Jean-Honoré Fragonard: The Progress of Love: The Meeting – 1771–3

Jean-Honoré Fragonard: The Progress of Love: The Meeting - 1771–3

New York, Frick Collection What could American robber barons Henry Clay Frick and J. Pierpont Morgan and famed courtesan Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV, all have in common? Why, their taste in art, of course. Around 1771, Madame du Barry commissioned celebrated Rococo artist Fragonard to create a decorative cycle for a new … Read more

Rembrandt: Self Portrait – 1658

Rembrandt: Self Portrait - 1658

New York, Frick Collection On July 14th 1656 Rembrandt applied to the High Court of Holland for cessio bonorum – a voluntary surrender of goods to creditors. A few days later an inventory of his effects was drawn up which illustrated part of the problem – lavish spending on a splendid collection of art – … Read more

Leonardo da Vinci: The Virgin of the Rocks – Probably 1508

Leonardo da Vinci The Virgin of the Rocks – Probably 1508

London, National Gallery The first thing that one notes when viewing this picture is the very odd setting. The four faces seem to glow out of a dark and brooding landscape. The eponymous rocks are arranged like nothing in this world and the rock canopy does not obey any earthly laws of physics, otherwise it … Read more

Camille Pissarro: The Quays at Rouen 1883

Camille Pissarro: The Quays at Rouen 1883

London, Courtauld Institute of Art Pissarro was the only artist to take part in all eight Impressionist Exhibitions (though none of them bore the title which is now used). He fulfilled a pivotal role in the development of Impressionism and in the movements it later spawned, becoming something of a father figure and mentor to … Read more

Édouard Manet; Bar at the Folies-Bergère – 1881-2

Édouard Manet; Bar at the Folies-Bergère – 1881-2

London, Courtauld Institute of Art The Folies-Bergère was the largest, and one of the most fashionable places of entertainment in Paris. Reflected in the mirror of Manet’s painting, behind the barmaid, one can see part of the cavernous interior —­­ the chink of glasses, the music of a band and the roar of hundreds of … Read more

Rembrandt: Bathsheba Bathing – 1654

Rembrandt: Bathsheba Bathing - 1654

Paris, Musée du Louvre In Amsterdam in the summer of 1654, a pregnant, 28-year-old nursemaid by the name of Hendrickje Stoffels (1626–1663), was called before the Church Council to answer charges of ‘living in whoredom with the painter Rembrandt’. She worked in Rembrandt’s household, caring for the painter’s young son, Titus, and had for some … Read more

Joshua Reynolds: Nelly O’Brien – c1762–4

Joshua Reynolds Nelly O’Brien – c1762–4

London, Wallace Collection This piece has a curiously ‘modern’ feel — it would not look out of place in an exhibition of works from the last years of the nineteenth century. The direct and challenging stare, the fact that her hat is casting a shadow over the most important part of any portrait, the head … Read more

Anthony van Dyck; Charles I, King of England – 1635

Anthony van Dyck; Charles I, King of England - 1635

Paris, Musée du Louvre In 1632, the Flemish painter van Dyck accepted the invitation of King Charles I to come to England. Taking up the role of ‘chief ordinary painter to Their Majesties’ he enjoyed immense popularity; it became de rigueur for anyone of standing to have his or her portrait done by van Dyck. … Read more