Great Galleries of the World: Louvre, Paris Online Quiz | Humanities

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1. We begin our tour with "The Crucifixion", a work from the 1580s. This is one of the last paintings by a Late-Mannerist/Italian Renaissance artist who is best-known for large historical paintings of both religious and mythological subjects. Who is the artist?

Answer: Paolo Veronese

Born Paolo Caliari in Verona in 1528, Paolo Veronese (simply Paolo of Verona) was one of the most important artists of the 16th-century late Renaissance period. Many of his early works are painted in the Mannerist style popular in the Italian High Renaissance period of the mid-16th century. By the time of his death in Venice in 1588, his work was more influenced by the Baroque style popularized by Venetian artists such as Titian.

Other famous works by Paolo Veronese include "The Wedding Feast at Cana" which can also be seen at The Louvre, "The Feast in the House of Levi" (or "Christ in the House of Levi") which hangs in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, and "Venus and Adonis", which can be seen at the Prado in Madrid.

2. Our next masterpiece, "Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione", is a work from 1514-15. This is one of the last works by a painter who died young. An artist whose work we have seen elsewhere on our travels, he is another Italian painter. Who is this artist, one of the great masters of the High Renaissance period?

Answer: Raphael

Known today simply as Raphael, he was born Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino in 1483 in the walled city of Urbino in eastern-central Italy. The largest and most famous of his paintings can still be seen today where he painted them as frescoes, the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican Palace. Fortunately for those of us elsewhere in the world, he was amazingly prolific for one who died at the age of just 37, and so most of the great galleries of the world contain at least one example of his work. The Louvre is blessed with eighteen of his paintings.

The "Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione" is considered one of the great portraits of the High Renaissance period. Courtier, diplomat, soldier and author Baldassare Castiglione (1478-1529) was a personal friend of Raphael. This 32"x26" portrait was originally painted on a wood panel and was later transferred to canvas. More than a century later, the great Dutch artist Rembrandt painted numerous self portraits in a style that pays homage to this work by Raphael.

3. Our next artist is another Italian, this time from the Florentine Renaissance. Michelangelo was one of the many apprentices who studied at his workshop. The pictured work, "Visitation", was painted in 1491, just three years before his death. Who is the artist?

Answer: Domenico Ghirlandaio

One of the most important painters of the Florentine Renaissance's so-called third generation, Domenico Ghirlandaio was born Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi in Florence in 1449. Two of his brothers, Davide and Benedetto, his brother-in-law Sebastiano Mainardi, and his son Ridolfo Ghirlandaio were also notable artists.

Many of Ghirlandaio's best-known works are frescoes, and remain in situ today. Examples are "The Confirmation of the Franciscan Rule" at the Sassetti Chapel in Florence and "The Calling of the Apostles", one of the "Life of Christ" series at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. His version of "The Last Supper" can be seen at the former church and convent of Saint Marco in Florence, now a museum.

4. Painted around 1440, "The Annunciation" is the central panel from a triptych by one of the most important Early Netherlandish painters. Altarpieces make up most of the surviving work who, during his lifetime, was famous throughout Europe. Who is this artist?

Answer: Rogier van der Weyden

He was born Roger de la Pasture in 1399 or 1400 in the Belgian city of Tournai (Doornik in Dutch), some 50 miles southwest of Brussels. Internationally acclaimed during his lifetime, he was commissioned by both Netherlandish and foreign royals and nobles. Although his fame waned in the 17th century, he is today remembered as one of the three (with Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck) great Early Flemish painters.

Van der Weyden's most famous surviving works include the "Braque Triptych", which is also displayed at The Louvre, and "The Beaune Altarpiece" at the 'Hospices de Beaune', a former almshouse that is now a museum in the city of Beaune in eastern France. Individual paintings include the portrait of "Saint Ivo" on display at the National Gallery in London and the massive (86"x103") "The Descent from the Cross", which can be seen in the Prado in Madrid.

5. Completed between 1669-70, the tiny (9.6"x8.3") "The Lacemaker" is the smallest work painted by a Dutch artist who is renowned for his scenes of middle-class life in the 17th century. Although only moderately successful during his lifetime, he is now widely considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Who is this artist?

Answer: Jan Vermeer

Johan Vermeer was born in 1632 in the Dutch city of Delft, located between Rotterdam and The Hague. Only 34 paintings that can certainly be attributed to Vermeer survive today, mostly interior scenes set in one of two small rooms in his Delft home. "The Lacemaker" is one of two of those 34 that are in the collection at The Louvre. Although it is Vermeer's smallest painting, it is also considered both his most unusual and abstract.

Vermeer's most famous work is "Girl with a Pearl Earring". This can be seen at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, which also houses "View of Delft", one of three landscapes of his home town painted by Vermeer.

6. "The Fortune Teller" is a 1594 oil on canvas. This is an early work by an Italian artist who not only had a profound influence on the Baroque style, but is also responsible for some of Rome's best-known altarpieces. That he left such a large body of work is remarkable for one who led such a turbulent and short life: he died in mysterious circumstances aged just 38. Who is this artist?

Answer: Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in Milan in 1571. In his 20s, he went to Rome where he was commissioned to paint two of his most famous works, "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew" and "Calling of Saint Matthew", at the Contarelli Chapel. In his short life, though, he was jailed numerous times and even had a death sentence passed on him by the Pope. The details of his death at the age of 38, whilst undertaking a journey from Naples to Rome, is still shrouded in mystery: perhaps he was murdered, maybe he died from lead poisoning, or perhaps he simply contracted a fever.

Caravaggio's paintings, some of them disturbing and many of them spectacular, can be seen at most of the world's leading galleries. Amongst the 'must-see' Caravaggio works are "St. Jerome", which hangs in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, "Death of the Virgin" which is also at The Louvre, and "Salome with the Head of John the Baptist", which is part of the collection housed at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

7. "Portrait of the Infanta Maria Margareta" is a 1655 work by a leading Baroque artist and one of the greatest of all portrait painters. He is known particularly for his portraits of the Spanish royal family as well as other European nobles. Who is this artist?

Answer: Diego Velazquez

Diego Rodr�guez de Silva y Velazquez was born in 1599 in Seville, Spain and we have seen numerous example of his works on our tours through the great galleries of the world. The principal artist at the court of King Philip IV of Spain, perhaps his most famous work is 'Las Meninas' ("The Maids of Honour"), which hangs in the Prado in Madrid.

One of the greatest artists of the Spanish Golden Age, Velazquez did not only paint portraits. Amongst the best-known of his other works are the massive (121"x144") "The Surrender of Breda" (aka "The Lances") which is also part of the collection at the Prado, and "Christ in the House of Martha and Mary", which is displayed at the National Gallery in London.

8. Painted in 1839, the miniature (10"x15") "Hunting Dogs" is a beautiful example of work by a French artist who could command a whole room at The Louvre, as there are 26 of his paintings in the collection. Having travelled widely in the East, many of his paintings reflect scenes from those cultures and he is known as the "Founding Founder of Orientalism". Who is this artist?

Answer: Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps

Born in Paris in 1803, Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps spent much of his early life in the Orient. After his return to Paris, at the 1831 Salon he introduced the French art world to orientalism with his wide selection of paintings depicting everyday life in that part of the world. One critic even dubbed him "The Christopher Columbus of the Orient".

Perhaps Decamps' best-known painting is one of those that cannot be seen at The Louvre, "The Turkish Patrol", which forms part of the Wallace Collection housed in London.

9. Our next exhibit is "King Charles I at the Hunt", a 1635 painting by another artist with more than 20 works in The Louvre collection. This Flemish Baroque artist enjoyed success in both Flanders and Italy before traveling to England, where he became the principal court painter to the English monarch. Who is this artist?

Answer: Anthony van Dyck

Born in Antwerp in 1599, Antoon van Dyck produced an extensive body of work that includes numerous paintings of biblical and mythological subjects. Surprisingly, perhaps more than half of his total output can be classified as 'biblical' in subject. Even so, he is still best-remembered today for the portraits produced during his time at the court of King Charles I of England. Indeed, Sir Anthony van Dyck's influence on portrait painting in England can still be seen towards the end of the 18th century, more than 100 years after his death.

Other than his royal portraits, Van Dyck's most famous paintings include "Christ Carrying the Cross", which is displayed at the Musei di Strada Nuova in Genoa, and "The Crown of Thorns" which hangs in the Prado. His curious interpretation of "Cupid and Psyche", the sole surviving mythological composition dating from his time at the British court, remains as part of the Royal Collection and can be seen in Kensington Palace in London.

10. We finish this tour with "The Shepherds of Arcadia", a 1640 work by an artist who has 40 paintings in the Louvre collection. Although he spent much of his life in Rome, he is still considered one of the leading classical French Baroque artists. Known for his historical paintings, many with a biblical or mythological theme, he was one of the first artists to include significant aspects of landscape in his work. Who is this artist?

Answer: Nicolas Poussin

Nicolas Poussin was born in 1594 near to the commune of Les Andelys in Normandy in northern France. In 1641, he was summoned back from Rome and appointed as "First Painter to the King", a position he retained for the first two decades of the reign of Louis XIV (reigned 1643-1715).

A prolific artist, Poussin's most famous works include "The Four Seasons" series (part of The Louvre collection), "The Continence of Scipio", which is displayed at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, and "The Crossing of the Red Sea", which hangs in the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

Source: Author EnglishJedi

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Great Galleries of the World: Louvre, Paris Quiz

We continue our tour at the world's most famous gallery, The Louvre Museum in Paris. Can you identify ten of the many famous works housed there? (A reminder that you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.)

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