Diapositiva 1

Welcome to the National
Gallery
th
th
Painters from the 13 to the 15 century:
This is our schedule for today (the schedule is for a group
of 20- 25 young people)
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Meeting point: We're going to meet outside the National
Gallery at 11:30 am.
Painters: Today we’re going to admire the works of these
painters: Uccello, Van Eyck, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli,
Antonio da Messina
Rooms: We're going to see the paintings in the following
rooms: 55,56,58,60, 62
Breaks: We're going to have a break if you need to go to the
toilet at 12:00 am
Price: The price is about 20£ per person
This visit will last about 2 hours
The battle of San Romano by
Uccello
The battle of San Romano was a
Skirmish which took place between
the Fiorentines and the Sienese in
1432. The victorious Fiorentines are
led by Niccolò da Tolentino on a
white charger. He is identifiable by
the 'Knot of Solomon' device on his
banner.
The painting was with two
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We are now in
room 56
companion panels showing incidents from the
same battle, commissioned by the Bartolini
Salimbeni family in Florence.
Lorenzo de' Medici so coveted them that he had
them forcibly removed from the Medici palace.
The Arnolfini portrait by Van Eyck
Room 56
Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife
The male figure is probably Giovanni di Nicolao
Arnolfini, a member of a wealthy Italian merchant
family. He lived in Bruges in the Low Cowntries.
The picture is often interpreted as a depiction of a
marriage ceremony. It is in fact a particularly
elaborate portrait of Arnolfini and his wife.
The couple is shown in a richly founished living
room; beds were common feature of such rooms.
On the wall there is a mirror, the frame
ornamented with scenes from the Passion. In the
mirror there is a reflection of two additional figures
in a doorway. Arnolfini's hand is raised, perhaps to
greet them.
The latin inscription on the wall above the mirror
translates: ' Jan Van Eyck has been here'.
This may be an indication that the artist is one of
the figures in the reflection. It certainly refers to his
authorship.
The Baptism of Christ by Piero
della Francesca
Christ is baptised by Saint John the
Baptist. A dove, the symbol of the
Holy Spirit, hovers above. The
angels attend with Christ's robes.
This was probably painted as an
altarpiece for the chapel of Saint
John the Baptist in an abbey in
Piero's native town of Borgo San
Sepolcro. The landscape resembles
that around San Sepolcro.
Room 66
Venus and Mars by Sandro
Botticelli
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We are in
room 58
Mars, God of War, was one of the lovers of Venus, Goddess of Love.
Here Mars is asleep and unarmed, while Venus is awake and alert.
The meaning of the picture is that love conquers war, or love
conquers all.
This work was probably a piece of bedroom furniture, perhaps a
bedhead or piece of wainscoting, most probably the 'spalliera' or
backboard from a chest or day bed. The wasps at the top right
suggest a link with the Vespucci family, though they may be no more
than a symbol of the stings of love.
Saint Jerome in his study by
Antonello da Messina
The painting is recorded in a
Venetian collection in 1529 as by
Antonello, Van Eyck or Memling.
Antonello may have painted it
when in Venice in the 1470s; his
style was much influenced by
Netherlandish painting seen in
the detailed treatment of objects
such as the hanging towel and
the view through the window. The
4th-century Saint Jerome was
one of the four Fathers of the
Church, and is often represented
in the Renaissance. He was
famous for the Vulgate - the
translation of the Bible into Latin and is often depicted in his study.
Room 62