Mary Ann and Dave's Bike Trip out East...and Back!: Extra photos at National Gallery of Denmark

The Crucifixion

The Baptism of Christ-Cornelis Engebrechtsz-1461-1527-Netherlands

Virgin and Child with a Patron-Jan Gossaert-1478-1532-Netherlands

Virgin and Child-Dieric Bouts-1420-1475-Netherlands

The Virgin Mary regards the small, naked infant ,Jesus, with a motherly gaze, gently cradling the child in her hands. Lost to the world as only small children can be, he is engrossed with examining a bead in the necklace -a rosary- he wears around his neck. The painstaking, technically brilliant modelling of the body, the long unbound hair of the virgin, and the texture of the textiles all contribute to the convincing verisimilitude of this depiction. The intimate everyday-like atmosphere and the detailed naturalism are typical traits of the new vein of Dutch painting that emerged with artists such as Jan van Eyck and Dieric Bouts.

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt-1525-Netherlands

Landscape with the Flight into Egypt-Herri met de Blis-1535-Netherlands

Our eye is led through an expansive panoramic landscape. A tree in the middle divides the image into two equally large halves, with goodness occupying one half and sin the other. On a narrow path to the left, we see Joseph following Mary, who is riding a donkey and cradling the infant, Jesus. Their piety and spiritual nimbus cause a git heathen idol to topple to the ground as they pass it. In the middle distance to the right a jolly company comes riding in a cart. Their antics label them as proponents of the seven deadly sins. For example, the company was led by a man playing the bagpipes -which was a symbol of infidelity at the time.

The Adoration of the Kings-Hugo van der Goes-1440 -82-Netherlands

The Crucifixion-Lucas Cranach d.AE.-1506-20-German

John The Baptist Preaching in the Forest-Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael-1618-Dutch

A troop of Civil guard soldiers are resting in a forest. The standard bearer stands in an erect contrapposto pose, the drummer reclines with his drum, the cook, his stock of poultry tied to his belt, sways forward, while the mounted captain and lieutenant are raised above the rest on horseback, dressed in their finery. The main protagonist is, however, John the Baptist, shown standing on a hillock in the distance as he preaches the Word of God to an attentive assembly of common people. The contrast between the brightly coloured figures from the artist's own time and the Biblical protagonist in the middle distance is accentuated by the colours. Wtewael adopted this Mannerist style while in Italy and France.

The Brazen Serpent-Johann Konig-1586-1642-German

The scene depicts the Old Testament story of how God punished the Israelites for their impatience on their journey through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan by setting venomous snakes upon them (Numbers 21:4-9). The Israelites repented, Moses prayed for them, and God took mercy upon them and told Moses to make a serpent of brass. All who had been bitten would be healed if they only looked upon the brass snake. Christianity often sees Moses as foreshadowing Christ, and in John 3:14-15 the story of the serpent is related directly to the crucifixion. Johan Konig accentuates this link by making the pole upon which the serpent is raised cross-shaped. The bright colours, shimmering silks and mannered poses of the figures are typical of the Mannerist aesthetics of the time.

Christ Driving the Traders from the Temple-Hieronymus Bosch-1450-1516-Netherlands

The Way to Calvary-Pieter Brueghel den Yngre-1563-1637-Flemish

Christ Victoring over Sin and Death-Maerten van Heemskerck-1498-1574-Netherlands

The Adoration of the Shepherds-Jan Boeckhorst-1605-1668-Flemish

The Judgement of Solomon-Peter Paul Rubens-1577-1640-Flemish

The Bible relates the story of a child that was inadvertently suffocated during the deepest sleep of the night. Two women, both of them prostitutes, each deny that they are the mother, and claim a living child as their own. The wise and just King Solomon orders that the living child should be cut in half so that each woman could have a part. This has the desired effect: the true mother relinquishes her child to spare the innocent child.

Christ on the Cross-Peter Paul Rubens-1577-1640-Flemish

Suffer Little Children to Come unto Me-Jacob Jordaens-1593-1678-Flemish

Wide stone stairs lead up to a loggia where Christ is seated amongst His disciples. He extends his right hand to a gathering of women and little children. Even though the crowd has been placed in the foreground, where the greatest amount of light falls, and their clothes are painted in bright colours, there can be no doubt that Christ and His message is the focal point of this narrative. Everyone's attention is directed towards Him , and the architecture frames His person . The narrative comes from Mark. People were bringing little children to Him , for Him to touch them. The disciples scolded them, but when Jesus saw this He was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me--for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs,--anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (Mark10:13-16)

The Holy Women at the Sepulchre-Ferdinand Bol-1644-Dutch

With their theatrical gestures, the four women embody a full range of reactions that join up to form a cohesive sequence over time. Their agitation is contrasted by the calmness of the angels. Ferdinand Bol based his monumental painting on the Biblical narrative (Luke 24:1-10) about the women who had travelled with Christ from Galilee arriving at the tomb on Monday following Good Friday. The tomb had been sealed with a large stone, and soldiers guarded it to prevent anyone from removing the body and claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead as prophesied. Ferdinand Bol depicts the shock felt by the women when they discovered an open tomb and, instead of a dead Jesus, found two men in shimmering, luminous garb.

The Descent From the Cross-Rembrandt van Rijn 1606-69-Dutch

The Prophet Elijah with the Widow of Zarephath and her Son-Abraham van Dijck-1635-1680-Dutch

The Dream of Jacob-Girolamo Troppa-1637-Ca. 1710-Italian

The Angel Raphael Takes Leave of Old Tobit and his Son Tobias-Pieter Lastman-1583-1633-Dutch

When Christian IV decorated his devotional chamber (burnt in 1859) at the Frederiksborg Castle Church in Denmark, he bought art from several prominent artists of the period. Lastman was one of them. He was famed for his depictions of biblical scenes. According to Book of Tobit, Tobias had to endure many hardships to procure medicine for his blind father,Tobit. During his travels Tobias is accompanied by a stranger who reveals himself as the angel Raphael. Lastman depicts the moment after this revelation where Raphael is leaving the earthly realm for the celestial spheres. He says:"While you are on this earth, you must praise the Lord God and give Him thanks. Now I must go back to Him who sent me. Write down everything that has happened to you." Lastman's angel communicates this with his gesture:one arm points down towards the earthly realm while the other shows the way to the heavens.