilia Gallarani), 1496 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$839 Canvas Print$50.37Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasyc.1594/95Michelangelo Merisi da CaravaggioSaint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy, c.1594/95 by Caravaggio | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1043 Canvas Print$87.07Thalia, Muse of Comedy1739Jean-Marc NattierThalia, Muse of Comedy, 1739 by Jean-Marc Nattier | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$696 Canvas Print$65.87God Speed1900Edmund Blair LeightonGod Speed, 1900 by Blair Leighton | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$1188 Canvas Print$52.8Perseus and Andromedac.1730Giovanni Battista TiepoloPerseus and Andromeda, c.1730 by Tiepolo | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$447Boat Building near Flatford Mill1815John ConstableBoat Building near Flatford Mill, 1815 by Constable | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$478 Canvas Print$60.85La Belle Ferronniere (Portrait of a Lady from the ...c.1490/95Leonardo da VinciLa Belle Ferronniere (Portrait of a Lady from the Court of Milan), c.1490/95 by Leonardo da Vinci | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$558 Canvas Print$68.04Trompe l'oeil (Pinboard), Letter Boardc.1666/78Samuel van HoogstratenTrompe l'oeil (Pinboard), Letter Board, c.1666/78 by Hoogstraten | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$2045Young Girl with Daisies1889Pierre-Auguste RenoirYoung Girl with Daisies, 1889 by Renoir | Painting ReproductionOil Painting$462 Canvas Print$84.37The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Doubting Thomas)c.1602/03Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Doubting Thomas), c.1602/03 by Caravaggio this coin is silver plated The most famous paintings of all timeA ranking of the most famous paintings—from Jan van Eyck’s portrait to Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece. Written by Howard HalleFriday July 15 2022FacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppRanking the most famous paintings of all time is a difficult task. Painting is an ancient medium and even with the introduction of photography, film and digital technology, it still has remained a persistent mode of expression. So many paintings have been limned over dozens of millennia that only a relatively small percentage of them could be construed as "timeless classics" that have become familiar to the public—and not coincidentally produced by some of the most famous artists of all time. Time Out UKThis popular British holiday destination will give you money back if it rainsREAD MORE It leaves open the question of what mix of talent, genius and circumstance leads to the creation of a masterpiece. Perhaps the simplest answer is that you know one when you see one, whether it's at one of NYC's many museums (The Metropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim, MoMA and elsewhere) or at institutions in other parts of the world. We, of course, have our opinion of what makes the grade and we present them here in our list of the best paintings of all time. Top famous paintingsLeonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503–19Photograph: Courtesy CC/FlickrDystopos1. Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503–19Painted between 1503 and 1517, Da Vinci’s alluring portrait has been dogged by two questions since the day it was made: Who’s the subject and why is she smiling? A number of theories for the former have been proffered over the years: That she’s the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco di Bartolomeo del Giocondo (ergo, the work’s alternative title, La Gioconda); that she's Leonardo’s mother, Caterina, conjured from Leonardo's boyhood memories of her; and finally, that it's a self-portrait in drag. As for that famous smile, its enigmatic quality has driven people crazy for centuries. Whatever the reason, Mona Lisa’s look of preternatural calm comports with the idealized landscape behind her, which dissolves into the distance through Leonardo’s use of atmospheric perspective. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Dystopos An email you’ll actually love Get into a relationship with our newsletter. Discover the best of the city, first.Enter email addressEnter email addressBy entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Nat5072. Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665Johannes Vermeer’s 1665 study of a young woman is startlingly real and startlingly modern, almost as if it were a photograph. This gets into the debate over whether or not Vermeer employed a pre-photographic device called a camera obscura to create the image. Leaving that aside, the sitter is unknown, though it’s been speculated that she might have been Vermeer's maid. He portrays her looking over her shoulder, locking her eyes with the viewer as if attempting to establish an intimate connection across the centuries. Technically speaking, Girl isn’t a portrait, but rather an example of the Dutch genre called a tronie—a headshot meant more as still life of facial features than as an attempt to capture a likeness. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Nat507 ADVERTISING Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz3. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889Vincent Van Gogh’s most popular painting, The Starry Night was created by Van Gogh at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, where he’d committed himself in 1889. Indeed, The Starry Night seems to reflect his turbulent state of mind at the time, as the night sky comes alive with swirls and orbs of frenetically applied brush marks springing from the yin and yang of his personal demons and awe of nature. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, 1907–1908Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Jessica Epstein4. Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, 1907–1908Opulently gilded and extravagantly patterned, The Kiss, Gustav Klimt’s fin-de-siècle portrayal of intimacy, is a mix of Symbolism and Vienna Jugendstil, the Austrian variant of Art Nouveau. Klimt depicts his subjects as mythical figures made modern by luxuriant surfaces of up-to-the moment graphic motifs. The work is a highpoint of the artist’s Golden Phase between 1899 and 1910 when he often used gold leaf—a technique inspired by a 1903 trip to the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, where he saw the church’s famed Byzantine mosaics. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Jessica Epstein ADVERTISING Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1484–1486Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/arselectronica5. Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1484–1486Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus was the first full-length, non-religious nude since antiquity, and was made for Lorenzo de Medici. It’s claimed that the figure of the Goddess of Love is modeled after one Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, whose favors were allegedly shared by Lorenzo and his younger brother, Giuliano. Venus is seen being blown ashore on a giant clamshell by the wind gods Zephyrus and Aura as the personification of spring awaits on land with a cloak. Unsurprisingly, Venus attracted the ire of Savonarola, the Dominican monk who led a fundamentalist crackdown on the secular tastes of the Florentines. His campaign included the infamous “Bonfire of the Vanities” of 1497, in which “profane” objects—cosmetics, artworks, books—were burned on a pyre. The Birth of Venus was itself scheduled for incineration, but somehow escaped destruction. Botticelli, though, was so freaked out by the incident that he gave up painting for a while. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/arselectronica James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, 1871Photograph: REX/Shutterstock/Universal History Archive6. James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, 1871Whistler’s Mother, or Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, as it’s actually titled, speaks to the artist’s ambition to pursue art for art’s sake. James Abbott McNeill Whistler painted the work in his London studio in 1871, and in it, the formality of portraiture becomes an essay in form. Whistler’s mother Anna is pictured as one of several elements locked into an arrangement of right angles. Her severe expression fits in with the rigidity of the composition, and it’s somewhat ironic to note that despite Whistler’s formalist intentions, the painting became a symbol of motherhood. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock/Universal History Archive ADVERTISING Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian7. Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434One of the most significant works produced during the Northern Renaissance, this composition is believed to be one of the first paintings executed in oils. A full-length double portrait, it reputedly portrays an Italian merchant and a woman who may or may not be his bride. In 1934, the celebrated art historian Erwin Panofsky proposed that the painting is actually a wedding contract. What can be reliably said is that the piece is one of the first depictions of an interior using orthogonal perspective to create a sense of space that seems contiguous with the viewer’s own; it feels like a painting you could step into. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503–1515Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian8. Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503–1515This fantastical triptych is generally considered a distant forerunner to Surrealism. In truth, it’s the expression of a late medieval artist who believed that God and the Devil, Heaven and Hell were real. Of the three scenes depicted, the left panel shows Christ presenting Eve to Adam, while the right one features the depredations of Hell; less clear is whether the center panel depicts Heaven. In Bosch’s perfervid vision of Hell, an enormous set of ears wielding a phallic knife attacks the damned, while a bird-beaked bug king with a chamber pot for a crown sits on its throne, devouring the doomed before promptly defecating them out again. This riot of symbolism has been largely impervious to interpretation, which may account for its widespread appeal. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Centralasian ADVERTISING Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884–1886Courtesy The Art Institute of Chicago/Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection9. Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884–1886Georges Seurat’s masterpiece, evoking the Paris of La Belle Epoque, is actually depicting a working-class suburban scene well outside the city’s center. Seurat often made this milieu his subject, which differed from the bourgeois portrayals of his Impressionist contemporaries. Seurat abjured the capture-the-moment approach of Manet, Monet and Degas, going instead for the sense of timeless permanence found in Greek sculpture. And that is exactly what you get in this frieze-like processional of figures whose stillness is in keeping with Seurat’s aim of creating a classical landscape in modern form. Photograph: Courtesy The Art Institute of Chicago/Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz10. Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907The ur-canvas of 20th-century art, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon ushered in the modern era by decisively breaking with the representational tradition of Western painting, incorporating allusions to the African masks that Picasso had seen in Paris's ethnographic museum at the Palais du Trocadro. Its compositional DNA also includes El Greco’s The Vision of Saint John (1608–14), now hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The women being depicted are actually prostitutes in a brothel in the artist's native Barcelona. Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Wally Gobetz RecommendedThe best thrift stores in New YorkThe best thrift stores in New YorkThe 10 best hotels with pools in NYCThe 10 best hotels with pools in NYCNYC events in July 2023NYC events in July 2023The best outlets near New YorkThe best outlets near New YorkADVERTISING Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters, 1565Photograph: Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art11. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters, 1565Bruegel’s fanfare for the common man is considered one of the defining works of Western art. This composition was one of six created on the theme of the seasons. The time is probably early September. A group of peasants on the left cut and bundle ripened wheat, while the on the right, another group takes their midday meal. One figure is sacked out under a tree with his pants unbuttoned. This attention to detail continues throughout the painting as a procession of ever-granular observations receding into space. It was extraordinary for a time when landscapes served mostly as backdrops for religious paintings. Édouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, 1863Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/RMN (Musee d'Orsay)/Herve Lewandowski12. Édouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, 1863Manet’s scene of picnicking Parisians caused a scandal when it debuted at the Salon des Refusés, the alternative exhibition made up of works rejected by the jurors of the annual Salon—the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts that set artistic standards in France. The most vociferous objections to Manet’s work centered on the depiction of a nude woman in the company of men dressed in contemporary clothes. Based on motifs borrowed from such Renaissance greats as Raphael and Giorgione, Le Déjeuner was a cheeky send up of classical figuration—an insolent mash-up of modern life and painting tradition. ADVERTISING Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red Blue and Yellow, 1930Photograph: Courtesy Kunsthaus Zürich/Geschenk Alfred Roth/198713. Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red Blue and Yellow, 1930A small painting (18 inches by 18 inches) that packs a big art-historical punch, Mondrian’s work represents a radical distillation of form, color and composition to their basic components. Limiting his palette to the primary triad (red, yellow and blue), plus black and white, Mondrian applied pigment in flat unmixed patches in an arrangement of squares and rectangles that anticipated Minimalism. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Las Meninas, or The Family of King Philip IVPhotograph: Courtesy Museo Nacional Del Prado14. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Las Meninas, or The Family of King Philip IVA painting of a painting within a painting, Velázquez masterpiece consists of different themes rolled into one: A portrait of Spain’s royal family and retinue in Velázquez’s studio; a self-portrait; an almost art-for-art’s-sake display of bravura brush work; and an interior scene, offering glimpses into Velázquez’s working life. Las Meninas is also a treatise on the nature of seeing, as well as a riddle confounding viewers about what exactly they’re looking at. It’s the visual art equivalent of breaking the fourth wall—or in this case, the studio’s far wall on which there hangs a mirror reflecting the faces of the Spanish King and Queen. Immediately this suggests that the royal couple is on our side of the picture plane, raising the question of where we are in relationship to them. Meanwhile, Velázquez’s full length rendering of himself at his easel begs the question of whether he’s looking in a mirror to paint the picture. In other words, are the subjects of Las Meninas (all of whom are fixing their gaze outside of the frame), looking at us, or looking at themselves? ADVERTISING Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937Photograph: Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia/Sucesion Pablo Picasso/VEGAP/201715. Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937Perhaps Picasso’s best-known painting, Guernica is an antiwar cris de coeur occasioned by the 1937 bombing of the eponymous Basque city during the Spanish Civil War by German and Italian aircraft allied with Fascist leader Francisco Franco. The leftist government that opposed him commissioned Picasso to created the painting for the Spanish Pavillion at 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. When it closed, Guernica went on an international tour, before winding up at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Picasso loaned the painting to MoMA with the stipulation that it be returned to his native Spain once democracy was restored—which it was in 1981, six years after Franco's death in 1975 (Picasso himself died two years before that.) Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, The Naked Maja, circa 1797–1800Photograph: Courtesy Museo Nacional Del Prado16. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, The Naked Maja, circa 1797–1800Definitely comfortable in her own skin, this female nude staring unashamedly at the viewer caused quite a stir when it was painted, and even got Goya into hot water with the Spanish Inquisition. Among other things, it features one of the first depictions of public hair in Western art. Commissioned by Manuel de Godoy, Spain’s Prime Minister, The Naked Maja was accompanied by another version with the sitter clothed. The identity of the woman remains a mystery, though she is most thought to be Godoy’s young mistress, Pepita Tudó. ADVERTISING Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Web Gallery of Art17. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814Commissioned by Napoleon’s sister, Queen Caroline Murat of Naples, Grande Odalisque represented the artist’s break with the Neo-classical style he’d been identified with for much of his career. The work could be described as Mannerist, though it’s generally thought of as a transition to Romanticism, a movement that abjured Neo-classicalism’s precision, formality and equipoise in favor of eliciting emotional reactions from the viewer. This depiction of a concubine languidly posed on a couch is notable for her strange proportions. Anatomically incorrect, this enigmatic, uncanny figure was greeted with jeers by critics at the time, though it eventually became one of Ingres most enduring works. Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Erich Lessing/Art Resource NY/Artres18. Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830Commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X of France, Liberty Leading the People has become synonymous with the revolutionary spirit all over the world. Combining allegory with contemporary elements, the painting is a thrilling example of the Romantic style, going for the gut with its titular character brandishing the French Tricolor as members of different classes unite behind her to storm a barricade strewn with the bodies of fallen comrades. The image has inspired other works of art and literature, including the Statue of Liberty and Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables. ADVERTISING Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1874Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Art Database19. Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1874The defining figure of Impressionism, Monet virtually gave the movement its name with his painting of daybreak over the port of Le Havre, the artist’s hometown. Monet was known for his studies of light and color, and this canvas offers a splendid example with its flurry of brush strokes depicting the sun as an orange orb breaking through a hazy blue melding of water and sky. Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1819Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Cybershot800i20. Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1819The worship of nature, or more precisely, the feeling of awe it inspired, was a signature of the Romantic style in art, and there is no better example on that score than this image of a hiker in the mountains, pausing on a rocky outcrop to take in his surroundings. His back is turned towards the viewer as if he were too enthralled with the landscape to turn around, but his pose offers a kind of over-the-shoulder view that draws us into vista as if we were seeing it through his eyes. ADVERTISING Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818–1819Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons21. Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818–1819For sheer impact, it’s hard to top The Raft of the Medusa, in which Géricault took a contemporary news event and transformed it into a timeless icon. The backstory begins with the 1818 sinking of the French naval vessel off the coast of Africa, which left 147 sailors adrift on a hastily constructed raft. Of that number, only 15 remained after a 13-day ordeal at sea that included incidents of cannibalism among the desperate men. The larger-than-life-size painting, distinguished by a dramatic pyramidal composition, captures the moment the raft’s emaciated crew spots a rescue ship. Géricault undertook the massive canvas on his own, without anyone paying for it, and approached it much like an investigative reporter, interviewing survivors and making numerous detailed studies based on their testimony. Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942Photograph: Courtesy The Art Institute of Chicago/Friends of American Art Collection22. Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942An iconic depiction of urban isolation, Nighthawks depicts a quarter of characters at night inside a greasy spoon with an expansive wraparound window that almost takes up the entire facade of the diner. Its brightly lit interior—the only source of illumination for the scene—floods the sidewalk and the surrounding buildings, which are otherwise dark. The restaurant's glass exterior creates a display-case effect that heightens the sense that the subjects (three customers and a counterman) are alone together. It's a study of alienation as the figures studiously ignore each other while losing themselves in a state of reverie or exhaustion. The diner was based on a long-demolished one in Hopper's Greenwich Village neighborhood, and some art historians have suggested that the painting as a whole may have been inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night, which was on exhibit at a gallery Hopper frequented at same time he painted Nighthawks Also of note: The redheaded woman on the far right is the artist's wife Jo, who frequently modeled for him. ADVERTISING Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912Photograph: Courtesy CC/Wikimedia Commons/Philadelphia Museum of Art23. Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912At the beginning of the 20th-century, Americans knew little about modern art, but all that abruptly changed when a survey of Europe's leading modernists was mounted at New York City's 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets. The show was officially titled the "International Exhibition of Modern Art," but has simply been known as the Armory Show ever since. It was a succès de scandale of epic proportions, sparking an outcry from critics that landed on the front page of newspapers. At the center of the brouhaha was this painting by Marcel Duchamp. A stylistic mixture of Cubism and Futurism, Duchamp’s depiction of the titular subject in multiple exposure evokes a movement through time as well as space, and was inspired by the photographic motion studies of Eadweard Muybridge and Étienne-Jules Marey. The figure's planar construction drew the most ire, making the painting a lighting rod for ridicule. The New York Times's art critic dubbed it "an explosion in a shingle factory," and The New York Evening Sun published a satirical cartoon version of Nude with the caption, "The Rude Descending a Staircase (Rush Hour at the Subway),” in which commuters push and shove each other on their way onto the train. Nude was one of a handful of paintings Duchamp made before turning full time towards the conceptualist experiments (such as the Readymades and The Large Glass) for which he’s known.

Price: 8.99 GBP

Location: Manchester, Take a look at my other items

End Time: 2024-12-04T18:44:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.79 GBP