Jean-Leon Gérôme - The Duel After The Masquerade [1857-59]

Jean-Leon Gerome - The Duel After The Masquerade [1857-59], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

In this painting, showing the outcome of a duel after a costume ball, Gérôme (French, 1824 - 1904) replicates, with slight variations, a composition he had executed for the Duc d'Aumale in 1857. It is dawn on a wintry day in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, and Pierrot succumbs in the arms of the Duc de Guise. A Venetian doge examines Pierrot's wound while Domino clasps his head in despair. To the right, the victorious American Indian departs, accompanied by Harlequin.

[Oil on canvas, 39.1 x 56.3 cm]

Carravagio - The Lute Player [c.1596]

Carravagio - The Lute Player [c.1596], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

This is an early work by Caravaggio, who sought above all to convey the reality and solidity of the surrounding world. We can already see the elements of the artist's style which were to have such a widespread influence on other artists. The figure of a young boy dressed in a white shirt stands out clearly against the dark background. The sharp side-lighting and the falling shadows give the objects an almost tangible volume and weight. Caravaggio was interested in the uniqueness of the surrounding world, and there are markedly individual features not only in the youth's face but also in the objects which make up the still life: the damaged pear, the crack in the lute, the crumpled pages of the music. The melody written on those pages is that of a then fashionable song by Jacques Arcadelt.

[Oil on canvas, 94 x 119 cm]

Adriaan de Lelie - The Art Gallery of Jan Gildemeester [c.1794-95]

Adriaan de Lelie - The Art Gallery of Jan Gildemeester [c.1794-95], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

In a room richly hung with paintings, a group of people are depicted in a relaxed manner. Some are standing, talking in an animated fashion, while others admire the works of art. Pictured here is the Amsterdam merchant and art collector, Jan Gildemeester, together with his friends and acquaintances. At the same time, it provides a sublime view of part of Gildemeester's extensive art collection in one of the rooms of his house: the art gallery. The artist who managed to combine all these things was Adriaan de Lelie. Painted in 1795, this interesting and wonderfully executed piece is De Lelie's finest work.

This painting is what is known as a 'conversation piece', depicting a group relaxing at a person's house. In his home on Amsterdam's Herengracht, Jan Gildemeester proudly shows his friends and acquaintances his art collection. He is pictured here standing in the foreground wearing a red jacket. In some respects it is not surprising that Gildemeester, a wealthy art-lover, had a collection. This was part of the way of life for rich, Dutch bourgeoisie. However, it is unusual that he is portrayed surrounded by his collection and friends, and that a large part of the art gallery is also recognisable.

The paintings are hung in rows beside each other and one above the other as was common practice in those days. In order to view a painting close up, binoculars were used or a ladder, as the man on the right demonstrates. He is looking at a painting by the great Antwerp painter Peter Paul Rubens. Seventeenth and eighteenth-century masters were represented in the collection, although Gildemeester also bought work by contemporaries. Gildemeester owned five other paintings by Adriaan de Lelie - who also painted this picture. De Lelie has depicted himself as one of the art-lovers in the painting. He is the man kneeling on the right.

[Oil on panel, 63.7 x 85.7 cm]

William Merritt Chase - The Bayberry Bush [c.1895]

William Merritt Chase - The Bayberry Bush [c.1895], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Myrica Pensylvanica Loisel which is commonly known as the bayberry plant, is a deciduous shrub widely found throughout the eastern and southern parts of the USA. Bayberry belongs to the Myricaceae family and is closely related to the wax myrtle Myrica cerifera Loisel, a larger evergreen shrub or tree also known as southern bayberry. Both species have therapeutic properties and have been in popular use for long. Both plants also produce small bluish white berries. The wax extracted from these berries is used to make the sweet smelling bayberry candles, particularly popular at Christmas time.

A warm concoction made from the root bark of both the species is used as a tonic and has stimulant and astringent properties. It is said to be especially good in the treatment of diarrhoea. Because of its irritating action on the stomach, bayberry bark acts as an emetic when used in large doses. During head colds, the medication is used to increase secretion of nasal mucus and when applied in the form of poultices, it is reputed to be useful in the treatment of chronic indolent ulcers.

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky - Sunday Reading in Rural Schools

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky - Sunday Reading in Rural Schools, originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Nikolay Bogdanov-Belskiy (1868 – 1945) was born in the village Sopotovo in the Smolensk province of Russia. He studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture between 1884-1889. he became a member of the Itinerants group in 1896. He was granted the title of the academician of The Saint Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts in 1903 and became an active member of The Saint Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts in 1916. He moved to Latvia in 1921.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze - Widow and Her Priest

Jean-Baptiste Greuze - Widow and Her Priest, originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze (Toumus, August 21, 1725 – Paris, March 4, 1805) was a French painter. He died in the Louvre in great poverty. He had been in receipt of considerable wealth, which he had dissipated by extravagance and bad management (as well as embezzlement by his wife), so that during his closing years he was forced even to solicit commissions which his enfeebled powers no longer enabled him to carry out with success. 

[Oil on canvas, 128 x 160.5 cm]

Diego Velázquez - The Toilet of Venus (The Rokeby Venus) [1647-51]

Diego Velázquez - The Toilet of Venus (The Rokeby Venus) [1647-51], originally uploaded by Gandalf's Gallery.

This is the only surviving example of a female nude by Velázquez. The subject was rare in Spain because it met with the disapproval of the Church. Venus, the goddess of Love, was the most beautiful of the goddesses, and was regarded as a personification of female beauty. She is shown here with her son Cupid, who holds up a mirror for her to look both at herself and at the viewer. The Rokeby Venus is first recorded in June 1651 in the collection of the Marqués del Carpio, son of the First Minister of Spain. It was probably made for the Marqués and was presumably displayed privately, thus avoiding the censure of the Spanish Inquisition. In the Carpio collection, Velázquez's painting was paired with a 16th-century Venetian picture of a naked nymph in a landscape seen from the front. The painting is known as The Rokeby Venus because it was in the Morritt Collection at Rokeby Hall in Yorkshire before its acquisition by the National Gallery, London.

[Oil on canvas, 122.5 x 177 cm]