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Painting story
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix
Liberty Leading the People shows the allegorical figure of Liberty, in a red Phrygian cap and carrying the tricolour, leading a crowd of Parisians…
Painting Stories
The meaning and history of famous paintings: what they show, where the originals hang, and how each one is recreated by hand in oil on canvas.
Painting story
The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault
The Raft of the Medusa shows the survivors of the 1816 wreck of the French frigate Méduse, adrift for thirteen days, at the moment they sight a…
Painting story
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog shows a lone man in a dark coat standing on a rocky summit with his back to us, looking out over a valley filled…
Painting story
Compulsory Education by Briton Rivière
Briton Rivière painted Perseverance in 1883 as a quietly observed study of a young boy seated at a rough wooden table, bent over a schoolbook…
Painting story
An Anxious Moment by Briton Rivière
A group of dogs huddle together in a moment of shared apprehension, their body language communicating tension and uncertainty with remarkable…
Painting story
The Long Sleep by Briton Rivière
Briton Rivière painted The Long Sleep in 1868 as a tender meditation on the bond between a sleeping child and a faithful dog standing vigil nearby.
Painting story
Apollo by Briton Rivière
Briton Rivière depicted the sun god Apollo in a monumental composition that unites classical mythology with the careful naturalistic observation…
Painting story
In Manus Tuas, Domine by Briton Rivière
The Latin title, meaning Into Your Hands, Lord, frames a scene of a dying or sleeping figure attended by faithful dogs whose quiet presence…
Painting story
The King Drinks by Briton Rivière
A scene of royal festivity captures the moment of a ceremonial toast, with dogs at the feet of the revelers responding instinctively to the human…
Painting story
The Last of the Garrison by Briton Rivière
A lone dog sits vigil amid the ruins of a fallen outpost, embodying loyalty and loss in one of Riviere's most affecting compositions.
Painting story
Pallas Athena and the Herdsman's Dogs by Briton Rivière
This large-scale work shows the goddess Athena appearing before a group of dogs who respond to her divine presence with instinctive reverence and…
Painting story
Prometheus by Briton Rivière
Riviere depicts the Titan Prometheus chained to his rocky prison, his faithful eagle companions standing as silent witnesses to his eternal…
Painting story
Una by Briton Rivière
Riviere depicts the character Una from Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, showing the young woman accompanied by a lion in an image that combines…
Painting story
The Temptation in the Wilderness by Briton Rivière
Riviere depicts Christ alone in the wilderness at the moment of temptation, attended only by wild beasts in a stark desert landscape.
Painting story
St George and the Dragon by Briton Rivière
Riviere presents the legendary confrontation between St George and the dragon with a dynamic sense of movement and a careful attention to the…
Painting story
Dead Hector by Briton Rivière
Riviere renders the body of the Trojan hero Hector laid out in death, accompanied by faithful hounds that mourn beside their fallen master.
Painting story
Daniel in the Lions' Den by Briton Rivière
Painted in 1872, this early treatment of the Daniel story shows the prophet alone in darkness with a pride of lions, his posture one of prayer and…
Painting story
Daniel's Answer to the King by Briton Rivière
Briton Riviere depicts the prophet Daniel standing calm and resolute before the Babylonian king, surrounded by lions that have left him unharmed.
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Curated collectionsOdyssey, Magic and Witchcraft, Famous Women, Landscapes and more.Artists A to ZEvery painter in the catalogue, with an archive of their works.Art movementsRenaissance to Expressionism: what defines each and who led it.Top 50 most famous paintingsThe ranked list, with the story behind every entry.
