Christ in Gethsemane (1416), Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, folio 142v.,Paul de Limbourg (c. 1386/1387–1416). A medieval prayer book lies open, and gilding

Presentation in the Temple (c. 1030–1040), Anonymous (Regensburg).   Poreč, a Croatian town across the Adriatic Sea from Venice, boasts one of the best-preserved cathedrals

The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew, Federico Barocci (1535–1612).   El Escorial, an austere building complex constructed by Philip II of Spain north of Madrid

Adoration of the Shepherds (1485), Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494).   Domenico Ghirlandaio’s exquisite Adoration of the Shepherds evokes Botticelli’s elegant style in its portrayal of the

The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple (c. 1398–1399), Paolo di Giovanni Fei (c. 1335/1345–1411). Many great works of literature begin in medias res:

Saint Luke (c. 1625), Valentin de Boulogne (1591–1632). “The most Italian of the French imitators of Caravaggio” At the heart of the royal apartment and

Study for the Colonna Pietà (c. 1538), Michelangelo (1475–1564). This study of the Pietà, drawn by Michelangelo in 1538, is small in size but monumental

Transfiguration, Theophanes the Greek (c. 1370–c. 1405), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Light from Light Lord, my God… you are clothed with majesty and splendor, robed in

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1601–1602), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610). Caravaggio’s Incredulity of Saint Thomas was meant to make us uncomfortable. We are interrupting

The Last Supper (c.1620), Luis Tristán (c. 1586–1624). Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain. The table is a riot of opulence. Pieces of sweet melon edge their