The National Gallerys Youthful David by Andrea del Castagno is a rare

surviving shield painted by a master artist of the Renaissance. Instead of

illustrating the shield with a traditional coat of arms, Castagno
decorated it with the biblical story of David and Goliath.

The boy dominating the shield is David. His story is told in the Old Testament
of the Bible. David was a shepherd who spent most of his time tending his
sheep. He grew to be courageous by protecting his flock from lions and
bears. At that time, the Israelites were locked in combat with their old
enemies the Philistines. Hoping to end the conflict, the Philistine giant
Goliath stepped forth and challenged the Israelites to choose a man
to fight him. For forty days the mighty Goliath waited for an Israelite brave
enough to meet his challenge, but no one stepped forward. Then David, who
was actually too young to be in the army, heard about the terrifying Goliath
and took on the fight. Goliaths size proved no match for Davids quick
thinking and skill. The youth gathered stones from a riverbed for his
slingshot and with a single cast hit Goliath so hard in the forehead
that the giant fell to the ground. Drawing Goliaths own sword,
David cut off his head and carried it back as a sign of victory. With
their champion dead, the Philistines fled, and the Israelites were free to
return to their homes in peace. Davids bravery and cleverness made him a
hero. Later, he would become the king of Israel.

When this painting was made over five hundred years ago in Florence, Italy,
it was not meant to hang on the wall. Made of leather stretched over a
wooden frame, it is actually a shield. Although most shields were carried to
protect the body in battle, they were also used during festivals and
pageants. For those occasions, leading artists designed shields, colorful
banners, and special armor. A wealthy Florentine probably commissioned this
shield and displayed it in a ceremonial parade. Carrying a shield with a
picture of a powerful hero or animal suggested that the bearer was
important, strong, and brave

How did Castagno portray David? In action! How can you tell that David is
young and athletic? Look closely at the way Castagno painted Davids body.
Like many Italian artists of his time, Castagno studied anatomy and was
interested in painting realistic details, such as the muscles and veins of
Davids arms and legs. The shield depicts dramatic action. David is shown
running and winding his sling. To understand how Castagno suggested
Davids movement, look for: defined muscles flying hair
windblown garments stretching arms tensed fingers.
Camera Picta

The room is just over 26' square (8 m) and the fresco above is a detail of the
"oculus" which is an especially charming element painted on the ceiling.
Here Mantegna has used foreshortening to great effect, it is as if the
ceiling really has opened up to the sky and a group of people and
plump cherubs are looking down at us. The shapes in the railing are
particularly convincing as he has used perspective in a very sophisticated
way.

Gonzagas, Mantuas most powerful and influential family.

The art work took Andrea Mantegna nine years to complete, and it is the
only Fresco style art work that remains from Mantegna in its
original location. The painting is also known as trompe l'oeil, which
literally translates from French to fools the eye.

Throughout history, many kings and princes have commissioned lavish works
of art to decorate the rooms in their palaces, enhancing the impressiveness
of their palaces and visually displaying their authority and wealth. Ludovico
Gonzaga was one of these princes. During the fifteenth and sixteenth
century, many artists were paid to decorate his palace. One of the most
spectacular examples is the Dukes bed chamber and audience hall, the
Camera Picta (Painted Room), whose ceilings were painted by artist Andrea
Mantegna (ca. 1431-1506).

In the ceiling painting, Mantegna skillfully integrated painted and real

architectural design. The ceiling painting in the Camera Picta room is the
very first painting to ever depict the point of view of a ceiling seen from
below (in Italian, these types of paintings are called di sotto in su, meaning
from below upward). In the painting, an oculus is created in the ceiling and
the ceiling seems to open up to a beautiful, clear, light blue, cloud-filled
sky. Putti (cupids) look down at the viewer, creating an interesting
twist in roles as the viewer becomes the viewed. The putti are very
foreshortened and create an amorous mood in the Room of the
Newlyweds. There are also painted spectators who look down at the
viewer, smiling. The peacock, seemingly random, holds great
significance. It is an attribute of Juno, Jupiters bride, who oversees
lawful marriages. Thus, Mantegna pulled off an impressive artistic feat,
using perspective and symbolism.

St. Jerome in his Study

 left side of the middle ground is shrouded in darkness. But we can see in
those shadows an unlit lamp, a hanging soiled cloth, and beneath it a
crouching cat. The soiled cloth is a symbol of impurity, and this is
fortified by the cat which was viewed in the Middle Ages as a promiscuous
animal associated with witches and the devil. Just as a cat was
known to wait patiently and pounce upon its prey, so likewise did
the devil plot to capture souls. The unlit lamp is a direct reference to the
parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins found in the Gospel of Matthew.
Jerome's disciple must have her spiritual lamp lit, ever ready for the arrival of
Christ, her bridegroom. Furthermore, she must be constant in her dedication
and protect her virginity for in that state she can experience a foretaste of
heaven. Marian symbolism is subtly introduced here, for the potted plants
at Jerome's feet invoke in miniature the walled gardenthortus
cone/usus), a common iconographic reference to the virginity of the
Blessed Mother. Furthermore, on the shelves above Jerome in the middle
section of the painting are two oval pyxes, containers for hosts, and a
carafe of clear water, a reference to Mary's womb where her divine
Son was formed while at the same time her virginity was
miraculously maintained.
On the right of Jerome is a corridor of illuminated arches. There a lion
stands guard. This is a reference to the legend that Jerome healed
and befriended a lion with a thorn stuck in its paw, and thereafter
made him a sentry for his monastery. The lion is a symbol of courage, but
it may also represent the ferociousness of Jerome's own firebrand faith.
A partridge, a peacock, and a silver water bowl cryptically decorate the
bottom foreground of the painting. The partridge was a bird considered
promiscuous, like the cat, and a thief besides, condemned even in the
OldTestament (Jr 17: 11). Known for stealing eggs and raising chicks not
her own, this bird became a symbol of the devil stealing God's
children. The partridge and the peacock have their backs to each other.
While the gorgeous plumage of the peacock could often be
associated with vanity, a glance at his ugly feet kept him humble. It
was thought that the flesh of peacocks was incorruptible, and so the
bird became a symbol of eternal life. In early Christian symbolism two
peacocks were often depicted drinking from the fountain of life: hence the
meaning of the water bowl placed before it. These figurations representing a
choice between damnation and eternal life are placed on the sill of the
framing stone portal, a porta caeli, which is another Marian title
meaning "gate of heaven". As a model and guide, the Virgin leads us to her
Son. And so she inspired Jerome whose shoes have been noticeably left at
the bottom of the stairs of his elevated study. For in the reading and
contemplation of Scripture the saint has indeed tread upon holy ground
and climbed the sacred mountain,gaining wisdom and understanding from
which he can earnestly instruct others .
Fhsjfs

The small picture portrays St. Jerome working in his studio, a room without
walls and ceiling seen from a kind of triumphal arch (probably within some
church of Aragonese style). As in several other works by the Messinese
painter, the main scene is accompanied by a host of details, that have points
of contact with the contemporary Flemish school: books, animals, objects, all
painted with a magnificent taste for detail and "optical truth".
The scene is devised such that the light rays coincide with the perspective
axes, centering on the saint's bust and hands. A Mediterranean landscape is
hinted at through the windows opening on both sides of the study. Animals
include a partridge (alectoris graeca) and a peacock, in the foreground, both
having symbolical meanings, a cat and a lion, typically associated with St
Jerome, in the shade on the right.

Symbolism[edit]
Antonello uses many symbols throughout the painting. The book St. Jerome
is reading represents knowledge. The books surrounding him refer to his
translation of the Bible into Latin, the Vulgate. The lion in the
shadows to the right of the saint is from a story about St. Jerome
pulling a thorn out of a lion's paws. In gratitude, the lion follows St.
Jerome around for the rest of his life, like a house cat. The peacock and
partridge play no specific part in the story of St. Jerome. However, the
peacock generally symbolizes immortality, and the partridge is an
ambivalent reference to truth/deceit.
Martyrdom of st Sebastian

The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian is composed symmetrically to tell the

story taken from the 'Golden Legend' of Saint Sebastian who was sentenced
to death on being discovered a Christian. He was bound to a stake and
shot with arrows. Here, the six archers have three basic poses, turned
through space and seen from different angles. This helps produce the three-
dimensional solidity of each figure and together they define the foreground
space.

An old man and a boy

The picture portrays an older man in a red robe, embracing a young child
who is also wearing red. They sit in an interior, illuminated against a
darkened wall. Behind them at right is a window through which can be seen
a generalized landscape, its uneven terrain and winding roads typical
of Ghirlandaio's backgrounds.[2] Although the man's fur-lined robe
and cappuccio and the boy's elegant doublet and cap indicate a noble
heritage,[3] and despite the traditional assumption that the subjects are
grandfather and grandson, their identities are unknown.[2]It is possible that
the painting was commemorative in purpose, and that the child was a
narrative invention intended to emphasize the man's beneficence.[4] The
poignancy of the image is dramatized by the contrast between the man's
weathered and wise face, and the child's delicate profile. While the
composition is thematically related to portraiture from the Netherlands, by
the mid-15th century the motif of a portrait in an interior with a landscape
seen in the distance was common in Italy.[1][4]

An extraordinary feature of the painting is the deformity of the man's

nose, evidence of rhinophyma. Ghirlandaio has presented the portrait in
a naturalistic and sympathetic fashion, at variance with physiognomic theory
of the era, which maintained a connection between external appearances
and internal truths.[1][2] Rather than implying a defect of character, An Old
Man and his Grandson invites appreciation of the man's virtuousness.[1] The
painting depicts a moment of intimacy between an old man and a
child, underscored by the placement of the child's hand on the
man's chest, and the man's gentle expression. This show of affection
endows the picture with emotional qualities beyond those expected from a
traditional dynastic portrait.