Northern Renaissance

c. 1450–1550

The Northern Renaissance developed alongside the Italian Renaissance. Artists focused on realism, symbolism, and surface detail. Oil painting allowed for precision and texture. Religious themes remained central.

Hunters in the Snow (January)

Pieter Bruegel The Elder

1565

A winter landscape filled with hunters and villagers, combining natural beauty with daily life.

The Ambassadors

Hans Holbein The Younger

1533

A double portrait rich in symbolism, famous for its anamorphic skull.

Flight into Egypt (The Meat Market)

Pieter Aertsen

1551

A market scene combining everyday detail with religious subject matter hidden in the background.

Madonna and Child

Lucas Cranach The Elder

c. 1520–1525

A Protestant-influenced depiction of the Virgin and Child, with delicate detail and human warmth.

Landscape with St Jerome

Joachim Patinir

c. 1515–1519

A panoramic landscape with the saint in the foreground, blending devotional theme and vast scenery.

The Annunciation, from the Isenheim Altarpiece

Matthias Grunewald

1512–1516

A vivid and expressive panel showing the angel Gabriel greeting Mary, full of emotion.

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch

c. 1490–1505

A triptych showing paradise, earthly pleasures, and hell, filled with fantastical imagery.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Albrecht Durer

1498

A dramatic woodcut of the biblical horsemen, symbolizing conquest, war, famine, and death.