View of the Grand Canal

During the eighteenth century many travelers visited Venice as part of the European Grand Tour. As Venice’s most prominent vedute, or ‘view’ painter, Canaletto’s paintings were among the most sought […]

The Execution of the Four Crowned Martyrs

The legend of the Four Crowned Martyrs refers to Christian sculptors working for the Emperor Diocletian (depicted on the left with crown and scepter) who refused his order to carve […]

Allegory of Vigilance

This painting and the related Allegory of Vanity must have comprised a portion of a cycle of virtues and vices. Secular cycles such as these commonly appeared high on the […]

Battle of Pavia

This painting commemorates the 24 February 1525 military engagement between the armies of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and the King of France, Francis I. The Battle of Pavia […]

The Baptism of Christ

Garofalo uses landscape elements to silhouette and emphasize the sacred figures. John the Baptist is placed against a dark bluff, which signifies his self-imposed isolation in the wilderness; in contrast […]