11 Works, Today, May 25th. is Carlo Dolci's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #143

Carlo Dolci, FLORENCE 1616 - 1687

The Penitent Magdalene

Oil on copper

20.3 x 26 cm.; 8 x 10 1/4  in

Private collection

In this intimate copper, destined for private devotion, we find the Magdalene repenting in the wilderness, her alluring nakedness reminding us of her unchaste past. Her breasts are exposed and the blue folds of her robes reveal her leg up to the thigh in a scene that, for all its allusion to the vanity of life and repentance, must, surely, have also been a celebration of the female form. More on this painting

Carlo (or Carlino) Dolci (25 May 1616 – 17 January 1686) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Florence, known for highly finished religious pictures, often repeated in many versions.

As a boy and throughout his life, he was called “Carlino” (little Carlo), possibly because of his short stature and humble character. He was also extremely pious. If not diligently practicing drawing or developing his painter’s craft, he often could be found praying in Santa Maria Novella.

Carlo Dolci (1616–1686)

Saint Catherine of Siena, c. 1665

Oil on cedar panel

H 24.4 x W 18.1 cm

Dulwich Picture Gallery

Saint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D. (March 25, 1347 in Siena – April 29, 1380 in Rome), was a tertiary of the Dominican Order and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. Since 18 June 1939, she is one of the two patron saints of Italy, together with St. Francis of Assisi. On 3 October 1970, she was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI, and on 1 October 1999, Pope John Paul II named her as one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Bridget of Sweden and Edith Stein. More on Saint Catherine of Siena

Although he was precocious and apprenticed at a young age to Jacopo Vignali, Dolci was not prolific. "He would take weeks over a single foot", according to his biographer Baldinucci. His painstaking technique made him unsuited for large-scale fresco painting. 

Studio of Carlo Dolci, FLORENCE 1616 - 1687

The martyrdom of Saint Andrew

Oil on canvas,

122 by 99.5 cm.; 48 by 39 in.

Private collection

Most references to Andrew in the New Testament simply include him on a list of the Twelve Apostles, or group him with his brother, Simon Peter. But he appears acting as an individual three times in the Gospel of John. When a number of Greeks wish to speak with Jesus, before Jesus feeds the Five Thousand, and the first two disciples whom John reports as attaching themselves to Jesus. Having met Jesus, Andrew then finds his brother Simon and brings him to Jesus. Thus, on each occasion when he is mentioned as an individual, it is because he is instrumental in bringing others to meet the Saviour. In the Episcopal Church, the Fellowship of Saint Andrew is devoted to encouraging personal evangelism, and the bringing of one's friends and colleagues to a knowledge of the Gospel of Christ. 

Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras in Achaea, in AD 60. Early texts describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called crux decussata, now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been. The iconography of the martyrdom of Andrew — showing him bound to an X-shaped cross — does not appear to have been standardized until the later Middle Ages. More on Saint Andrew

In 1632, when he was 16, Dolci opened his own workshop in Florence. One of his pupils was Filippo Baldinucci, who would become the leading connoisseur in Florence, and the author of the official biography of his “beloved Carlino.” 

Carlo Dolci  (1616–1686)

St Catherine Reading a Book, c. first half of 17th century

Oil on canvas

Residenzgalerie Salzburg

Saint Catherine of Alexandria is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar, who became a Christian around the age of fourteen, and converted hundreds of people to Christianity. She was martyred around the age of 18. Over 1,100 years following her martyrdom, St. Joan of Arc identified Catherine as one of the Saints who appeared to her and counselled her.

The emperor condemned Catherine to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but, at her touch, it shattered. Maxentius ordered her to be beheaded. Catherine herself ordered the execution to commence. A milk-like substance rather than blood flowed from her neck.

 

The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great Martyr, and celebrates her feast day on 24 or 25 November (depending on the local tradition). In the Catholic Church she is traditionally revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. In 1969 the Catholic Church removed her feast day from the General Roman Calendar; however, she continued to be commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 25 November. More on Saint Catherine of Alexandria

He painted chiefly sacred subjects, and his works are generally small in scale, although he made a few life-size pictures. He often repeated the same composition in several versions, and his daughter, Agnese Dolci, also made excellent copies of his works.

Dolci gives us an opportunity to study his painstaking application of paint using ultrafine brushes, and only a few bristles, or the concentration it took to make tiny details look so real, as in the lace on the cloth beneath the Christ child’s feet in the foreground of The Virgin and Child with Lilies from Montpellier (See below). 

After Carlo Dolci, 1616 - 1686

The Virgin and Child with Flowers, c. after 1642

Oil on canvas

78.1 x 63.2 cm

The National Gallery, London

The Virgin Mary holds a branch of lilies entwined with carnations in her left hand and supports the Christ Child with her right. He raises one hand in blessing, and holds a rose in the other. The rose and lily are commonly associated with the Virgin’s purity. More flowers lie in a basket. The golden-haired infant has a faint halo, making his head stand out against the dark background.

The tender atmosphere and delicacy of execution are typical of Carlo Dolci, who painted several versions of this scene for aristocratic patrons between 1642 and 1649 (there are examples in the Musée Fabre, Montpellier, and the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich). The refined draughtmanship, noticeable in details like the lace and the transparent veil covering Christ, is characteristic of the paintings he produced in the 1640s, although this version may be later and seems not to be by Dolci’s hand. More on this painting

Dolci, Carlo (Florence, 1616 - Florence, 1686)

The Virgin of the Annunciation, c. circa 1653 - 1655

Oil on canvas

Height: 0.52 m; Width: 0.4 m;

Louvre Museum

The Annunciation is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Yehoshua , meaning "YHWH is salvation".

 

According to Luke 1:26, the Annunciation occurred "in the sixth month" of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, an approximation of the northern vernal equinox nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. In England, this came to be known as Lady Day. It marked the new year until 1752. The 2nd-century writer Irenaeus of Lyon regarded the conception of Jesus as 25 March coinciding with the Passion. More The Annunciation

After Carlo Dolci (Italian, 1616–1686)

Saint Cecilie playing the piano

Oil on Canvas

96 x 80 cm. (37.8 x 31.5 in.)

Private collection

Saint Cecilia is a Roman martyr venerated in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and some Lutheran churches. She became the patron of music and musicians, it being written that, as the musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her heart to the Lord"

According to the story, despite her vow of virginity, she was forced by her parents to marry a pagan nobleman named Valerian. During the wedding, Cecilia sat apart singing to God in her heart. When the time came for her marriage to be consummated, Cecilia told Valerian that watching over her was an angel of the Lord, who would punish him if he sexually violated her but would love him if he respected her virginity. When Valerian asked to see the angel, Cecilia replied that he could if he would go to the third milestone on the Via Appia and be baptized by Pope Urban I. After following Cecilia's advice, he saw the angel standing beside her, crowning her with a chaplet of roses and lilies.

The martyrdom of Cecilia is said to have followed that of her husband Valerian and his brother at the hands of the prefect Turcius Almachius. The legend about Cecilia's death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church. More on Saint Cecilia

After Carlo Dolci  (1616–1686)

Saint Apollonia, patroness of dentists, c. 17th century

Oil on canvas

Height: 69 cm (27.1 in); Width: 60 cm (23.6 in)

Private collection

Saint Apollonia was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius. According to legend, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered. For this reason, she is popularly regarded as the patroness of dentistry and those suffering from toothache or other dental problems.

Tongs (sometimes with a tooth in them), depicted holding a cross or martyr's palm or crown  More on Saint Apollonia

Baldinucci tells us that rather early in his career Dolci vowed to paint only religious works. A handful of portraits have survived, however, including the Portrait of Stefano della Bella, which demonstrates Dolci’s skill in capturing the sitter’s personality as well as every fold and ruffled edge of the multi-layered linen.

Carlo Dolci  (1616–1686)

The Angel of the Annunciation, c. 17th century

Oil on canvas Edit this at Wikidata

Height: 52.5 cm (20.6 in); Width: 40 cm (15.7 in)

Louvre Museum 

In the Bible, the Annunciation is narrated in Luke 1:26-38:

26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.28 And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.30 And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.31 Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.33 And of his kingdom there shall be no end.  More on The Angel of the Annunciation

Dolci was known for his piety. It is said that every year during Passion Week he painted a half-figure of the Savior wearing the Crown of Thorns. In 1682, when he saw Giordano, nicknamed "fa presto" (quick worker), paint more in five hours than he could have completed in months, he fell into a depression.

Carlo Dolci  (1616–1686)

The Guardian Angel, c. 1675

Oil on canvas

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo 

Dolci's daughter, Agnese (died circa 1680), was also a painter. Dolci died in Florence in 1686.

CARLO DOLCI (FLORENCE 1616-86)

Salome with the Head of John the Baptist, c.1665-70

Oil on canvas

126.0 x 102.0 cm 

King's Drawing Room, Kensington Palace

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 on Salome

According to Baldinucci, Dolci painted three versions of this subject, the first for Marchese Pier Francesco Rinuccini and the second 'for John Finch, Resident in Florence for His Majesty the King of England, to whom the Resident gave it, and it was placed in the King's own bedroom'. The Royal Collection painting can be confidently identified as Dolci's second version of the subject. Unfortunately the Rinuccini version was last heard of in 1870, and its whereabouts remain unknown. More on this painting

Among his best works are a St Sebastian; the Four Evangelists at Florence; Christ Breaking the Bread; the St Cecilia at the Organ; an Adoration of the Magi in the National Gallery, London; the St Catherine Reading and St Andrew praying before his Crucifixion (1646) in the Palazzo Pitti. He completed his portrait of Fra Ainolfo de' Bardi, when he was only sixteen. He also painted a large altarpiece (1656) for the church of Sant' Andrea Cennano in Montevarchi. As was typical for Florentine painters, this was a painting about painting, and in it the Virgin of Soriano holds a miraculous and iconic painting of St Dominic. More on Carlo Dolci

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17 Works, Today, May 24th. is Pontormo's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #142

Pontormo  (1494–1557)

Adoration of the Magi, c. 1522-1523

Oil on panel

Height: 85 cm (33.4 in); Width: 190 cm (74.8 in)

Galleria Palatina 

The Adoration of the Magi (anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: A Magis adoratur) is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, lay before him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and worship him. The Adoration of the Magi

The work's landscape, crowds and grotesques evoke contemporary North European prints by artists such as Lucas van Leyden and Dürer, then circulating as far as Florence and beyond. Unusually for an Adoration of the Magi, the work shows saint Anne (behind the Virgin Mary). She and the image of the Verzaia Monastery in the right background recall the annual procession from Orsanmichele to that monastery on Anne's feast day (26 July). More on this painting

Jacopo Carucci (May 24, 1494 – January 2, 1557), usually known as Jacopo da Pontormo, Jacopo Pontormo or simply Pontormo, was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound stylistic shift from the calm perspectival regularity that characterized the art of the Florentine Renaissance. He is famous for his use of twining poses, coupled with ambiguous perspective; his figures often seem to float in an uncertain environment, unhampered by the forces of gravity.

Pontormo  (1494–1557)

Noli Me Tangere, c. 1530s

Oil on wood

Height: 125 cm (49.2 in); Width: 95 cm (37.4 in)

Private collection

The picture shows the scene in the New Testament (Joh. 20, 17), according to which St. Magdalena meets the risen Jesus, addressed by him with the words "noli me tangere" (do not touch me). In the representation, Jesus is obviously about to move on to the right, turning around towards the young Magdalena and trying to keep her from touching him with a gentle wave of the hand. Magdalena approaches from the left, her upper body tilted slightly forward, both arms spread out almost in a slightly inclined axis, her face seeks the gaze of Jesus. The background is indicated on the left by the green of a hill, on the right behind the city of Jerusalem can be seen with the temple dome, palace buildings and towers. More on this painting

Jacopo Carucci was born at Pontorme, near Empoli, to Bartolomeo di Jacopo di Martino Carrucci and Alessandra di Pasquale di Zanobi. Vasari relates how the orphaned boy, "young, melancholy and lonely", was shuttled around as a young apprentice:

Pontormo  (1494–1557)

Gone to Calvary, c. 1523-1525

Height: 300.0 cm; Width: 292.0 cm

detached fresco

Charterhouse of Florence, Tuscany , Italy

The Gone to Calvary is a detached fresco by Pontormo, and preserved in the Certosa del Galluzzo near Florence . With the other four lunettes of the cycle of the Stories of the Passion he decorated the cloister of the Certosa; today they are all detached and preserved in a closed environment of the monastery.

The first task that was entrusted to him was to fresco some lunettes in the cloister with scenes from the Passion of Christ, five in all. The works, inspired more or less directly to the woodcuts of the Small Passion of Dürer. 

The lunettes, badly damaged by outdoor exposure, were detached in the twentieth century and placed inside the monastery, in a room of the so-called "Palazzo Acciaiuoli".

The scene focuses on the episode of Veronica handing the shroud to Christ. The number and variety of the poses of the characters give the whole a dynamic and lively aspect, where gestures, glances, ladders and rods intersect, splitting the procession that includes the condemned, the accusers, the warriors and the simple curious.

In the background, on the hill to the right, is the group of mourners, which presents an intense drama of Nordic flavor. Mary, in particular, and John, the beloved apostle, show their deep despair, putting their hand to their eyes to wipe away the copious tears.

In general the Nordic influences are manifested in the elongated profiles and in the clothing of the characters, as well as in the dramatic sense of the events. More on this painting

Jacopo had not been many months in Florence before Bernardo Vettori sent him to stay with Leonardo da Vinci, and then with Mariotto Albertinelli, Piero di Cosimo, and finally, in 1512, with Andrea del Sarto, with whom he did not remain long, for after he had done the cartoons for the arch of the Servites, it does not seem that Andrea bore him any good will, whatever the cause may have been.

Pontormo  (1494–1557)

MARCUS CURTIUS LEAPING INTO THE ABYSS

oil on panel

21 7/8  by 44 7/8  in.; 55.6 by 114 cm.

Private collection

 According to Livy’s History of Rome, an earthquake of great seismic force had opened an immeasurable crevasse in the ground at the Forum at Rome.  Unable to fill its incalculable depth, the citizens of Rome sought the counsel of soothsayers who declared they must sacrifice to the abyss the greatest treasure of the Roman People:

“Thereupon Marcus Curtius, a young soldier of great prowess, rebuked them, so the story runs, for questioning whether any blessing were more Roman than arms and valor.  A hush ensued as he turned to the temples of the immortal gods which rise above the Forum, and to the Capitol, and stretching forth his hands, now to heaven, now to the yawning chasm and to the gods below, he devoted himself to death.  After which, mounted on a horse caparisoned with all possible splendor, he plunged fully armed into the gulf.” More on Marcus Curtius

Pontormo painted in and around Florence, often supported by Medici patronage. A foray to Rome, largely to see Michelangelo's work, influenced his later style. Haunted faces and elongated bodies are characteristic of his work. An example of Pontormo's early style is a fresco depicting the Visitation of the Virgin (See below) and St Elizabeth, with its dancelike, balanced figures, painted from 1514 to 1516.

Pontormo  (1494–1557)

The Visitation, c. 1514-1516

Fresco

Height: 392 cm (12.8 ft); Width: 337 cm (11 ft)

Santa Annunziata

The Visitation. Mary visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant. Mary is pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist. Elizabeth was in the sixth month before Mary came. Mary stayed three months, and most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John. The apparition of the angel, mentioned in Matthew, may have taken place then to end the tormenting doubts of Joseph regarding Mary's maternity.

In Catholicism, it is held that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother's womb, John became aware of the presence of Christ, and leapt for joy as he was cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognised the presence of Jesus, and thus Mary exercised her function as mediatrix between God and man for the first time. More on The Visitation

Pontormo  (1494–1557)

Visitation of Carmignano, c. 1528

Oil and board 

Height: 202 cm (79.5 in); Width: 156 cm (61.4 in)

Rectory of Saints Michael and Francis 

This early Visitation makes an interesting comparison with his painting of the same subject which was done about a decade later (See above). Placing these two pictures together, throws Pontormo's artistic development into sharp relief. In the earlier work, Pontormo is much closer in style to his teacher, Andrea del Sarto, and to the early sixteenth century renaissance artistic principles. For example, the figures stand at just under half the height of the overall picture, and though a bit more crowded than true high renaissance balance would prefer, at least are placed in a classicizing architectural setting at a comfortable distance from the viewer. 

 Jacopo da Pontormo (Jacopo Carucci) (Italian, Pontormo 1494–1556 Florence)

Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth, the Infant Baptist, Saint Anthony of Padua, and a Female Martyr, c.  1514–22

Red chalk, brush and red wash

10 13/16 x 11in. (27.5 x 27.9cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F. ( 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Landgravine of Thuringia, Germany, and a greatly venerated Catholic saint who was an early member of the Third Order of St. Francis, by which she is honored as its patroness. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. After her husband's death she sent her children away and regained her dowry, using the money to build a hospital where she herself served the sick. She became a symbol of Christian charity after her death at the age of 24 and was quickly canonized. More on Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Anthony of Padua (Portuguese: Santo António), born Fernando Martins de Bulhões (1195 – 13 June 1231), also known as Anthony of Lisbon, was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was born and raised by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, and died in Padua, Italy. Noted by his contemporaries for his forceful preaching, expert knowledge of scripture, and undying love and devotion to the poor and the sick, he was the second-most-quickly canonized saint after Peter of Verona. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 16 January 1946. He is also the patron saint of lost things. More on Saint Anthony of Padua

This drawing can be dated in the period between Pontormo's ‘Madonna of San Ruffilo’ fresco at the Santissima Annunziata (1514), and the ‘Adoration of the Magi’ panel in the Palazzo Pitti (1520-22), thus early in the master's career. Pontormo's drawings, mainly figure studies in red chalk or black chalk, are among the highest expressions in the tradition of Florentine design. His early drawing style, particularly his preference for red chalk, shows the influence of his master, Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530). The early fortune of this extraordinary drawing is recorded by a copy now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. 1991) made by the Late Renaissance painter and draftsman from Siena Francesco Vanni (1563-1610). More on this painting

In the later work, the viewer is brought almost uncomfortably close to the Virgin and St. Elizabeth, who drift toward each other in clouds of drapery. Moreover, the clear architectural setting that is carefully constructed in earlier piece has been completely abandoned in favor of a peculiar nondescript urban setting.

The following pictures tell the story of Joseph from the Old Testament. Joseph was his father’s favourite son and had been given a coat of many colours by him. His jealous half-brothers sold Joseph to a caravan of Ishmaelite merchants taking perfumes and spices to Egypt. The brothers smeared Joseph’s coat with goat blood and told their father that he was dead.

Pontormo, 1494 - 1556/7

Joseph sold to Potiphar, c. about 1515

Oil on wood

61 x 51.6 cm

National Gallery, London

This scene shows Joseph (the central young boy in yellow) standing before his new master, Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, to whom he has just been sold. The Ishmaelites are grappling for their payment on the left. One of them bends over, his back to the viewer and his head between his legs, to pick up a coin from the ground. More on this painting

Joseph sold to Potiphar by Pontormo (Above) shows Joseph standing before his new master, Potiphar, the captain of the Egyptian Pharaoh’s guard. Joseph became overseer of Potiphar’s household. However, after he refused the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife and she falsely accused him of rape, he was thrown into jail. There Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker. As Joseph predicted, Pharaoh spared the butler but had the baker killed.

Pontormo, 1494 - 1556/7

Pharaoh with his Butler and Baker, c. about 1515

Oil on wood

61 x 51.7 cm

National Gallery, London

When in prison Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker, who had been imprisoned for offending him. Joseph foresaw that the butler would be reinstated but the baker would be hanged. Here the baker is taken from prison (top right) and led to execution (right), while the butler is shown descending the staircase and serving Pharaoh (bottom left). More on this painting

Two years later, Pharoah had a mysterious dream that none of his advisers could understand. Joseph explained that Pharaoh’s dream of seven fat cows followed by seven thin cows meant that seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine, and he advised Pharaoh to stockpile grain. Pharaoh made Joseph his vizier, the second most powerful man in Egypt.

Pontormo, 1494 - 1556/7

Joseph's Brothers beg for Help, c. 1515

Oil on wood

36.3 x 142.5 cm

National Gallery, London

In this episode, the brothers arrive from Canaan (Palestine) to beg for help in the second year of famine. Not recognising their long-lost brother, the brothers prostrate themselves before Joseph, who is now Pharaoh’s overseer and sits in command on a classical triumphal chariot. On the right, grain is distributed from Pharaoh’s stores. More on this painting

Having travelled from Canaan to Egypt in the second year of the famine, Joseph’s brothers beg for help, but they do not recognise their long-lost brother. Joseph accuses his half-brothers of spying and demands that they bring their younger brother to Egypt to prove their honesty. 

Pontormo, 1494 - 1556/7

Joseph receives his Brothers on their Second Visit to Egypt, c. probably 1515

Oil on wood

36.2 x 142.2 cm

National Gallery, London

In this painting, they return to Egypt with their youngest brother, Benjamin – the little boy wearing blue – and gifts from their father. They present the gifts to Joseph in the centre, still not realising he is the brother they sold. Joseph sends them back home with a precious cup hidden in Benjamin’s sack. The outline of the cup is visible below Benjamin’s hand. More on this painting

In Joseph receives his Brothers on their Second Visit  to Egypt by Bacchiacca (Above) the brothers return to Egypt with their youngest brother, Benjamin; Joseph sends the brothers home but hides a cup in Benjamin’s sack. In Joseph pardons his Brothers, also by Bacchiacca, the brothers are brought back to Joseph, with Benjamin a prisoner. Joseph threatens to enslave Benjamin, but when his brother Judah offers to take Benjamin’s place, Joseph reveals his true identity. 

Pontormo, 1494 - 1556/7

Joseph pardons his Brothers, c. probably 1515

Oil on wood

36.2 x 141.6 cm

National Gallery, London

In this painting, which depicts three different moments in the story as a continuous narrative, the brothers are brought to Joseph, with Benjamin a prisoner. They beg for Joseph’s mercy; he reveals his true identity and forgives them. More on this painting

He forgives his brothers for selling him into slavery. In the last painting of the series, Joseph with Jacob in Egypt, the stories of Joseph and his father are combined as four scenes in a continuous narrative. The story ends with the elderly Jacob on his deathbed blessing Joseph’s sons.

Pontormo  (1494–1557)

Joseph with Jacob in Egypt, c. 1517-1518

Oil on canvas

Height: 96 cm (37.7 in); Width: 109 cm (42.9 in)

National Gallery, London

In this picture (which may not have been part of the original commission) the concluding episodes of the story of Joseph and Jacob are ingeniously condensed. There are four separate moments combined here: Joseph introducing his father Jacob to the Pharaoh of Egypt; Joseph on a chariot, hearing a petition from the victims of famine; Joseph with his sons climbing the staircase to visit the dying Jacob; and Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons.

This type of picture, in which several parts of a story are shown simultaneously, is known as a continuous narrative and was particularly popular for furniture decoration. More on this painting

Two half-living statues are represented in the top left and centre of the painting. A restless crowd, curious to see what is going on, throngs the adjacent space between the two buildings in the background. Other mysterious figures, resting against one of the large boulders that dominate the landscape, turn their attention toward the action in the foreground.

The large castle and surrounding trees depicted in the background are inspired by northern European painting. More on this painting

Painting for the wedding room of Pier Francesco Borgherini in the family palace in Florence

The Joseph canvases (now in the National Gallery in London) (See above) offer another example of Pontormo's developing style. Done around the same time as the earlier Visitation, these works (such as Joseph in Egypt) show a much more mannerist leaning. According to Giorgio Vasari, the sitter for the boy seated on a step is his young apprentice, Bronzino.

Workshop of Pontormo  (1494–1557)

The Virgin and Child with St Joseph and St John the Baptist, c. after 1527

Oil on poplar wood

Height: 116 cm (45.6 in); Width: 98.5 cm (38.7 in)

Royal Castle, Warsaw

Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus, and is venerated as Saint Joseph. In both Catholic and Protestant traditions, Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days. Pope Pius IX declared him to be both the patron and the protector of the Catholic Church, in addition to his patronages of the sick and of a happy death, due to the belief that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. In popular piety, Joseph is regarded as a model for fathers and has also become patron of various dioceses and places.

According to the New Testament, Joseph was the father of James, Joses, Jude, Simon, and at least two daughters. More on Saint Joseph

John the Baptist (sometimes called John in the Wilderness; also referred to as the Angel of the Desert) was the subject of at least eight paintings by the Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610).

 

The story of John the Baptist is told in the Gospels. John was the cousin of Jesus, and his calling was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. He lived in the wilderness of Judea between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, "his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." He baptised Jesus in the Jordan.

According to the Bible, King Herod's daughter Salome requested Saint John the Baptist's beheading. She was prompted by her mother, Herodias, who sought revenge, because the prophet had condemned her incestuous marriage to Herod. More John the Baptist

Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo

The Deposition, c. 1526-1528

Oil on wood

313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in)

Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence

The Deposition from the Cross is an altarpiece depicting the Deposition of Christ. It is broadly considered to be the artist's surviving masterpiece. Painted in oil on canvas, the painting is located above the altar of the Capponi Chapel of the church of Santa Felicita in Florence.

This painting suggests a whirling dance of the grief-stricken. They inhabit a flattened space, comprising a sculptural congregation of brightly demarcated colors. The vortex of the composition droops down towards the limp body of Jesus off center in the left. Those lowering Christ appear to demand our help in sustaining both the weight of his body (and the burden of sin Christ took on) and their grief. No Cross is visible; the natural world itself also appears to have nearly vanished: a lonely cloud and a shadowed patch of ground with a crumpled sheet provide sky and stratum for the mourners. If the sky and earth have lost color, the mourners have not; bright swathes of pink and blue envelop the pallid, limp Christ. More on this painting

Jacopo Pontormo

Preparatory drawing for the Deposition

44.3 x 27.6 cm

Christ Church Picture Gallery, Oxford, United Kingdom. 

Follower of Pontormo

The Madonna and Child with the Infant Baptist, c. probably 1560s

Oil on wood

81.3 x 58.4 cm

National Gallery, London

The Christ Child sits on his mother’s lap holding her hand and smiling at us. His cousin, the young Saint John the Baptist, stands grinning behind the Virgin. The happy, exuberant expressions of the children contrast with the pensive mood of the Virgin. Christ’s right hand is raised in an implied gesture of blessing. More on this painting

In the years between the SS Annunziata and San Michele Visitations, Pontormo took part in the fresco decoration of the salon of the Medici country villa at Poggio a Caiano (1519–20). There he painted frescoes in a pastoral genre style, very uncommon for Florentine painters; their subject was the obscure classical myth of Vertumnus and Pomona in a lunette.

In 1522, when the plague broke out in Florence, Pontormo left for the Certosa di Galluzzo, a cloistered Carthusian monastery where the monks followed vows of silence. He painted a series of frescoes, now quite damaged, on the passion and resurrection of Christ. These frescoes reveal especially strongly the influence of Albrecht Dürer's engravings, which often provided inspiration to Pontormo after he returned to Florence. More on Pontormo

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16 Works, Today, May 23rd. is Carl Heinrich Bloch's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #141

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

An angel comforting Jesus before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, c. 1873

Oil on copper

Height: 104 cm (40.9 in); Width: 83 cm (32.6 in)

The Museum of National History

In describing Jesus' experience in Gethsemane, Luke confirms many details found in the other three Gospels. Jesus left the upper room and went "as he was wont, to the mount of Olives"  Jesus was accustomed to going to Gethsemane, as John indicates

An angel appeared to the Savior for the express purpose of strengthening him in his extremity.

Carl Heinrich Bloch (23 May 1834 – 22 February 1890) was a Danish artist.

He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and studied there at the Royal Danish Academy of Art under Wilhelm Marstrand. Bloch's parents wanted their son to enter what they considered to be a respectable profession, an officer in the Navy. 

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Two Munks, c. 1861

Oil on cardboard

34 x 44 cm 

Private collection

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Samson and the Philistines, c. 1863

Oil on canvas

w184 x h245.5 cm

Statens Museum for Kunst

Samson  is one of the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats. Samson had two vulnerabilities—his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him.

 

Samson eventually fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines bribed Delilah with 1,100 silver pieces from each of the Philistine leaders, to get her to figure out the secret of Samson's strength and tell them. 

 

After asking him several times what the secret to his strength is: "Finally he disclosed to her all his heart and said to her: 'A razor has never come upon my head, because I am a Naz′i·rite of God from my mother’s belly. If I did get shaved, my power also would certainly depart from me, and I should indeed grow weak and become like all other men.'" 

 

She relayed this to the Philistine axis lords, got Samson to fall asleep, and while he was sleeping, had his head shaved. The Philistines then took him captive, put out both his eyes, and made him their slave. More Samson

With Samson and the Philistines, painted in Rome in 1863, Bloch entered the Danish art scene in earnest.

With his virtuoso technique and narrative devices such as the way we as spectators are drawn into the scene, and the sheer concentrated action of the piece he brought Danish art on a par with contemporary European history painting. More on this painting

This, however, was not what he wanted. His only interest was drawing and painting, and he was consumed by the idea of becoming an artist. He went to Italy to study art, passing through the Netherlands, where he became acquainted with the work of Rembrandt, which became a major influence on him. Bloch met his wife, Alma Trepka, in Rome, where he married her on 31 May 1868. They were happily married until her early death in 1886.

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

To leende piger (Two smiling girls), 1865

Oil on canvas

32 ¼ x 24 in. (82 x 61 cm.) 

Private collection

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Street scene Rome. A young girl at her neddlework, c. 1865

Oil on canvas

62 x 46 cm 

Private collection

Note how the girl, a little carelessly, has lost one shoe and almost waves to the viewer with her foot.

His early work featured rural scenes from everyday life. From 1859 to 1866, Bloch lived in Italy, and this period was important for the development of his historical style.

Carl Bloch (1834-1890)

Liberation of Prometheus, c. 1864

Oil on paper, affixed to canvas

46 x 38 cm

Ribe Art Museum

Prometheus was the Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel who was given the task of moulding mankind out of clay. His attempts to better the lives of his creation brought him into conflict withZeus. Firstly he tricked the gods out of the best portion of the sacrificial feast, acquiring the meat for the feasting of man. Then, when Zeus withheld fire, he stole it from heaven and delivered it to mortal kind hidden inside a fennel-stalk. As punishment for these rebellious acts, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora(the first woman) as a means to deliver misfortune into the house of man, or as a way to cheat mankind of the company of the good spirits. Prometheus meanwhile, was arrested and bound to a stake on Mount Kaukasos (Caucasus) where aneagle was set to feed upon his ever-regenerating liver (or, some say, heart). Generations later the great hero Herakles (Heracles) came along and released the old Titan from his torture. More on Prometheus

His first great success was the exhibition of his "Prometheus Unbound" (See above) in Copenhagen in 1865. After the death of Marstrand, he finished the decoration of the ceremonial hall at the University of Copenhagen. The sorrow over losing his wife weighed heavily on Bloch, and being left alone with their eight children after her death was very difficult for him.

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

In a Roman Osteria, c. 1866

Oil on canvas

Height: 1,485 mm (58.46 in); Width: 1,775 mm (69.88 in)

Statens Museum for Kunst 

An osteria in Italy was originally a place serving wine and simple food. 

One of Bloch's better-known genre scenes, the painting was commissioned by the merchant Moritz G. Melchior, Bloch's friend and major supporter who is included in the background of the painting. He is sitting in an osteria, at a table talking with his friends. The two figures sitting beside him are depicted, the figure turning his back to the viewers is the painter himself. More on this painting

As is often the case with Bloch, the knives and forks sit rather loosely. Notice in particular how the phallic carafe on the left is probably close to an inviting mouth with slightly separated lips, but is certainly also uncomfortably close to both a knife and a fork with only two long teeth that are significantly more pointed than the teeth on it young man's fork.

In relation to Bloch's great life's work, the genre pictures were a break from the many commissioned assignments from official Denmark. Monks with toothaches, monks picking chickens, rude fisherwomen and children hunting duckless ducks were among the favorite motifs. Usually very funny pictures, but also quite often strange pictures that are very open to interpretation. More on this painting

In a New Year's letter from 1866 to Bloch, H. C. Andersen wrote the following: "What God has arched on solid rock will not be swept away!" Another letter from Andersen declared "Through your art you add a new step to your Jacob-ladder into immortality."

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Healing of the Blind Man, c. 1871

Oil on canvas

The Museum of National History 

As Christ went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. Healing of the Blind Man

In a final ode, from a famous author to a famous artist, H.C. Andersen said "Write on the canvas; write your seal on immortality. Then you will become noble here on earth."

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

King Christian II of Denmark in prison at Sønderborg Castle in Denmark, c. 1871

Oil on canvas

115×95 cm 

Private collection

Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig and Holstein in joint rule with his uncle Frederick.

As king, Christian tried to maintain the Kalmar Union between the Scandinavian countries which brought him to war with Sweden, lasting between 1518 and 1523. Though he captured the country in 1520, the subsequent slaughter of leading Swedish nobility, churchmen, and others, known as the Stockholm Bloodbath, caused the Swedes to rise against his rule. He was deposed in a rebellion led by the nobleman and later king of Sweden Gustav Vasa. He attempted to bring in a radical reform of the Danish state in 1521–22, which would have strengthened the rights of commoners at the expense of the nobles and clergy. The nobility rose against him in 1523, and he was exiled to the Netherlands, ceding the Danish throne to Fredrick I. After attempting to reclaim the thrones in 1531, he was arrested and held in captivity for the rest of his life, first in Sønderborg Castle and later at Kalundborg Castle. More on Christian II

He was then commissioned to produce 23 paintings for the King's Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace. These were all scenes from the life of Christ which have become very popular as illustrations. The originals, painted between 1865 and 1879, are still at Frederiksborg Palace. The altarpieces can be found at Holbaek, Odense, Ugerloese and Copenhagen in Denmark, as well as Loederup, Hoerup, and Landskrona in Sweden.

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Suffer the Children, c. 1800s

Oil on copper

38" x 34"

The Museum of National History 

Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace in Copenhagen

"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein". And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Burial of Christ, c. 1800's

Oil on canvas

I have no further description, at this time

The burial of Jesus refers to the burial of the body of Jesus after crucifixion, described in the New Testament. According to the canonical gospel accounts, he was placed in a tomb by a man named Joseph of Arimathea. In art, it is often called the Entombment of Christ. More on The Entombment

Nicodemus depicted on the left, Joseph of Arimathea depicted on the right

Bloch died of cancer on 22 February 1890. His death came as "an abrupt blow for Nordic art" according to an article by Sophus Michaelis. Michaelis stated that "Denmark has lost the artist that indisputably was the greatest among the living." Kyhn stated in his eulogy at Bloch's funeral that "Bloch stays and lives."

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Christ with Mocking Soldier, c. 1880

Oil on cardboard

33×27 cm 

Private collection

The mocking of Jesus occurred several times, after his trial and before his crucifixion according to the canonical gospels of the New Testament. It is considered part of Jesus' passion.

According to the gospel narratives, Jesus had predicted that he would be mocked. The mocking of Christ took place in three stages: immediately following his trial, immediately following his condemnation by Pontius Pilate, and when he was being crucified.

The New Testament narratives of Jesus being mocked are filled with irony, while the mockery focuses on Jesus' prophetic and kingly roles. More on the mocking of Jesus

Carl Bloch  (1834–1890)

Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda, c. 1883

Oil on canvas

Brigham Young University Museum of Art

The Healing of a paralytic at Bethesda is one of the miraculous healings attributed to Jesus in the New Testament.

John's Gospel account describes how Jesus, visiting Jerusalem for a Jewish feast,, encounters one of the disabled people who used to lie here, a man who had been paralysed for thirty-eight years. Jesus asks the man if he wants to get well. The man explains that he is unable to enter the water, because he has no one to help him in and others go down ahead of him. Jesus tells him to pick up his bed or mat and walk; the man is instantly cured and is able to do so. More on Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda

Carl Heinrich Bloch

The Doubting Thomas 

Oil on Canvas

60" x 30"

Brigham Young University Museum of Art

A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience—a reference to the Apostle Thomas, who refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus had appeared to the ten other apostles, until he could see and feel the wounds received by Jesus on the cross.

In art, the episode (formally called the Incredulity of Thomas) has been frequently depicted since at least the 5th century, with its depiction reflecting a range of theological interpretations. More doubting Thomas

Circle Carl Bloch

Christ and St Thomas

Oil on canvas

68x68cm 

Private collection

Carl Heinrich Bloch (Danish, 1834--1890)

A young baker cooling down, c. 1888

Oil on panel

68 x 47 cm 

Private collection

For over 40 years The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made heavy use of Bloch's paintings, mostly from the Frederiksborg Palace collection, in its church buildings and printed media. The Church has produced films depicting scriptural accounts of Christ's public ministry, using Bloch's paintings as models for the colour, light and overall set design as well as the movement of the actors in many of the films' scenes. The most notable example of this is the 2000 film The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd.

Through the assistance of Danish-born artist Soren Edsberg (born 1945), the acquisition of Christ healing at the pool of Bethesda, [formerly owned by Indre Mission, Copenhagen, Denmark], was made possible for The Museum of Art, Brigham Young University (BYU), Provo, Utah, United States.[1] A second work by Bloch, an 1880 grisaille version of The Mocking of Christ, was purchased by BYU in June 2015.