The National Gallery

For our day out in London it was M's turn to decide where we went, initially she chose Harrods because she likes their coffee, and then the V&A but at the last minute she changed her mind and chose the National Gallery.
When the Gallery was founded in 1824, the first 38 paintings came from the private art collection of the banker John Julius Angerstein. Since then the world-class collection of paintings has grown considerably over the last two centuries. Today, there are over 2,300 works, spanning the major traditions of Western European painting. It's a huge place and much as we tried to keep track of where we had been and where we wanted to go I'm sure there are rooms and collections that we missed. Having said that we did see a lot before getting very tired and needed food! So get comfy and let me show you around the gallery...

The Tailor by Giovanni Battista Moroni

The identity of the handsome tailor is unknown.

He  looks very elegant in his doublet and hose.

The Ansidei Madonna by Raphael

Raphael painted this altarpiece for the chapel of the Ansidei family in Perugia.

The Family of Darius before Alexander By Paolo Veronese

tells the story of the defeat of the Persian Emperor Darius by Alexander. Darius' mother is appealing to their conquerer for mercy. However she mistook Alexander for his friend Hephaestion. Alexander in the red armour graciously turned this mistake into both a compliment for Hephaestion and an assurance that he would protect Darius' family.

A Man and a Woman seated by a Virginal (an early type of piano)

by Gabriel Metsu

In Dutch painting music often serves as a metaphor for love. In this work Metsu depicts a gentle flirtatious encounter where a young woman is passing a piece of music to a man, who in turn offers her a glass of wine.

The Courtyard of a House in Delft by Pieter de Hooch

Cognoscenti (people who are well informed about a particular subject) in a Room hung with Pictures by an Unknown Flemish artist

This imaginary ideal gallery is crammed with paintings, sculptures and astronomical instruments showing the best of what was available in private collections on Antwerp.

This is the only surviving large scale drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. Made up of eight sheets of paper that are glued together. It shows the Virgin Mary sitting on the lap of her mother, Saint Anne. Mary cradles the Christ Child in her arms, who reaches towards his cousin Saint John the Baptist with a gesture of blessing. It's displayed in a dimly lit room to help protect it.

Portrait of a Woman inspired by Lucretia by Lorenzo Lotto

The identity of the richly dressed woman is unknown. She points towards a drawing of the Roman heroine Lucretia who, after being raped, stabbed herself to preserve her family's honour. Lucretia was celebrated as an example of female virtue. However with the provocative placement of her necklace and assured pose, the woman challenges fixed ideas of female behaviour!

Philip IV hunting Wild Boar by Diego Velázquez

The King is shown on the right meeting the charge of a boar. The hunt takes place in a canvas enclosure or royal canvas, with numerous retainers in attendance. 

Hardly sport is it? like catching fish in a barrel, although wild boar are very dangerous.

St Margaret of Antioch by Francisco de Zurbarán

The saint is shown as a sheperdess with a crook and Spanish saddle bags. The difficult to see dragon in the left of the painting recalls the story that she was swallowed by a monster but burst forth from it unharmed -  hence her role as the patron saint of women in childbirth. 

I didn't know there was a patron saint for women in childbirth.

Still Life With Lemons In A Wicker Basket, by Juan de Zurbarán

I like this one

and the simplicityof this one

Cup of Water and a Rose on a Silver Plate by Fransico de Zurbarán

Madame Pompadour at her Tambour Frame by François Hubert Drouais

I think this is beautiful

Whistlejacket by George Stubbs

Whistlejacket, the second Marquess of Rockingham's prize racehorse, is presented full-size and rearing in the levade position usually used in equestrian portraits of military commanders. Stubbs deliberately depicted Whistlejacket without a rider against a blank backdrop, making the viewer focus solely on the majestic beauty and unrestrained power of the Arabian stallion.

The interiors of the gallery are stunning

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby

in which a lecturer demonstrates the creation of a vacuum to a family. A white cockatoo (an exotic bird, unlikely to have been used for this experiment) is imprisoned  in a glass flask from which the air is being extracted by a pump. The candlelit setting is characteristic of Wright's interest in dramatic contrasts of light and shade.

I like the painting but not the subject matter. The young girls look very distressed.

                            Van Gogh's Chair       &      Sunflowers

This is an unusual subject for art.

Exhibition of a Rhinoceros at Venice by Pietro Longhi

In 1751, a rhinoceros known as Miss Clara was publicly exhibited at the Venice Carnival, creating a sensation across Europe. She was the subject of poems, paintings, tapestries, medals and sculptures; ladies even styled their hair in the shape of a horn. Pietro Longhi painted this picture around the same time.

The Story of David and Goliath and The Triumph of David by Francesco Pesellino

these are so good up close, there is so much detail in them.

Saint George and the Dragon by Paolo Uccelo

A Satyr mourning over a Nymph by Piero di Cosimo

this is sad, it may be the story of Procris and Cephalus. Procis heard false reports of the infidelity of her husband Cephalus. One day Cephalus was in the woods on a hunting expedition. Procis followed to spy on him. He was resting and mistook her for wild game and shot her with an arrow. The dog looking on is quite poignant

I was very disappointed that there were only a couple of Botticelli paintings, most of them were out on loan. 

The shop had some lovely items

This necklace and earrings were gorgeous but a bit out of my price range

Street entertainment

We finished our day out with delicious fish and chips at an Angus steakhouse.

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x