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About the Image: Between 1950 and 1981, the Städel succeeded in reuniting the parts of Elsheimer’s greatest work, which was documented but presumed lost. The modern frame of this domestic altarpiece was reconstructed after sketches made in 1612. While the central panel shows the exaltation of the Cross, the...
About the Image: The artwork depicts the Child Jesus discussing with the doctors of the Law in the Temple of Jerusalem. This painting belongs to a series of twelve artworks depicting the life of Jesus Christ, with their original golden frames, which come from the convent church of La Merced...
What is a Rorate Caeli Mass? A Rorate Caeli Mass is a traditional Catholic liturgy celebrated just before dawn in Advent as a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mass is only lit by candles, symbolizing Mary's role in bringing the Light of the World into the...
About the Image: According to an original inscription on the back, this drawing is an allegory of charity. It belongs to a cycle of drawings of female allegories, a particularly popular motif for the decoration of Venetian villa interiors. Usually incorporated in a moral-theological pictorial programme, they were intended as...
About the Image: This imposing, cruelly exact image depicts the corpse of one of the two criminals crucified with Jesus. Executed in the workshop of Robert Campin in Tournai around 1430 – at about the same time as the Van Eyck brothers’ Ghent Altarpiece – it is all that remains of one...
About the Image: DID YOU KNOW? X-ray fluorescence analysis is a nondestructive technique used to determine the elemental composition of materials. On this leaf it revealed that the dark blue pigment contains azurite. DESCRIPTION All the essential narrative elements—Mary, the infant Jesus, and the three Magi—are tucked into...
Saint of the Day: November 14th About the Image: St. Lawrence O'Toole was born in County Kildare, Ireland around 1128. He was given up as a hostage at age 10 and suffered inhuman treatment until his father intervened. He became a model of virtue and was chosen to...
About the Image: The image features a Byzantine cameo depicting Christ Emmanuel, dating from between 1200 and 1400. Cameos are typically small, carved gems that have been valued as art objects since ancient times. This piece is particularly notable for its representation of Christ as Emmanuel, a title meaning "...
About the Image: This image is a page from a manuscript, specifically featuring an illustration of "Christ Addressing Nicodemus" by Lukas of Cyprus, created between 1594-1596 during the Ottoman period. The artwork is a fine example of Byzantine manuscript illumination, which persisted into the Ottoman era in regions...
About the Image: This image shows a stained glass window of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal from St. Mary Church in Greenville, South Carolina. Stained glass art, typically found in religious contexts, dates back to medieval times and uses colored glass pieces to create images. This window features a...
Saint of the Day: November 10th About the Image: Saint Leo the Great, a significant figure in the Catholic Church, was born into an aristocratic Roman family in the 4th century and served as Pope from 440 to 461. He earned the distinction of being the first Pope to be...
About the Image: The artwork is a religious sculpture of Jesus Christ on the cross, known as a crucifix, situated within a church. It is a part of Catholic iconography, which is common in many churches around the world. The figure of Christ is typically depicted in a realistic manner,...
About the Image: This vertical-format work shows a view of the Sachsenhausen bank of the Main River and the eye-catching tower of the Dreikönigskirche. Beckmann's flat and his studio in Schweizer Strasse were just steps away from the Eiserner Steg footbridge, whose railing can be seen as a...
About the Image: Its richness of execution and its artistic quality are what make this panel so captivating. It was once part of the predella of an altarpiece – later largely destroyed – from Siena Cathedral. Bulgarini’s retable and three others by Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Simone Martini surrounded the...
About the Image: In "Christ among the Doctors" by Matthias Stom, we witness a dramatic Caravaggesque interpretation of a young Jesus engaged in discussion with the elders in the Temple, a biblical scene from Luke 2:41-52. The painting is characterized by Stom's use of tenebrism—...
About the Image: This pendant is one of the most beautiful and technically accomplished personal devotional objects to survive from Byzantium. On one side Christ Pantokrator (Ruler of All) blesses the viewer with his right hand and holds the Gospel book in his left. Christ gazes to the side, acknowledging...
About the Image: Images of the Koimesis, or the Dormition in the West, show the Virgin lying on a bier, while her soul, represented as a baby, is offered by Christ to attendant angels who will take it to heaven. The apostles, led by Saints Paul and Peter, stand witness....
Saint of the Day: November 6th About the Image: St. Jean-Theophane Venard was born in France and, after becoming a priest in the Society of Foreign Missions, was sent to Vietnam as a missionary. There, priests were forced to serve souls in secret. He refused to renounce his faith and...
About the Image: Fitted with two rings for suspension, a hook, and a hasp, this small icon can be closed and hung round one's neck as a token of piety and divine protection. Open, it can be used as a prayer image. Christ and two bishop saints, most...
About the Image: The image you have presented appears to be a handheld cross from Ethiopia, dating from somewhere between the 18th and 20th century. Ethiopian crosses are quite distinctive and are an integral part of both the religious and cultural heritage of Ethiopia. They are known for their intricate...
Saint of the Day: November 4th About the Image: This image is a representation of Saint Charles Borromeo, generated by AI, and it captures the essence of the saint in a deeply expressive manner, suggesting a scene of contemplation and devotion. In this portrayal, Saint Charles is depicted with his...
Saint of the Day: November 4th About the Image: The image is a striking representation of Saint Charles Borromeo, whose feast day is celebrated on November 4th. Saint Charles Borromeo is one of the great reformers of the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation. He lived during the 16th century, a...
About the Image: Here is a beautiful page from a Byzantine-style illuminated manuscript. Manuscripts such as these played a crucial role in preserving religious texts, stories, and iconographies during the medieval period. Let's delve into the components: 1. Text: 2. * The text is written in Greek, a significant...
About the Image: Ah, la Visitation! This beautiful stained glass window depicts a poignant moment from the New Testament. The Visitation refers to the story in which the Virgin Mary, after being told by the Angel Gabriel that she would conceive Jesus through the Holy Spirit, visits her older cousin...
