Stories ·
A few stories that open many paintings
Meet Mary, Christ and recurring Christian subjects without needing prior religious knowledge.
National Gallery / Your next move
Bring this chapter to life.
Keep exploring National Gallery with our travel partners.
Mary and the child
The Virgin Mary is Christ’s mother. Paintings of the Virgin and Child may show an intimate exchange, a formal enthroned group or visitors coming to honour the infant. In the Wilton Diptych, the English king Richard II kneels before them. His image joins private devotion with a claim to divine protection for his rule.
Visitors and baptism
An Adoration of the Kings shows wise men bringing gifts to the infant Christ. Gossaert surrounds that meeting with rich clothing, objects and people. A Baptism of Christ shows the adult Christ with John the Baptist, who pours water over his head. Piero della Francesca places the event in a clear, still landscape. John the Baptist is a different person from John the Evangelist, another recurring figure.
Death and recognition
The Passion includes the events leading to Christ’s execution by crucifixion. An Entombment shows his body being prepared for burial or carried towards the tomb. Christian belief holds that he then rose from the dead. In Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus, two followers recognise the risen Christ during a meal. Their physical reactions make the moment readable through hands and faces.
Saints and difficult subjects
Saints are people honoured in Christian traditions, often identified through an object or an episode in their story. Some paintings include torture, execution or a severed head, as in Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist. The subject description can help you decide what to look at with children or companions. You can explore the painting’s colour and composition while also acknowledging what its scene depicts.
Photo gallery 1
Image credits
- xiquinhosilva · Central Hall, National Gallery.jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryansjs · Entrance hall of the National Gallery, looking north.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryansjs · Entrance hall of the National Gallery, looking south.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Diego Delso · Bóveda de la sala 36, Galería Nacional, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-11, DD 165-167 HDR.JPG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Philafrenzy · National Gallery Sainsbury Wing staircase.jpg · CC0 · WebP / AVIF