In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. William T. Maud The Ride of the Valkyries, c. 1890 63.5″ x 79″ Oil on canvas THE KNOHL COLLECTION William T. Maud (British, 1865 – 1903), The Ride of the Valkyrie (1890), is a virtually unknown nineteenth century British artist and The Ride of the Valkyrie is his only known painting. During the Boer War (1899-1902) Maud worked as a war artist for the news organization The Daily Graphic – a British illustrated news journal. With the massive growth in literacy throughout the British Empire, coupled with the development of the global telegraph network, the illustrated news weekly flourished. Newspapers sent special war artists to the battlefields to create pictorial records of specific battles, as well as to sketch images depicting everyday life for soldiers on the front line. Many artists of this era took this dangerous assignment for the simple reason that it was more lucrative than painting in a commercial studio. The war artists were untrained for the battlefield, but by virtue of their vocation they were placed in the middle of the action, exposing them to the risk of injury, capture and disease. With pencils, brushes and sketchbooks their job was to go wherever the winds of combat blew, to live under fire, to endure the deprivation, hardship and danger of the campaign, and to send to the illustrated newspapers that employed them rough and hasty sketches. William T. Maud died from enteric fever while covering the Second Boer War; he was only 38 years old. More on William T. Maud Emil Doepler (1855–1922) Einherjar are served by Valkyries I have no further description, at this time Valhöll while Odin sits upon his throne, flanked by one of his wolves, c. ca. 1905 Emil Doepler "the Younger" (29 October 1855 in Munich – 21 December 1922 in Berlin) was a German Art Nouveau illustrator, decorative artist, and art teacher. Emil Doepler was son of Carl Emil Doepler, painter, artist, and costume designer. More There, the deceased warriors become einherjar fighters. When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses. Peter Nicolai Arbo, (1831–1892) Valkyrie, c. 1864 Oil on canvas 263 × 203 cm (103.5 × 79.9 in) Nationalmuseum, national gallery of Sweden Peter Nicolai Arbo (June 18, 1831 – October 14, 1892) was a Norwegian historical painter, who specialized in painting motifs from Norwegian history and images from Norse mythology. He is most noted for Asgårdsreien, a dramatic motif based on the Wild Hunt legend and Valkyrie, which depicts a female figure from Norse mythology. More on Peter Nicolai Arbo The Valkyrie is, in the oldest strata of belief, a corpse goddess, represented by the carrion-eating raven. The name in Old Norse, valkyrja, as well as Old English wælcyrge means literally, "chooser of the slain." The word for valkyrie was used by Anglo-Saxon scholars to gloss the names of the Greco-Roman goddeses of vengeance and retribution, the Furies or Erinyes, as well as for the Roman goddess of war, Bellona. Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892) Asgardsreien, c. 1872 Oil on canvas Height: 165.5 cm (65.2 in). Width: 240.5 cm (94.7 in). National Gallery, Norway Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892), see above Johan Gustaf Sandberg (13 May 1782 – 26 June 1854) "Valkyriornas Ride" (1818), Oil on Canvas I have no further description, at this time Johan Gustaf Sandberg (13 May 1782 – 26 June 1854) was a Swedish painter from Stockholm. He was foremost a history painter and used settings from Norse mythology and Swedish history. His most widely known work in this area are his frescoes in Uppsala Cathedral that depict the Swedish king Gustav Vasa. In addition to his history paintings, Sandberg painted a number of portraits. More on Johan Gustaf Sandberg The Valkyrie is related to the Celtic warrior-goddess, the Morrigan, who likewise may assume the form of the raven. The Irish badb is at one and the same time a seeress foretelling the fate of men upon the battlefield and is also the carrion-crow or raven. Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954) Valkyrie Maiden Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches [40.64 x 50.80 cm] Private collection Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954) is an American photorealist Illustrator and painter most noted for historical, religious and mythological art. He works in a wide variety of mixed media ranging from oil on canvas to digital media. Though he paints in a realistic vein, he creates a world of folklore and mythical characters combining his traditional style and methods with contemporary digital techniques. Specializing in archetypal and idealized iconic imagery, he is a classically trained artist who is particularly influenced by the great illustrators of the late 19th century and the artists of the pre-Raphaelite period. More Ferdinand Leeke (April 7, 1859 - 1923) The Last Farewell of Wotan and Brunhilde (1875) Oil on canvas 146 x 107 cm Private collection Ferdinand Leeke (April 7, 1859 - 1923) See Below Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954), see above The Coming of Brunhilde Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches [40.64 x 50.80 cm] I have no further description, at this time Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954), see above Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954) Viking War Goddess Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches [40.64 x 50.80 cm] I have no further description, at this time Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954), see above Ferdinand Leeke (1859 - 1923) Wagner, Valkyrie I have no further description, at this time Ferdinand Leeke (April 7, 1859 - 1923) was a German Painter, famous for his depictions of scenes from Wagnerian Operas. A native of Burg bei Magdeburg, Germany, he studied at the Munich Academy under Johann Herterich (1843-1905), a genre and historical painter, and with Alexander von Wagner (1838-1919), a Hungarian genre and landscape painter. Around 1889, Siegfried Wagner, the son of the composer Richard Wagner, commissioned Leeke to paint a series of paintings showing scenes from ten operas by Wagner. More Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others Acknowledgement: Wikipedia, The Viking Answer Lady, Timeless Myths, Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me. I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses. If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family. Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages. Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. William T. Maud The Ride of the Valkyries, c. 1890 63.5″ x 79″ Oil on canvas THE KNOHL COLLECTION William T. Maud (British, 1865 – 1903), The Ride of the Valkyrie (1890), is a virtually unknown nineteenth century British artist and The Ride of the Valkyrie is his only known painting. During the Boer War (1899-1902) Maud worked as a war artist for the news organization The Daily Graphic – a British illustrated news journal. With the massive growth in literacy throughout the British Empire, coupled with the development of the global telegraph network, the illustrated news weekly flourished. Newspapers sent special war artists to the battlefields to create pictorial records of specific battles, as well as to sketch images depicting everyday life for soldiers on the front line. Many artists of this era took this dangerous assignment for the simple reason that it was more lucrative than painting in a commercial studio. The war artists were untrained for the battlefield, but by virtue of their vocation they were placed in the middle of the action, exposing them to the risk of injury, capture and disease. With pencils, brushes and sketchbooks their job was to go wherever the winds of combat blew, to live under fire, to endure the deprivation, hardship and danger of the campaign, and to send to the illustrated newspapers that employed them rough and hasty sketches. William T. Maud died from enteric fever while covering the Second Boer War; he was only 38 years old. More on William T. Maud Emil Doepler (1855–1922) Einherjar are served by Valkyries I have no further description, at this time Valhöll while Odin sits upon his throne, flanked by one of his wolves, c. ca. 1905 Emil Doepler "the Younger" (29 October 1855 in Munich – 21 December 1922 in Berlin) was a German Art Nouveau illustrator, decorative artist, and art teacher. Emil Doepler was son of Carl Emil Doepler, painter, artist, and costume designer. More There, the deceased warriors become einherjar fighters. When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses. Peter Nicolai Arbo, (1831–1892) Valkyrie, c. 1864 Oil on canvas 263 × 203 cm (103.5 × 79.9 in) Nationalmuseum, national gallery of Sweden Peter Nicolai Arbo (June 18, 1831 – October 14, 1892) was a Norwegian historical painter, who specialized in painting motifs from Norwegian history and images from Norse mythology. He is most noted for Asgårdsreien, a dramatic motif based on the Wild Hunt legend and Valkyrie, which depicts a female figure from Norse mythology. More on Peter Nicolai Arbo The Valkyrie is, in the oldest strata of belief, a corpse goddess, represented by the carrion-eating raven. The name in Old Norse, valkyrja, as well as Old English wælcyrge means literally, "chooser of the slain." The word for valkyrie was used by Anglo-Saxon scholars to gloss the names of the Greco-Roman goddeses of vengeance and retribution, the Furies or Erinyes, as well as for the Roman goddess of war, Bellona. Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892) Asgardsreien, c. 1872 Oil on canvas Height: 165.5 cm (65.2 in). Width: 240.5 cm (94.7 in). National Gallery, Norway Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831–1892), see above Johan Gustaf Sandberg (13 May 1782 – 26 June 1854) "Valkyriornas Ride" (1818), Oil on Canvas I have no further description, at this time Johan Gustaf Sandberg (13 May 1782 – 26 June 1854) was a Swedish painter from Stockholm. He was foremost a history painter and used settings from Norse mythology and Swedish history. His most widely known work in this area are his frescoes in Uppsala Cathedral that depict the Swedish king Gustav Vasa. In addition to his history paintings, Sandberg painted a number of portraits. More on Johan Gustaf Sandberg The Valkyrie is related to the Celtic warrior-goddess, the Morrigan, who likewise may assume the form of the raven. The Irish badb is at one and the same time a seeress foretelling the fate of men upon the battlefield and is also the carrion-crow or raven. Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954) Valkyrie Maiden Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches [40.64 x 50.80 cm] Private collection Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954) is an American photorealist Illustrator and painter most noted for historical, religious and mythological art. He works in a wide variety of mixed media ranging from oil on canvas to digital media. Though he paints in a realistic vein, he creates a world of folklore and mythical characters combining his traditional style and methods with contemporary digital techniques. Specializing in archetypal and idealized iconic imagery, he is a classically trained artist who is particularly influenced by the great illustrators of the late 19th century and the artists of the pre-Raphaelite period. More Ferdinand Leeke (April 7, 1859 - 1923) The Last Farewell of Wotan and Brunhilde (1875) Oil on canvas 146 x 107 cm Private collection Ferdinand Leeke (April 7, 1859 - 1923) See Below Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954), see above The Coming of Brunhilde Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches [40.64 x 50.80 cm] I have no further description, at this time Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954), see above Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954) Viking War Goddess Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches [40.64 x 50.80 cm] I have no further description, at this time Howard David Johnson (born 2 September 1954), see above Ferdinand Leeke (1859 - 1923) Wagner, Valkyrie I have no further description, at this time Ferdinand Leeke (April 7, 1859 - 1923) was a German Painter, famous for his depictions of scenes from Wagnerian Operas. A native of Burg bei Magdeburg, Germany, he studied at the Munich Academy under Johann Herterich (1843-1905), a genre and historical painter, and with Alexander von Wagner (1838-1919), a Hungarian genre and landscape painter. Around 1889, Siegfried Wagner, the son of the composer Richard Wagner, commissioned Leeke to paint a series of paintings showing scenes from ten operas by Wagner. More Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others Acknowledgement: Wikipedia, The Viking Answer Lady, Timeless Myths, Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me. I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses. If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family. Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages. Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

Masters Gallery - Curated Collection of 185 Large Moreau Masterpieces - Mythology and Religion Art Collection Sized up to approx. 2700 pixels A beautiful collection for collectors of religious, folklore and mythology art, collagists, decoupagists, painters, paper and textile crafters

Vittore Carpaccio, (1466–1525) St George and the Dragon, c. 1502 Tempera on canvas Height: 141 cm (55.5 in). Width: 360 cm (141.7 in). Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, Venice Vittore Carpaccio (1465 – 1525/1526) was a Venetian painter of the Venetian school, who studied under Gentile Bellini. He is best known for a cycle of nine paintings, The Legend of Saint Ursula. His style was somewhat conservative, showing little influence from the Humanist trends that transformed Italian Renaissance painting during his lifetime. He was influenced by the style of Antonello da Messina and Early Netherlandish art. For this reason, and also because so much of his best work remains in Venice, his art has been rather neglected by comparison with other Venetian contemporaries, such as Giovanni Bellini or Giorgione. More Peter Paul Rubens, (Flemish, 1577 - 1640) Fight of St. George and the Dragon, c. 1606 - 1608 Oil on canvas 309 x 257 cm National Prado Museum The story of St. George and the Dragon was popularized by writer Jacopo della Voragine in his Golden Legend . Here he counts as San Jorge arrived in Silca, city of Libya, where there was a large lake inhabited by a dragon. The people, to appease the wrath of the monster, threw two daily sheep for food. On completion of the sheep, they began to slaughter the villagers, chosen by lottery. Thus, it was the turn of the king's daughter who, in his way, he met St. George who saved: "(...) it enristró his spear and making it vibrate in the air and spurring his horse all , and ran toward the beast (...) when he had to reach his body sank into the gun and wounded ". Finally the people converted to Christianity by the feat achieved. More Sir Peter Paul Rubens, (28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish Baroque painter. A proponent of an extravagant Baroque style that emphasized movement, colour, and sensuality, Rubens is well known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. In addition to running a large studio in Antwerp that produced paintings popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe, Rubens was a classically educated humanist scholar and diplomat who was knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. More Parmigianino (Francesco Mazzola, Italian, 1503-1540). Virgin with Child, St. John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene (about 1530-40) Oil on paper, laid down on panel, 75.5 x 59.7 cm (29 ½ x 23 ½ in.) Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino], "the little one from Parma"); 11 January 1503 – 24 August 1540) was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma. His work is characterized by a "refined sensuality" and often elongation of forms and includes Vision of Saint Jerome (1527) and the iconic if somewhat untypical Madonna with the Long Neck (1534), and he remains the best known artist of the first generation whose whole careers fall into the Mannerist period. His prodigious and individual talent has always been recognised, but his career was disrupted by war, especially the Sack of Rome in 1527, three years after he moved there, and then ended by his death at only 37. He produced outstanding drawings, and was one of the first Italian painters to experiment with printmaking himself. While his portable works have always been keenly collected and are now in major museums in Italy and around the world, his two large projects in fresco are in a church in Parma and a palace in a small town nearby. This in conjunction with their lack of large main subjects has resulted in their being less well known than other works by similar artists. More Follower of Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, called Parmigianino THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST SLEEPING Oil on panel 14.7 by 18.9 cm.; 5 7/8 by 7 3/8 in. Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino], "the little one from Parma"); 11 January 1503 – 24 August 1540) , see above Luca Longhi, RAVENNA 1507 - 1580 SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA Oil on canvas 64 × 47 cm; 25 1/4 by 18 1/2 in 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 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;[4] however, she continued to be commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 25 November. More Raphael of Ravenna, is the great painter of Ravenna in the sixteenth century. His paintings have a simple composition, a soft bill full of feelings. Sometimes compared to the Bolognese Francesco Francia and Raphael, his works, including religious paintings and portraits, are a constant reflection between the archaism of the late fifteenth century and the novelty of the early Counter Reformation. We find the same round face, eyes raised to heaven and torso leaning slightly in Sainte Agathe between St. Catherine and St. Cecilia (oil on canvas, 175 x 150 cm.) Kept in the church of Saint Agatha Ravenna. There is another Saint Catherine painted by Luca Longhi (oil on canvas, 39 x 32 cm.) Preserved at the Pinacoteca in Ravenna. Although the model is young and graceful, the painter succeeds in its composition, to let show through a strong and robust found in her faith. These comparisons underline the humanism of our table and artist veracity of the will. More WORKSHOP OF Dirck Bouts, HAARLEM 1415 - 1475 LOUVAIN VIRGIN OF PAIN Oil on panel 37.5 x 24.5 cm; 14 3/4 by 9 5/8 in Originally this painting was the left panel of a diptych, paired with a Christ crowned with thorns . The composition probably derives from Rogier van der Weyden, who painted very similar representations of Virgin of pain, such as that in the Museum of the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, The Last Judgment (1443-51), and Triptych of Jean Braque ( c. 1452-3, Louvre). In the past the painting had been attributed to Rogier van der Weyden and his school, but was given to Bouts workshop; as the composition was very popular his shop, with several versions of the work exist. More Our Lady of Sorrows, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows, and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life. As Mater Dolorosa, it is also a key subject for Marian art in the Catholic Church. The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular Roman Catholic devotion. In common religious Catholic imagery, the Blessed Virgin Mary is portrayed in a sorrowful and lacrimating affect, with seven daggers piercing her heart, often bleeding. Devotional prayers that consist of meditation began to elaborate on her Seven Sorrows based on the prophecy of Simeon. Common examples of piety under this title are Servite rosary, or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady and the Seven Joys of Mary and more recently, "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary". More Dieric Bouts (born ca. 1415 – 6 May 1475) was an Early Netherlandish painter, Bouts was born in Haarlem and was mainly active in Leuven (Louvain), where he was city painter from 1468. Very little is actually known about Bouts' early life, but he was greatly influenced by Jan van Eyck and by Rogier van der Weyden, under whom he may have studied. He is first documented in Leuven in 1457 and worked there until his death in 1475. Bouts was among the first northern painters to demonstrate the use of a single vanishing point. His work has a certain primitive stiffness of drawing, and his figures are often disproportionately long and angular, but his pictures are highly expressive, well designed and rich in colour, with especially good landscape backgrounds. More Giovanni Speranza, VICENCE 1480 - 1532 MADONNA AND CHILD WITH A GOLDFINCH ; c. 1521 Oil on Panel 42 x 33 cm ; 16 1/2 by 13 in Speranza's works are so close to those of Vicenza painter Bartolomeo Montagna, that we can claim that he was his master, before Speranza had his own workshop. In this painting, Giovanni Speranza resumes, with variations, the composition of a painting (oil on panel, 36 x 30 cm.) of Bartolomeo Montagna, Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph , preserved in the Museo Civico Amedeo Lia La Spezia. However, Speranza decided to represent the Virgin adoring the Child and delete the figures of St. John the Baptist and Joseph. On the parapet, Speranza added an apple and a goldfinch, symbols of the sin of Adam and Eve and their redemption with the coming of Christ, led by the Virgin, the new Eve. More Giovanni Speranza (circa 1470 - 1530s) is an Italian painter. He was born and was active in Vicenza, where he was a follower of Benedetto Montagna. One source claims a birth in 1480 and death in 1546. He is mentioned briefly by Giorgio Vasari, in his entry on Jacopo Sansovino. He later claims both Montagna and Speranza were pupils of Andrea Mantegna. It is unclear if he is related to the Baroque painter Giovanni Battista Speranza. More Studio of Quinten Metsys the Elder, (FLEMISH, 1466 - 1530) The Madonna of the Cherries Oil on oak panel 29.92 in. (76.00 cm.) (height) by 24.69 in. (62.70 cm.) (width) Art history dictates that cherries symbolize something new and pure. In his earlier works Massys depicted the Virgin as the Queen of Heaven, with a halo and seated on a celestial throne – an image that was intended to be adored by the viewer. In the present work, the Virgin is still a Queen of Heaven but has lost her halo and is dressed in a remarkably plain costume. Rather than being an intercessor and a figure to be adored, she has in some ways become more human. Some of these changes reflect the influence of Leonardo, whose style Massys would have known as interpreted by Joos van Cleve. More Quentin Matsys (1466–1530) was a painter in the Flemish tradition and a founder of the Antwerp school. He was born at Leuven, where legend states he was trained as an ironsmith before becoming a painter. Matsys was active in Antwerp for over 20 years, creating numerous works with religious roots and satirical tendencies. More Anton Woensam, 1492 or 1500 to 1541 GRACE CHAIR WITH TWO MARTYRS Oil on oak wood. 41 x 33 cm God the father, with Pope tiara and red cope, on a throne, holding the cross, with Corpus Christi, in both hands His medalion of the dove, the Holy Spirit. A martyr on either side, one holding the ax of the executioner, the other a board and sword. Figures in courtly 16th century clothing. At the feet of the throne are two royal heads with ermine, turban and scepter, probably alluding to Herod and Oriental rulers, a time corresponding to the Turkish wars. More WOENSAM, Anton von Worms (b. ca. 1495, Worms, d. 1541, Cologne) was a German woodcutter and painter. His family settled in Cologne c. 1510, and he was probably trained by his father, Jaspar Woensam the Elder, who became the banneret of the painters' guild in 1546. There is evidence that Anton Woensam worked as a woodcutter for book printers in 1517-18. His style was at first influenced by Cologne painting and Antwerp Mannerism, and he may also have been inspired by the Master of St Severin. Later he was influenced by Bartolomäus Bruyn the Elder, Joos van Cleve and Albrecht Dürer. More Flemish masters of the 16th century NURSING MADONNA Oil / tempera on oak. Diameter: 29.5 cm. Mary, with the the child at her breast. Reddish-brown hair over her shoulders with a hair brush. A turquoise jacket with raised side collar on a red dress, bound by a fine cord. The facial features with narrow eyes cut and delicate pink lips reproduced gracefully. Raphael, (1483–1520) Saint Margaret, circa 1518 Oil on panel 192 × 122 cm (75.6 × 48 in) Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria Margaret is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20 and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned. She was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494, but devotion to her revived in the West with the Crusades. She was reputed to have promised very powerful indulgences to those who wrote or read her life, or invoked her intercessions; these no doubt helped the spread of her cultus. She was a native of "Antioch" and the daughter of a pagan priest named Aedesius. Her mother having died soon after her birth, Margaret was nursed by a Christian woman five or six leagues from Antioch. Having embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to God, Margaret was disowned by her father, adopted by her nurse, and lived in the country keeping sheep with her foster mother (in what is now Turkey). Olybrius, Governor of the Roman Diocese of the East, asked to marry her, but with the demand that she renounce Christianity. Upon her refusal, she was cruelly tortured, during which various miraculous incidents occurred. One of these involved being swallowed by Satan in the shape of a dragon, from which she escaped alive when the cross she carried irritated the dragon's innards. The Golden Legend, in an atypical passage of skepticism, describes this last incident as "apocryphal and not to be taken seriously". She was put to death in AD 304. As Saint Marina, she is associated with the sea, which "may in turn point to an older goddess tradition," reflecting the pagan divinity, Aphrodite. More Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (April 6 or March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period. Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates. More Tiziano Vecelli or Titian (1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 Saint Margaret, Ca. 1565 Oil on Canvas High/Height: 209 cm.; Width: 183 cm National Prado Museum Titian debt here to Raphael´s Saint Margaret (above) is evident, a painting brought to Venice in the early sixteenth century by Cardinal Grimani. In both works a rock acts as the backdrop to the action while the saint emerges from the dragon in graceful contrapposto. The manner in which the saint reveals her forward leg in a similar way to Raphael´s figure, recalls Giorgione´s Judith (Saint Petersburg, Hermitage). Elements such as the burning city, the cross held by the saint and the skull in the lower right corner are not normally found in the iconography of Saint Margaret, and were attributed by Panofsky to a confusion with the story of Saint Martha and Saint George. Titian was criticised for having shown the saint with the leg almost completely nude to above the knee. More Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio, or Titian (1488/1490 – 27 August 1576), was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno (in Veneto, Republic of Venice). During his lifetime he was often called da Cadore, taken from the place of his birth. Recognized by his contemporaries as "The Sun Amidst Small Stars", Titian was one of the most versatile of Italian painters, equally adept with portraits, landscape backgrounds, and mythological and religious subjects. His painting methods, particularly in the application and use of color, would exercise a profound influence not only on painters of the Italian Renaissance, but on future generations of Western art. During the course of his long life, Titian's artistic manner changed drastically but he retained a lifelong interest in color. Although his mature works may not contain the vivid, luminous tints of his early pieces, their loose brushwork and subtlety of tone are without precedent in the history of Western painting. More Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Barbara and St. Margaret Sections of an altarpiece; towards 1463 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia (c. 1403–1482) was an Italian painter, working primarily in Siena. He may have apprenticed with Taddeo di Bartolo, becoming a prolific painter and illustrator of manuscripts, including Dante's texts. He was one of the most important painters of the 15th century Sienese School. His early works show the influence of earlier Sienese masters, but his later style was more individual, characterized by cold, harsh colours and elongated forms. His style also took on the influence of International Gothic artists such as Gentile da Fabriano. Many of his works have an unusual dreamlike atmosphere, such as the surrealistic Miracle of St. Nicholas of Tolentino painted about 1455 and now housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (below), while his last works, particularly Last Judgment, Heaven, and Hell (below) from about 1465 and Assumption painted in 1475, both at Pinacoteca Nazionale (Siena), are grotesque treatments of their lofty subjects. Giovanni's reputation declined after his death but was revived in the 20th century. More Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Saving a Shipwreck, c. 1457 Tempera and gold on panel with vertical grain 20 1/2 x 16 5/8 inches (52.1 x 42.2 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art Giovanni di Paolo appears to have had access to a copy of the first-hand accounts of the miracles of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in which witnesses vividly describe the terror of the shipwreck—the rolling waves, broken masts, and flying sails—and the radiant light emanating from the saint who came to save them. The artist, however, embellished the scene by adding the naked siren swimming in the foreground, enticing sailors to steer off course. More Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia (c. 1403–1482), see above Lateral panel of an altarpiece; companion panels are in the Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna (below). Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) A Miracle by St Nicholas of Tolentino, c. 1456 Tempera on wood 50 x 43 cm Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna This predella panel belonged to an altarpiece dedicated to St Nicholas of Tolentino in the church of San Agostino in Montepulciano. The central panel is still in this church. The panel represents a Florentine cityscape into which a funeral scene with all its different stages has been integrated. St Nicholas hovers above, preparing for the miracle of raising somebody from the dead. More Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia (c. 1403–1482), see above Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) LAST JUDGMENT, PARADISE, HELL, c. 1460-65 TEMPERA ON BOARD The Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena From its first depictions around the year 1000, the Last Judgment has been confined by Heaven, to the right of Christ, Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) LAST JUDGMENT, PARADISE, HELL, c. 1460-65 Detail, Heaven Heaven is populated by a crowd of couples embracing, indicating a life of happiness after salvation. They include various religious orders: Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, but also elegantly dressed aristocrats, a cardinal and a host of other characters. and Hell, to the left. Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) LAST JUDGMENT, PARADISE, HELL, c. 1460-65 Detail, Hell In a rich palette, the serenity of the lives of the Elect is reflected in two registers in which the characters are seen embracing. Conversely, the chaos of hell is demonstrated by a disordered composition based on a more sober and sombre palette, while the motif is taken from an altarpiece by Fra Angelico painted thirty years earlier. The lack of iconographic precedent for the pensive woman at Christ's feet makes it difficult to ascribe satisfactory significance to her. Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) LAST JUDGMENT, PARADISE, HELL, c. 1460-65 Detail, Center, the pensive woman at Christ's feet. Paolo di Giovanni, (circa 1403-around 1482) Saint John the Evangelist, the Assumption of the Virgin and St. Ansaus, circa 1470 Tempera on panel 18.8 cm (7.4 in.), Width: 48.3 cm (19.02 in.) El Paso Museum of Art (United States - El Paso, Texas) Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia (c. 1403–1482), see above Jacopo Tintoretto, (c.1518–1594) The Martyrdom of St Lawrence Oil on canvas 126 x 191 cm Christ Church, University of Oxford Saint Lawrence is thought to have been born in Huesca, a town in the region of Aragon that was once part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The martyrs Orentius and Patientia are traditionally held to have been his parents According to history, the care of the treasures of the church (including the Holy Grail) fell upon the archdeacon Lorenzo. When asked by a prefect of the emperor Valerian to hand them over, he presented to him the poor of the city saying "Behold, these choice pearls, these sparkling gems that adorn the temple, these sacred virgins, I mean, and these widows who refuse second marriage.... Behold then, all our riches”. This bold gesture did not go over well with the emperor and Lorenzo was condemned to death, ordered to be burned over coals on a grid iron. It is said that the saint, making light of this gruesome barbeque called out to his captors, “Turn me over, I am done on this side.” Despite his continuing torture, his comical commentary carried on and right before he died, shouted out, “It’s cooked enough now”. The church, perhaps revealing its humorous side as well, later proclaimed the archdeacon to be the patron saint of all cooks, and is often depicted holding garlic in one hand and a gridiron in the other. More Tintoretto; born Jacopo Comin, (October, 1518 – May 31, 1594) was an Italian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso. His work is characterized by its muscular figures, dramatic gestures, and bold use of perspective in the Mannerist style, while maintaining color and light typical of the Venetian School. In his youth, Tintoretto was also known as Jacopo Robusti as his father had defended the gates of Padua in a way that others called robust, against the imperial troops during the War of the League of Cambrai (1509–1516). His real name "Comin" has only recently been discovered by Miguel Falomir, the curator of the Museo del Prado, Madrid, and was made public on the occasion of the retrospective of Tintoretto at the Prado in 2007. More Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1825 - 1905 Pieta, c. 1876 Oil on canvas 230 x 148 cm, (90½" x 58¼") Dallas Museum of Fine Arts (Dallas, Texas, United States) The Pietà, 1876, provides a very unique depiction of this most famous of imagery. The weeping Mary cloaked in a robe of black is mourning the death of her son whom she holds to her chest. The dead body of Jesus limply hangs in her arms while eight weeping angels surround them. The angels are clad in the colors of the rainbow and create an arc over Mary and Jesus. In the Old Testament, after the great flood had ended, Noah and his family saw an arcing rainbow, which was a sign from God that the flood was over and the world could be born anew. In Bouguereau's Pietà, the rainbow symbolizes that the sacrifice of Jesus was complete and that the human soul can be born anew and ascend to God after death. Mary looks out and up. It is intended to be unclear whether if from her seated position she is focused on the viewer or the heavens with her swollen red eyes, filled with sorrow and accusation. Most likely as a mother mourns the loss of her child, she is accusing both the heavens and the earth for the pain she and her son has suffered. This interpretation of Mary is different from Michelangelo's Pietà or many other versions, where Mary is offering her child to the world. Bouguereau's Mary clutches Christ, not offering him to a sinful world that required her son's sacrifice. At Jesus' feet lies the crown of thorns used to mock him during the Crucifixion; it lies on a white cloth covered in the blood of Christ, showing the torment Jesus went though in order that humanity could attain salvation. The white robe and pitcher of water represent the purity of Jesus' soul. Both Jesus and Mary are surrounded by a halo of light indicating their holiness. This painting was inspired by the death of Bouguereau's eldest son, George, who died directly before Bouguereau started work on this piece in 1875. Bouguereau had the grave misfortune to have lost 4 of his five children during his lifetime. -by Kara Lysandra Ross William-Adolphe Bouguereau (November 30, 1825 – August 19, 1905) was a French academic painter and traditionalist. In his realistic genre paintings he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body. During his life he enjoyed significant popularity in France and the United States, was given numerous official honors, and received top prices for his work. As the quintessential salon painter of his generation, he was reviled by the Impressionist avant-garde. By the early twentieth century, Bouguereau and his art fell out of favor with the public, due in part to changing tastes. In the 1980s, a revival of interest in figure painting led to a rediscovery of Bouguereau and his work. Throughout the course of his life, Bouguereau executed 822 known finished paintings, although the whereabouts of many are still unknown. More William-Adolphe Bouguereau Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, And visit my Boards on Pinterest Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. If I post your images without your permission, please tell me. I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses. If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family. Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

The book of Genesis records the fall of man— the event where humanity rebelled against God and thus exchanged an innocent nature for a sinful nature, immortality for mortality. Archaeology reveals that an Ancient Near...

Far from being the shrewish archwife of Wagner’s operas, the Frigg we discover in the old lore is patient, multi-aspected, and above all, powerful. She is a radiant figure who well deserves her status as First Lady of the Æsir.

Solomon Joseph Solomon, R.A., P.R.B.A. (1860-1927) Eve, c. 1908 oil on canvas 122 x 56 in. (310 x 142 cm.) Private collection Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, she was the first woman. In Islamic tradition, Eve is known as Adam's wife and the first woman although she is not specifically named in the Quran. According to the second chapter of Genesis, Eve was created by God by taking her from the rib of Adam, to be Adam's companion. She succumbs to the serpent's temptation to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She shares the fruit with Adam, and as a result the first humans are expelled from the Garden of Eden. Christian churches differ on how they view both Adam and Eve's disobedience to God, and to the consequences that those actions had on the rest of humanity. Christian and Jewish teachings sometimes hold Adam and Eve to a different level of responsibility for the fall, although Islamic teaching holds both equally responsible. More on Eve Solomon Joseph Solomon RA (16 September 1860 – 27 July 1927) was a British painter, a founding member of the New English Art Club and member of the Royal Academy. He made an important contribution to the development of camouflage in the First World War, working in particular on tree observation posts and arguing tirelessly for camouflage netting. Born in London in 1860, Solomon studied at various art schools, sequentially, Heatherley School of Fine Art, the Royal Academy Schools, the Munich Academy, and École des Beaux-Arts (under Alexandre Cabanel). Solomon also studied separately under Rev. S. Singer. He exhibited his first works as early as 1881, and showed at the Royal Academy, the New Gallery, and the Society of British Artists. In 1886, he became one of the founding members of the New English Art Club. In 1896, he became an associate of the Royal Academy, with full membership following in 1906. He joined, and became president of, the Royal Society of British Artists in 1919. More Solomon Joseph Solomon Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses. If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family. Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Gabriel von Max The Christian Martyr, c. 1867 Oil on paper affixed to canvas 48 × 36 3/4 in, 121.9 × 93.3 cm Private collection A martyr is a person who was killed because of their testimony of Jesus and God. In years of the early church, this often occurred through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake or other forms of torture and capital punishment. At first, the term applied to Apostles. Once Christians started to undergo persecution, the term came to be applied to those who suffered hardships for their faith. Finally, it was restricted to those who had been killed for their faith. The early Christian period before Constantine I was the "Age of martyrs". "Early Christians venerated martyrs as powerful intercessors, and their utterances were treasured as inspired by the Holy Spirit." In western Christian art, martyrs are often shown holding a palm frond as an attribute, representing the victory of spirit over flesh, and it was widely believed that a picture of a palm on a tomb meant that a martyr was buried there. More on A martyrs Gabriel Cornelius Ritter von Max (ennobled in 1900; 23 August 1840 – 24 November 1915) was a Prague-born Austrian painter, the son of the sculptor Josef Max and Anna Schumann. He studied at the Prague Academy of Arts. His studies included parapsychology, Darwinism, Asiatic philosophy, the ideas of Schopenhauer, and various mystical traditions. He continued his studies at the Viennese Academy of Art. From 1863 to 1867 he studied at the Munich Academy. His first critical success was in 1867 with the painting "Martyr at the Cross": that painting transformed the "Unglücksmalerei" (dark palette) of Piloty into a religious-mystical symbolism using a psychological rendering of its subject. He continued to use the dark palette of the Piloty school well into the 1870s, later moving toward a more muted palette, using fewer, clearer colors. From 1869, Gabriel von Max had his studio in Munich. From 1879-1883, Gabriel Max was a professor of Historical Painting at the Munich Academy; he also became a Fellow of The Theosophical Society. In 1900 he was ennobled and became a Ritter. He died in Munich in 1915. More Gabriel von Max Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me. I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses. If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family. Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages. Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

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The Hebrew term Abaddon (Hebrew: אֲבַדּוֹן‎ ’Ăḇaddōn means "The Doom", "destruction", or "devastation"), and its Greek equivalent Apollyon (Greek: Ἀπολλύων, Apollýōn) appear in the Bible as both a place of destruction and an angel of the abyss. In the Hebrew Bible, abaddonis used with reference to a bottomless pit, often appearing alongside the place שְׁאוֹל (Sheol), meaning the realm of the dead. In the New Testament Book of Revelation, an angel called Abaddon is described as the king of an arm

A few weeks back, we pushed out a post about the fact that Heathens serving in the U.S. Army are now allowed to sport a beard as part of their…