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Religious paintings

Religious art from different traditions with explanations of its imagery. Explore the works, their purposes, histories and sources.

Paintings in this selection

114 artworks. Open a painting to read its story and explore its details.

Nebamun Fowling in the Marshes — original tomb-painting fragment — Unidentified Egyptian paintersUnidentified Egyptian painters

Nebamun Fowling in the Marshes — original tomb-painting fragment

c. 1350 BCEThe Trinity — Andrei RublevAndrei Rublev

The Trinity

Probably 1422–1427Water-moon Avalokiteshvara — Unidentified Korean paintersUnidentified Korean painters

Water-moon Avalokiteshvara

first half of the 14th centuryThe Last Supper — Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da Vinci

The Last Supper

1495–1498Dionysiac frieze, Villa of the Mysteries — photographic panorama — Unidentified Roman paintersUnidentified Roman painters

Dionysiac frieze, Villa of the Mysteries — photographic panorama

80–70 BCEJustinian and his retinue — Unknown mosaic artistsUnknown mosaic artists

Justinian and his retinue

About 547Lindisfarne Gospels: carpet page — Attributed to EadfrithAttributed to Eadfrith

Lindisfarne Gospels: carpet page

About 700The Vladimir Mother of God — Unknown Byzantine icon painterUnknown Byzantine icon painter

The Vladimir Mother of God

First third of the 12th centuryMural Fragment Depicting a Maguey Bloodletting Ritual — Unidentified Teotihuacan painterUnidentified Teotihuacan painter

Mural Fragment Depicting a Maguey Bloodletting Ritual

500–600 CEKsitigarbha Bodhisattva with Assembly — Unidentified Korean paintersUnidentified Korean painters

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva with Assembly

late 16th/early 17th centuryMilarepa on Mount Kailash — Unidentified Tibetan paintersUnidentified Tibetan painters

Milarepa on Mount Kailash

c. 1500Double-Sided Painted Banner (Paubha) with God Shiva — Unidentified Nepali paintersUnidentified Nepali painters

Double-Sided Painted Banner (Paubha) with God Shiva

16th-17th centuryTriptych — Unidentified Ethiopian painterUnidentified Ethiopian painter

Triptych

Late 17th centuryFunerary Papyrus of Tayuhenutmut — Unidentified Egyptian paintersUnidentified Egyptian painters

Funerary Papyrus of Tayuhenutmut

Third Intermediate Period, probably Dynasty 21 (about 1069-945 BCE)"Krishna Holds Up Mount Govardhan to Shelter the Villagers of Braj", Folio from a Harivamsa (The Legend of Hari (Krishna)) — Unidentified Mughal painterUnidentified Mughal painter

"Krishna Holds Up Mount Govardhan to Shelter the Villagers of Braj", Folio from a Harivamsa (The Legend of Hari (Krishna))

ca. 1590–95Terracotta krater — Attributed to Hirschfeld WorkshopAttributed to Hirschfeld Workshop

Terracotta krater

ca. 750–735 BCEAnnunciation at San Marco — Fra AngelicoFra Angelico

Annunciation at San Marco

About 1440–1450The Virgin of Guadalupe with the Four Apparitions — Nicolás EnríquezNicolás Enríquez

The Virgin of Guadalupe with the Four Apparitions

1773Group Pilgrimage to the Jizo Nun — Ike TaigaIke Taiga

Group Pilgrimage to the Jizo Nun

1755/65The Medicine Buddha Bhaishajyaguru With His Mandala Retinue — Unidentified Tibetan paintersUnidentified Tibetan painters

The Medicine Buddha Bhaishajyaguru With His Mandala Retinue

14th centuryUshnishavijaya Within a Chaitya, Commemorating the Laksha Chaitya Vrata (Thousand Chaitya Ritual), with Dated Inscription — Unidentified Newari painterUnidentified Newari painter

Ushnishavijaya Within a Chaitya, Commemorating the Laksha Chaitya Vrata (Thousand Chaitya Ritual), with Dated Inscription

1513Death of the Virgin — Master of HeiligenkreuzMaster of Heiligenkreuz

Death of the Virgin

c. 1400The Assumption of the Virgin — El GrecoEl Greco

The Assumption of the Virgin

1577–79Adoration of the Magi — Sandro BotticelliSandro Botticelli

Adoration of the Magi

1470–1475

This selection includes works connected with different beliefs and uses of images. Their original settings, purposes and visual traditions matter to interpretation. Individual artwork pages and thematic tours explain those differences.

Artists

Related art tours

How to explore the paintings

On an artwork page, choose “Explore the painting”. Zoom in, move around the image and hide the text to see the details. Turn on the audio guide to hear the story, or use autoplay to move between passages.

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