 |
| Cristofano Gherardi Pluto 1555-57 fresco Palazzo Vecchio, Florence |
 |
| Cristofano Gherardi Mercury 1555-57 fresco Palazzo Vecchio, Florence |
"Let me warn you from the outset of a possible misunderstanding: in no way is this meant to be an introduction to the history of art. So far is this from the case, in fact, that I would sincerely urge any novices among you to make themselves scarce. Only advanced students who already possess some knowledge of all artistic periods, and who at least have the most significant monuments of each period firmly in mind, will be able to gain something from attending these lectures. I will continually be citing particular examples and referring regularly to other monuments. It is impossible to present all my examples in reproductions, though I shall certainly try my best to do so. I am, however, limited in the materials I can use here, and, furthermore, I lack the physical potential to show you every single thing. Detailed familiarity is therefore required and assumed."
– from the introduction to Historical Grammar of the Visual Arts, a course of lectures delivered by Aloïs Riegl in 1899 at the University of Vienna, translated by Jaqueline E. Jung and published in English by Zone Books in 2004
 |
| Hendrik Goltzius Pluto ca. 1590-91 drawing after Polidoro da Lanciano Teylers Museum, Haarlem |
 |
| Hendrk Goltzius Mercury ca. 1590-91 drawing after Polidoro da Lanciano Teylers Museum, Haarlem |
 |
| Jan Gossaert Neptune and Amphitrite 1516 oil on panel Gemäldegalerie, Berlin |
 |
| Guido Reni Blessed Soul ca. 1640-42 oil on canvas Pinacoteca Capitolina, Rome |
 |
| Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres The Spring ca. 1820 oil on canvas Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
 |
| Claude Mellan The Three Graces 1659 engraving (for title page) British Museum |
 |
| Alessandro Algardi Two Kneeling Angels supporting a Reliquary before 1680 drawing British Museum |
 |
| Enea Vico after Michelangelo Prophet Isaiah from the Sistine Ceiling before 1567 engraving Teylers Museum, Haarlem |
 |
| Giulio Bonasone after Michelangelo Prophet and Sibyl from the Sistine Ceiling before 1574 engraving Teylers Museum, Haarlem |
 |
| Georges Seurat Sidewalk Show (Une Parade) ca. 1883-84 drawing Phillips Collection, Washington DC |
 |
| Agnolo Gaddi Four Saints in niches ca. 1380-90 tempera on panel Indianapolis Museum of Art |
 |
| Jan van Eyck Triptych with Madonna and Child, St Michael the Archangel and St Catherine of Alexandria 1437 oil on panel Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden |