Mikeal C. Parsons
The Betrayal of Christ, by Guercino
The Baroque artist Guercino (1591–1666) depicts the moment Judas betrays Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane....
Doorjamb figure of the prophet Jeremiah from a church portal in France
This carving of Jeremiah is situated in the doorway of St. Peter Church in Moissac, France....
Baptism of Christ, by Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488), created Baptism of Christ in Florence between 1470 and 1475, on the cusp of the High Renaissance....
The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, by Duccio
At the outset of his public ministry, Jesus encounters Peter and Andrew, fishing on the Sea of Galilee....
Coronation of the Madonna and Child, with Five Angels, by Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli (1444–1510), most famous for Prima Vera and The Birth of Venus, presents the Magnificat in a tondo, or circular painting....
The Foolish Virgins, by Francesco Mazzola
After stints in Rome and Bologna, the artist Francesco “Parmigianino” Mazzola (1503–1540) returned to his native Parma to paint the vault and apse of Santa Maria della Steccata in 1530–31....
The Tribute Money, by Tiziano Vecellio (Titian) (ca. 1488–1576)
The Tribute Money is the earliest signed painting by Titian....
Gathering Manna in the Desert, by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665)
Nicolas Poussin painted this work in 1637–1639 for Paul Fréart de Chantelou, an admirer of Christian art, who would become one of his most benevolent patrons....
Moses and the Burning Bush, mural in Dura-Europos, Syria
Dura-Europos, a Roman military outpost along the Euphrates River (in modern-day Syria) that was abandoned in the third century, was one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th cent...
St. Peter Walking on Water, by Alessandro Allori (1535–1607)
Alessandro Allori, a Mannerist painter from Florence, depicts the moment when Jesus rescues Peter from drowning (Matt. 14:22–23)....
Sacrifice of Isaac, by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610)
The Sacrifice of Isaac was commissioned for Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, who would later become Pope Urban VIII (1623–44)....
Trinity with Saint Jerome, by Andrea del Castagno
In Renaissance painting, Jerome is usually shown in his study translating the Bible into Latin. Here Andrea del Castagno (1410–1457) depicts Jerome’s vision of the Trinity, a much rarer subject....
The Good Shepherd, early fourth century, Museo Pio Cristiano, Vatican
The image of God as a shepherd watching over the flock of covenant people is a popular image in the Jewish scriptures....
The Supper at Emmaus, by Jacopo Pontormo
In his 1525 depiction of the Supper at Emmaus, the Late Italian Renaissance painter Jacopo Pontormo (1494–1557) portrays the moment that Christ blesses the bread....
Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well, by Guercino
The Italian Baroque artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, better known as Guercino, painted the subject of Christ and the woman of Samaria at the well at least five times in his career....
Transfiguration, by Fra Angelico
While a Dominican monk at San Marco’s monastery in Florence, Fra Angelico (1395–1455) was commissioned to paint frescoes in the meeting rooms and dormitory cells of the lay brothers, novices, and c...
Crucifixion, by Matthias Grünewald
Matthias Grünewald (ca. 1480–1528) painted the Crucifixion as a panel for the Isenheim Altarpiece in the hospital chapel of St. Anthony’s monastery....
Adoration of the Magi, by Sandro Botticelli
The adoration of the Magi was one of the most popular subjects in 15th-century Florence because of the active membership of the Company of the Magi, a lay confraternity whose responsibilities inclu...
Crucifixion, by Giovanni Stradano (1523–1605)
Giovanni Stradano, a Flemish artist who moved to Florence to study Italian art and culture, followed the style of Mannerism taught by Giorgio Vasari....
The Tax Collector and the Pharisee, by Raymond Quinsac Monvoisin
Raymond Quinsac Monvoisin’s 1865 wood engraving of the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee (after a sketch by Gustave Doré) arranges the composition as if the viewer is on the altar looki...