Mikeal C. Parsons
Christ Driving the Money Lenders from the Temple, by Ippolito Scarsellino (called Scarcella)
This painting of Christ driving the money lenders from the temple, by the Late Renaissance painter Ippolito Scarsellino, depicts a story told in all four Gospels....
Abraham, fresco in a synagogue in Syria (ca. 239)
Dura Europas was an ancient and obscure military outpost and trading center near the Euphrates River on the edge of the eastern Roman Empire....
Jonah and the Whale, from an early Christian marble sarcophagus in Rome (fourth century)
Scenes from the story of Jonah were among the most popular in early Christian art....
Adoration of the Magi, by Gentile da Fabriano (ca. 1423)
The adoration of the Magi was an important subject for Florentines, as many men were part of the civic organization dedicated to the Magi....
Sermon on the Mount, by Fra Angelico (1387–1455)
While in residence at San Marco’s, a Dominican monastery in Florence, Fra Angelico and his assistants were commissioned to decorate the meeting rooms and cells of the lay brothers, novices, and cle...
Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter (Sistine Chapel), by Pietro Perugino (1448–1523)
This painting was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV for his private chapel....
Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry ), by Paul, Herman, and Johan Limbourg (fl. 1399–1416)
This manuscript illumination depicting Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Matt....
Sacrifice of Isaac (Florence baptistery), by Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378–1455)
In 1401, under the patronage of the Arte di Calimala, a competition to decorate the east doors of the baptistery in Florence was announced....
Pentecost (Scrovegni Chapel, Padua), by Giotto di Bondone (1266–1336)
Giotto di Bondone painted a fresco cycle of the life of Christ at the Scrovegni Chapel (also called the Arena Chapel) in Padua, Italy, in 1304–06....
Scenes from the Lives of Sts. Stephen and Lawrence (1448–1449), by Fra Angelico
An early Renaissance fresco by Fra Angelico (1395–1455) in the chapel of Pope Nicholas V at the Vatican commemorates St. Lawrence (m. 258) and St. Stephen....
“Entry into Jerusalem” from the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican
The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, a popular theme in early Christian art, is depicted on the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, a Roman prefect who became a Christian convert shortly before h...
Annunciation, by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
The importance of the annunciation to medieval and Renaissance Florentines is best reflected in the fact that until 1750 the beginning of the new year corresponded directly to the Feast of the Annu...
The Transfiguration, by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) (1483–1520)
The transfigured Christ is miraculously lifted above Mount Tabor between Moses (on the right) and Elijah (on the left)....
Presentation in the Temple, by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (fl. ca. 1311–1348)
Ambrogio Lorenzetti created a profound visual interpretation of Jesus’ presentation in the temple....
Adoration of the Shepherds, by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448–1494)
The adoration of the shepherds was a very popular theme north of the Alps in the 15th century....
Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares, by Evgeniy Vuchetich (1908–1974)
Isaiah’s beautiful vision of peace in Isaiah 2 is the Old Testament lesson for the first Sunday of Advent....
Vision of the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel), by Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)
Paul Gauguin strove to depict the simple, direct faith of a group of women from Pont-Aven, a rural community in Brittany, France....
The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669)
Rembrandt captures the pathos of the initial encounter between an aged, loving father and his wayward son. The painter’s attention to detail creates the mood and emotional tone of the composition....
The Parable of the Lost Coin, by Domenico Fetti (1589–1624)
A woman searches for a lost coin in a dark room. The frantic nature of her search is displayed by the overturned furniture and the clothing strewn across the floor....
Christ with Mary and Martha, by Alessandro Allori (1535–1607)
Mary and Martha are often portrayed as being in conflict with one another during Christ’s visit to their home....