21 Paintings, RELIGIOUS ART - Paintings from the Bible by the Old Masters, with footnotes, 18

west the wise men' | religious - new testament | sotheby's n09515lot8z9f7en:
Benjamin West, P.R.A.
SWARTHMORE 1738 - 1820 LONDON
THE WISE MEN'S OFFERING
oil on canvas
27 by 22 in.; 68.5 by 56 cm.


Lovis Corinth (1858–1925)
Salome, Version 2, c. 1900
Oil on canvas
127 × 147 cm (50 × 57.9 in)
Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig

In this painting, Corinth depicts Salomé, the biblical temptress who danced so seductively for King Herod that he granted her malicious request for the head of John the Baptist. A religious subject that nonetheless offered considerable sex appeal, the story of Salomé was depicted frequently in the art and literature of the turn of the twentieth century, and Corinth returned to it many times. One contemporary critic described Corinth’s depiction of the grotesquely made-up Salomé opening the eyelids of the severed head as particularly perverse. More

Lovis Corinth (21 July 1858 – 17 July 1925) was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism.

Corinth studied in Paris and Munich, joined the Berlin Secession group, later succeeding Max Liebermann as the group's president. His early work was naturalistic in approach. Corinth was initially antagonistic towards the expressionist movement, but after a stroke in 1911 his style loosened and took on many expressionistic qualities. His use of color became more vibrant, and he created portraits and landscapes of extraordinary vitality and power. Corinth's subject matter also included nudes and biblical scenes. More

the slaying of abe | religious - old testament | sotheby's n09515lot8z4xqen:
Neapolitan School, 17th Century
THE SLAYING OF ABEL
oil on canvas
37 1/4  by 46 in.; 94.5 by 117cm.

boulogne, valentin | religious - old testament | sotheby's n09515lot926pren:
Valentin de Boulogne
COULOMMIERS-EN-BRIE, SEINE-ET-MARNE BAPT 1591 - 1632 ROME
DAVID WITH THE HEAD OF GOLIATH
oil on canvas
54 3/4  by 10 1/2  in.; 139 by 103 cm

reni, guido saint cecili | musical instruments | sotheby's n09515lot8zmxgen:
Studio of Guido Reni
CALVENZANO DI VERGATO 1575 - 1642 BOLOGNA
SAINT CECILIA, THREE-QUARTER LENGTH, BEFORE A PURPLE CURTAIN, HER ORGAN IN THE BACKGROUND
oil on original canvas
44 1/4  by 36 5/8  in.; 112.4 by 93.1 cm.

calvaert, denys th | religious - new testament | sotheby's n09515lot7tpxgen:
Denys Calvaert
ANTWERP CIRCA 1540 - 1619 BOLOGNA
THE CONVERSION OF SAUL
signed lower right: DIONISI / CALVART / ANTVER
oil on canvas
36  3/8  by 52  1/2  in.; 92.4 by 133.4 cm.


In this impressive composition, Denys Calvaert—one of the first Flemish artists to migrate to Italy—employs vivid colors and sharp contrasts to dynamically illustrate the New Testament account of Saint Paul’s conversion.  The meticulously rendered figures of the stunned Saint Paul and his attendant in the painting's foreground bear striking similarities to Calvaert’s pen and ink drawing dated to 1579 in the collection of the Musée du Louvre.

the crucifixion | religious - new testament | sotheby's n09515lot3brnjen:
School of Verona, 16th Century
THE CRUCIFIXION
oil on canvas
31 1/2  by 24 3/4  in.; 80 by 62.9 cm.

cleve beke, joos v | religious - new testament | sotheby's n09515lot8xl88en:
Circle of Joos van Cleve
SAINT JEROME
oil on panel
39 by 27 3/4  in.; 99 by 70.5 cm.

gozzoli, alesso the crucifixion, wi | children | sotheby's n09515lot7y566en:
Alesso di Benozzo Gozzoli, formerly known as the Maestro Esiguo
ACTIVE IN FLORENCE AND PISTOIA AT THE END OF THE 15TH CENTURY
THE CRUCIFIXION, WITH THE MADONNA AND SAINTS JOHN THE EVANGELIST AND MARY MAGDALENE, A CITY AND MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPE BEYOND
oil on panel
21 1/8  by 15 7/8  in.; 53.5 by 40.5 cm.

bartolo, taddeo di | religious - new testament | sotheby's n09515lot8zcz5en:
Circle of Taddeo di Bartolo
SAINT PETER; SAINT ANTHONY ABBOT
Quantity: 2
a pair, both tempera on panel, gold ground
each: 36 5/8  by 17 1/8  in.; 93 by 43.5 cm

botticelli, sandro the baptism of | altarpiece | sotheby's n09515lot7y555en:
Studio of Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, called Sandro Botticelli
FLORENCE 1445 - 1510
THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST
tempera on panel
63 1/2  by 52 1/4  in.; 161.2 by 132.8 cm.

the marriage of the virgin | cityscape | sotheby's n09515lot7y55cen:
Milanese School, late 15th century
THE MARRIAGE OF THE VIRGIN
oil on panel
17 3/4  by 16 1/2  in.; 45 by 42 cm.

the madonna della m | religious - multi-figure | sotheby's l16030lot3ttjhen:
Sienese School, circa 1400
THE MADONNA DELLA MISERICORDIA (VIRGIN OF MERCY) WITH SAINTS PETER AND FRANCIS, AND ANGELS
tempera on panel, gold ground
23.5 by 43.5 cm.; 9 1/4  by 17 1/8  in


The Virgin of Mercy is a subject in Christian Art, showing a group of people sheltering for protection under the outspread cloak, or pallium, of the Virgin Mary. It was especially popular in Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, often as a specialised form of votive portrait, and is also found in other countries and later art, especially Catalonia and Latin America. In Italian it is known as the Madonna della Misericordia (Madonna of Mercy). More

The Sienese School of painting flourished in Siena, Italy between the 13th and 15th centuries and for a time rivaled Florence, though it was more conservative, being inclined towards the decorative beauty and elegant grace of late Gothic art. Unlike the naturalistic Florentine art, there is a mystical streak in Sienese art, characterized by a common focus on miraculous events, with less attention to proportions, distortions of time and place, and often dreamlike coloration.The economic and political decline of Siena by the 16th century, and its eventual subjugation by Florence, largely checked the development of Sienese painting, although it also meant that a good proportion of Sienese works in churches and public buildings were not discarded or destroyed by new paintings or rebuilding. Siena remains a remarkably well-preserved Italian late-Medieval town. More



Massimo Stanzione
Suzanne et les vieillards, c. 1630- 1635
Huile sur toile
152 x 204 cm
Francfort, Städel Museum


Massimo Stanzione (also called Stanzioni; ca. 1586 – ca. 1656) was an Italian Baroque painter, mainly active in Naples. Born a Frattamaggiore in 1585, Massimo was greatly influenced by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The thing that distinguished Massimo’s art from Carravaggism was that he combined Caravaggio’s dramatically lit and brutally realistic style with the classical and lyrical manner of Bolognesi painters, earning him the nickname of the Napolitan Guido Reni. More


Giuseppe de Ribera (1591-1652)
Sainte-Marie l’Egyptienne, c. 1641
Huile sur toile
132 x 108 cm
Musée Fabre, Montpellier


Mary of Egypt (ca. 344 – ca. 421) is revered as the patron saint of penitents, most particularly in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic churches, as well as in the Roman Catholic. More

José de Ribera (January 12, 1591 – September 2, 1652) was a Spanish Tenebrist painter and printmaker, better known as Jusepe de Ribera. He also was called Lo Spagnoletto ("the Little Spaniard") by his contemporaries and early writers. Ribera was a leading painter of the Spanish school, although his mature work was all done in Italy. More


Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, dit Caravage
Saint Jean-Baptiste, c. 1609-1610
Huile sur toile
152 x 125 cm
Galerie Borghese, Rome


Gerard David
Baptism of Christ, 1502-1508
Triptych of Jan Horn, painted on wood pane
Groeningemuseum of Bruges in Belgium

Rembrandt (1606–1669)
Judas returning the thirty silver pieces,. c. 1629
Oil on oak panel
Height: 79 cm (31.1 in). Width: 102.3 cm (40.3 in).
Mulgrave Castle, Lythe, North Yorkshire

Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to an account in the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas is said to have gone to the chief priests and agreed to hand over Jesus in exchange for 30 silver coins, and to have returned the money afterwards, filled with remorse. More

Feeling remorse over the betrayal he committed, Judas returns the 30 silver coins to the high priests. They are not impressed with the gesture, having achieved their purpose, Judas conscience is none of their concern. The tormented Judas hangs himself. More

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art and the most important in Dutch history. His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth and cultural achievement that historians call the Dutch Golden Age when Dutch Golden Age painting, although in many ways antithetical to the Baroque style that dominated Europe, was extremely prolific and innovative, and gave rise to important new genres in painting.

Having achieved youthful success as a portrait painter, Rembrandt's later years were marked by personal tragedy and financial hardships. Yet his etchings and paintings were popular throughout his lifetime, his reputation as an artist remained high, and for twenty years he taught many important Dutch painters. Rembrandt's greatest creative triumphs are exemplified most notably in his portraits of his contemporaries, self-portraits and illustrations of scenes from the Bible. His self-portraits form a unique and intimate biography, in which the artist surveyed himself without vanity and with the utmost sincerity.

In his paintings and prints he exhibited knowledge of classical iconography, which he molded to fit the requirements of his own experience; thus, the depiction of a biblical scene was informed by Rembrandt's knowledge of the specific text, his assimilation of classical composition, and his observations of Amsterdam's Jewish population. Because of his empathy for the human condition, he has been called "one of the great prophets of civilization. More

File:Gerome Bethseba.jpg
Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)
Bethsabée, c. 1889 or ca 1895 

Bathsheba, see below

Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academicism. The range of his oeuvre included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits and other subjects, bringing the Academic painting tradition to an artistic climax. He is considered one of the most important painters from this academic period, and in addition to being a painter, he was also a teacher with a long list of students. More

File:Willem Drost - Batsheba met de brief van koning David.jpg
Willem Drost (1633–1659)
Bathsheba with the letter from King David, c. 1654
Oil on canvas
103 × 87 cm (40.6 × 34.3 in)
Louvre Museum, Paris, France

According to the Hebrew Bible, "Bat Sheva," , "daughter of the oath"; was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which she was summoned by King David who had seen her bathing and lusted after her.


Bathsheba was from David's own tribe and the granddaughter of one of David's closest advisors. She was the mother of Solomon, who succeeded David as king, making her the Queen Mother. More

Willem Drost (baptized 19 April 1633 – buried 25 February 1659) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker of history paintings and portraits who died young, at the age of 25. He is a mysterious figure, closely associated with Rembrandt, with very few paintings attributable to him.

He was presumably born in Amsterdam, in what was then known as the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Around 1650 he became a student of Rembrandt, eventually developing a close working relationship, painting history scenes, biblical compositions, symbolic studies of a solitary figure, as well as portraits. As a student, his 1654 painting titled Bathsheba was inspired by Rembrandt's painting done in the same year on the same subject and given the same title, though their treatments are rather different; both Drost’s and Rembrandt’s paintings are in the Louvre in Paris.

He was in Amsterdam until 1655 and then travelled to Italy. He influenced the painter Adolf Boy. Sometime in the mid-1650s, the young artist went to Rome, where he collaborated with the German artist Johann Carl Loth on a lost series of the Four Evangelists in Venice. He died in the latter city in 1659. More

Anonymous
David coveted Bathsheba,  c. 17th century
Oil on canvas
141 × 169 cm (55.5 × 66.5 in)



Aknowledgent: Sothebey's
Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others

16 Photographs, RELIGIOUS ART - Photography from the Bible by William Mortensen, Frantisek Drtikol, Clive Barda ang Michal Baratz Koren, with footnotes, #3

Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature
Samson and Delilah directed by Cecil B. DeMille, 1949
I have no further description, at this time

Samson and Delilah, see below

František Drtikol (3 March 1883, Příbram – 13 January 1961, Prague) was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits.

William Mortensen. Joyzelle Joyner as Salomé. Via historicalzg.piwigo
William Mortensen
Joyzelle Joyner as Salomé
I have no further description, at this time

William Mortensen (27 January 1897 – 12 August 1965) was an American art photographer, primarily known for his Hollywood portraits in the 1920s-1940s in the pictorialist style. He was born William Herbert Mortensen on January 27, 1897 in Park City, Utah, the son of Danish immigrants. During World War I, Mortensen served with the United States Infantry from August 6, 1918 to May 16, 1919. At his enlistment, he recorded his occupation as painting.

After his discharge from the army, Mortensen briefly studied illustration at the Art Students League in New York City. In May 1920 he traveled in Greece, Italy, Egypt and Constantinople to "sketch for educational purposes." He returned to Utah, then traveled to Hollywood.

Mortensen began his photographic career taking portraits of Hollywood actors and film stills. In 1931 he moved to the artist community of Laguna Beach, California, where he opened a studio and the William Mortensen School of Photography. More on William Mortensen

Salome was the daughter of Herod II and Herodias. She is infamous for demanding and receiving the head of John the Baptist, according to the New Testament. According to Flavius Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, Salome was first married to Philip the Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trakonitis. After Philip's death in 34 AD she married Aristobulus of Chalcis and became queen of Chalcis and Armenia Minor. They had three children. Three coins with portraits of Aristobulus and Salome have been found. Her name in Hebrew meaning "peace". More Salome

Frantisek Drtikol. Ervina Kupferova as Salome with the Head of John the Baptist Via artnet:
Frantisek Drtikol
Ervina Kupferova as Salome with the head of John the Baptist
I have no further description, at this time

Frantisek Drtikol | DantéBéa | Page 4:
FRANTIŠEK DRTIKOL (1883–1961)
Salome with the head of John the Baptist, 1924
2 gelatin silver prints
4 5/8 x 3 1/2 in. (11.8 x 9 cm.)
Private collection

FRANTISEK DRTIKOL SALOME, C. 1919:
FRANTISEK DRTIKOL
SALOME, C. 1919
I have no further description, at this time

Clive Barda
Salome
I have no further description, at this time

Oscar Wilde originally wrote this play in French because English law forbade the depiction of biblical characters on stage, although this was probably more down to the nature of the tale than anything else.  The French were not so fussy.   Still to a modern, perhaps more jaded, audience Salome now seems a little staid.  So Herod wanted his stepdaughter to dance for him.  She was a grown woman and she’s fair game.  One might be puzzled as to why he would have given way to her incendiary demand for the head of Jokanaan (played convincingly by Dave Brickwood). More on this play

Clive Blackmore Barda OBE, FRSA (born 14 January 1945) is a London-based, British freelance photographer[1] best known for capturing the performances of classical musicians and artists of the stage (opera, ballet and theatre). During his career spanning over five decades, Barda has created a collection of over a million photographs of performers, composers, and conductors. More on Clive Barda

Anja Silja as Salome:
Anja Silja as Salome
I have no further description, at this time

Anja Silja Regina Langwagen, born April 17, 1940 in Berlin) is a German soprano who is known for her great abilities as a singing-actress and for the vastness of her repertoire. More on Anja Silja

Soprano Nicola Beller-Carbone as Salome
I have no further description, at this time

Born in Germany, Nicola Beller Carbone grew up in Spain where she initially studied to be an actress but later turned to singing, studying at the Escuela Superior di Canto of Madrid with Dolores Ripollès. In Munich she studied under Astrid Varnay and in 1991 obtained a permanent contract at the Opernstudio of the State Opera of Munich. More on Nicola Beller Carbone

Michal Baratz Koren
Adam & Eve, 2014
C-Print
Private collection

Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman and the ancestors of all humans. The story of Adam and Eve is central to the belief that YHWH created human beings to live in a paradise on earth, although they fell away from that state and formed the present world full of suffering and injustice. It provides the basis for the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. It also provides much of the scriptural basis for the doctrines of the fall of man and original Sin, important beliefs in Christianity, although not generally shared by Judaism or Islam. More on Adam and Eve

Michal Baratz Koren is a brilliant photographer. Her photos recall painters like Rembrandt, whose Biblical narratives and chiaroscuro lighting still stand as some of the best artwork of all time. Here the artist specifically focuses on depicting Biblical women, but ignores the most well known of our matriarchs, and sets them in the recent past in such a beautiful way that evokes the greater narratives at play. More on Michal Baratz Koren

MICHAL BARATZ KOREN Bathsheba, 2014 C- Print 72 4/5 × 61 in 185 × 155 cm:
Michal Baratz Koren
Bathsheba, 2014
C- Print
72 4/5 × 61 in, 185 × 155 cm
Private collection

According to the Hebrew Bible, "Bat Sheva," , "daughter of the oath"; was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which she was summoned by King David who had seen her bathing and lusted after her.

Bathsheba was from David's own tribe and the granddaughter of one of David's closest advisors. She was the mother of Solomon, who succeeded David as king, making her the Queen Mother. More on Bathsheba

Michal Baratz Koren, 'Queen of Sheba,' 2014, Corridor Contemporary:
Michal Baratz Koren
Queen of Sheba, 2014
C-Print
Private collection

The Queen of Sheba is a Biblical figure. The tale of her visit to King Solomon has undergone extensive Jewish, Arabian and Ethiopian elaborations, and has become the subject of one of the most widespread and fertile cycles of legends in the Orient.

The queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem "with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones"). "Never again came such an abundance of spices" as those which she gave to Solomon. She came "to prove him with hard questions", all of which Solomon answered to her satisfaction. They exchanged gifts, after which she returned to her land. More on The Queen of Sheba

Michal Baratz Koren, 'Hagar,' 2014, Corridor Contemporary:
Michal Baratz Koren
Hagar, 2014
C-Print
Private collection

Hagar is a biblical person in the Book of Genesis Chapter 16. She was an Egyptian handmaid of Sarah, who gave her to Abraham "to wife" to bear a child. The product of the union was Abraham's firstborn, Ishmael, the progenitor of the Ishmaelites.

The name Hagar originates from the Book of Genesis, and is only alluded to in the Qur'an. She is considered Abraham's second wife in the Islamic faith and acknowledged in all Abrahamic faiths. In mainstream Christianity, she is considered a concubine to Abraham. More on Hagar

Michal Baratz Koren, 'Daughters of Lot,' 2014, Corridor Contemporary:
Michal Baratz Koren
Daughters of Lot, 2014
C-Print
Private collection

Lot is a person mentioned in the biblical Book of Genesis chapters 11–14 and 19. Notable episodes in his life include his travels with his uncle Abram (Abraham), his flight from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, during which Lot's wife became a pillar of salt, and the seduction by his daughters so that they could bear children.


The story, usually called Lot and his daughters, has been the subject of many paintings over the centuries, and became one of the subjects in the Power of Women group of subjects, warning men against the dangers of succumbing to the temptations of women, while also providing an opportunity for an erotic depiction. The scene generally shows Lot and his daughters eating and drinking in their mountain refuge. Usually the background contains a small figure of Lot's wife, and in the distance the city or cities burn. More on Lot

Michal Baratz Koren, 'Jehudith,' 2014, Corridor Contemporary:
Michal Baratz Koren
Jehudith, 2014
C-print
63 × 44 9/10 in | 160 × 114 cm
Private collection

The Book of Judith is the Old Testament of the Bible. The story revolves around Judith, a daring and beautiful widow, who is upset with her Jewish countrymen for not trusting God to deliver them from their foreign conquerors. She goes with her loyal maid to the camp of the enemy general, Holofernes, with whom she slowly ingratiates herself, promising him information on the Israelites. Gaining his trust, she is allowed access to his tent one night as he lies in a drunken stupor. She decapitates him, then takes his head back to her fearful countrymen. The Assyrians, having lost their leader, disperse, and Israel is saved. Though she is courted by many, Judith remains unmarried for the rest of her life. More on Judith

Michal Baratz Koren, 'Delilah,' 2014, Corridor Contemporary:
Michal Baratz Koren
Delilah, 2014
C-Print
55 1/10 × 43 3/10 in | 140 × 110 cm
Private collection

Delilah is a woman in the Book of Judges, where she is the "woman in the valley of Sorek" whom Samson loved, and who was his downfall. Her figure, one of several dangerous temptresses in the Hebrew Bible, has become emblematic: "Samson loved Delilah, she betrayed him, and, what is worse, she did it for money."

The story of Samson in Judges 13–16 portrays a man who was given great strength by God but who ultimately loses his strength when Delilah allows the Philistines to shave his hair during his slumber (Judges 16:19). Samson was born into an Israelite family, the son of Manoah and his wife who is never named. Both are visited by the Angel of the Lord and told that their child will be a Nazirite from birth. More on Samson

Michal Baratz Koren, 'Rahav,' , Corridor Contemporary:
Michal Baratz Koren
Rahav
C-Print
I have no further description, at this time

Rahab was, according to the Book of Joshua, a prostitute who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city. She became a figure of fascination to the writers of the New Testament, where she is reckoned among the ancestors of Jesus, and is lauded as an example of living by faith, while being justified by her works. More on Rahab



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