Renaissance overview

A. Leonardo Da Vinci 

"Mona Lisa" (1503 -1506) (77cm x 53 cm) (The Louvre, Paris)

It is believed to be a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine cloth merchant.

Why is the Mona Lisa so famous?

"The Last Supper" (1495 -1498) (4.6 m x 8.8 m) (Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan)

The mural depicts the dramatic moment when Jesus tells his apostles that one of them will betray him, with each apostle reacting in a unique way.

"The Lady with an Ermine" (1489-1490) (54 cm x 39 cm) (the Czartoryski Museum, Kraków, Poland)

A portrait depicting Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Mila. The painting is known for its three-quarter view, a departure from the typical profile portraits of the era, and the symbolic white ermine the woman is holding, which was a heraldic animal of the Duke.

"Madonna on the Rocks" (1483–1486) (1.99 m x 1.22 m) (The Louvre, Paris)

The paintings depict the Virgin Mary, the infant Christ, Saint John the Baptist, and an angel in a rocky grotto, a scene based on a legend of the Holy Family meeting the infant John the Baptist. The works are celebrated for Leonardo's use of techniques like chiaroscuro (contrast of light and shadow) and atmospheric perspective, which were revolutionary for the time.

Top 7 Da Vinci's Inventions

B. Michelangelo 

Biography of Michelangelo

Exploring Michelangelo’s ‘Pietà,’ a Masterpiece of Renaissance Sculpture

"Pieta" ( 1498 -1499) (1.74 m x 1.95 m) (St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City)

A Renaissance sculpture in St. Peter's Basilica depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. Carved from Carrara marble, the masterpiece was commissioned by a French cardinal for his tomb but is now in Vatican City and is the only work Michelangelo ever signed. The sculpture's name is Italian for "pity," and it is celebrated for its lifelike detail and emotional power.

The tomb of Pope Julius II (1505 - 1545) ( Basilica of San Pietro, Vicoli, Rome)

A colossal but reduced version of the original ambitious pla, the project was delayed by other papal works like the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and was eventually completed as a wall tomb in 1545, significantly smaller than initially intended. The most famous element is the statue of Moses, a powerful sculpture that dominates the monument

"Moses" (1513–1515) (2.35 m x 2.10 m) ( Basilica of San Pietro, Vicoli, Rome)

"David" (1501–1504) (5.17 m  x 1.99 cm) (Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence)

A 5-metre-marble sculpture of the biblical hero, originally intended for the Florence Cathedral. The statue symbolizes courage and the Florentine Republic and depicts David before his battle with Goliath, showcasing his concentration and strength.

"The Last Judgement" (1536–1541) (13.7 m x 12,2 m) (Sistine Chapel, Vatican City)

A large fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel whichdepicts the second coming of Christ and the final judgment of humanity, with figures of saints, angels, the blessed, and the damned. Commissioned by Pope Paul III, the fresco was created in response to the religious and political climate of the Counter-Reformation and was controversial for its depiction of nudity, which was later covered up.

"Il Peccato" (film trailer)

C. Sandro Botticelli 

"La Primavera" (1478–1482) (2.03 m x 3.14 m) (the Uffizi Gallery, Florence)

A large allegorical painting of spring depicting nine mythological figures, including Venus at the center, presiding over a scene of love, beauty, and fertility in an orange grove. The painting's symbolism and complex composition are often interpreted through the lens of Neoplatonism, a blend of pagan and Christian thought that was popular with the Medici court.

"Pallas and the Centaur" (c.1482) (2.07 m x 1.48 m) (The Uffizi Gallery, Florence)

The painting depicts the goddess Pallas (Athena) subduing a centaur. Painted with tempera on canvas, it is housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and is interpreted as an allegory of reason triumphing over primal instincts or passion. Commissioned by the Medici family, the work likely also served a political purpose, possibly celebrating a wedding or symbolizing the Medici's triumph over rivals, such as the Pazzi family. 

"Venus and Mars" (1483–1485) (69.2 cm x 1.73 m) (The National Gallery, London)

A panel painting that depicts the Roman gods Venus and Mars in an allegory of love conquering war. The painting shows a sleeping, naked Mars, exhausted by love, while the watchful Venus reclines beside him. Playful satyrs, inspired by classical art, are shown dismantling Mars's armor and weapons. The work likely celebrated a marriage and was painted in tempera on panel, possibly to be set into furniture. 

"The Birth of Venus" (1483–1485) (1.72 m × 2.78 m) (The Uffizi Gallery, Florence)

A 15th-century painting depicting the goddess Venus arriving on a seashell at the shore, blown by the winds. Commissioned by the Medici family, it is famous for being one of the first monumental female nudes in art. The painting is celebrated for its mythological theme, harmonious composition, and as an icon of the Renaissance. 

Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" explained

"The Calumny of Apelles" (1494-1495) (62 cm x 91 cm)

A tempera panel painting that is based on the description of a lost ancient painting by Apelles. The complex allegorical scene depicts the powerful emotions of a courtly scene, from the figure of Slander (Calumny) dragging an innocent man, to the King, Midas, with donkey ears, blinded by ignorance and suspicion. The painting is a visual representation of the written account of the ancient painting by Lucian, a Hellenized Syrian satirist. 

"The Crucifixion" (1497–1500) (72.4 cm x 51.4 cm) (The Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)

A religious work featuring the traditional crucifixion scene but with unique, apocalyptic iconography, including fire and weapons raining from storm clouds. An angel is depicted with a sword about to slay a creature that symbolizes the city of Florence, representing divine judgment for the city's moral failings, though the work also offers a message of hope from God. 

"The Last Communion of Saint Jerome" (c. 1494–1495) (34.3 cm x 25.4 cm) (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA)

 A devotional painting depicting the moment Saint Jerome receives his final communion before death. 

"The Nativity" (c. 1500–1501) (1.08 m x 75 cm) (The National Gallery, London) 

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sandro-botticelli-mystic-nativity

An oil painting known for its unusual iconography and symbolism. It depicts the birth of Jesus with a golden dome of heaven above, angels holding olive branches, and demons fleeing at the bottom. The work is notable for being the only one Botticelli ever signed.

D. Raphael 

"The Ansidei Madonna" (1505) (2.17 × 1.48 m) (The National Gallery, London)

An altarpiece commissioned for a chapel in Perugia by the Ansidei family, meaning it represents a "holy conversation" between the enthroned Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and the saints Saint John the Baptist and Saint Nicholas. The painting symbolizes religious faith, divine communion, and the patron's wealth and status through its subject matter and use of rich materials. The saints are depicted alongside the Virgin and Child to reflect the patron's name and the name of his son.

The Baglioni Altarpiece (1507) (1.84 m x 1.76 m) (Galleria Borgese, Rome)

The Baglioni Altarpiece, also known as The Deposition, is a 1507 oil painting by Raphael commissioned by Atalanta Baglioni in memory of her son, Grifonetto, who was killed in 1500. The main panel, depicting the lamentation and burial of Christ, is famous for its expressive depiction of grief.

"The Madonna del Baldacchino" (c. 1506–1508) (2.76 m x 2.24 m) (Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence)

"Saint Catherine" (c. 1507) ( 72 cm x 56 cm) (the National Gallery, London)

"The School of Athens" (1509–1511) (5m x 7.7 m) ( the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City)

The Stanza della Segnatura

"Parnassus" (1509-1511) (6.7 m wide) (Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Palace)

"The Disputation of the Sacrament" (1509-1510) (5m x 7.7 m) (Stanze di Raffaello, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City)

"Triumph of Galatea" (1511-1512) (2.95 m x 2.25 m) (Villa Farnesina, Rome)

Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, tells the story of the mortal peasant shepherd, Acis, who falls in love with Galatea, a Nereid or water nymph, whose Greek name translates as ‘she who is milk white’. The jealous Cyclops, Polyphemus, bludgeoned Acis with a boulder and, in response, a distraught Galatea transformed him into the Sicilian river that bears his name.

E. Andrea del Verrochio 

The equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni (1480–1488) (3.95 m height) (Santi Giovanni e Paolo Square, Venice, Italy)

"Tobias and the Angel" (c. 1470–1475) (83 cm x 66 cm) (The National Gallery, London)

"The Baptism of Christ" (c.1472-1475) (1.77 m x 1.51 m) (The Uffizi Gallery, Florence)

"The Madonna enthroned with John the Baptist and St Donato" (c. 1475 - 1483) (1.89 m x 1.91 m) (The Pistoia Cathedral, Pistoia, Italy)