Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
meant to emphasise the strength of his religious convictions. Also note Rembrandt's small
self-portrait next to it.
FUURTHER INF
THER INFORMA
ORMATION
TION
Be sure to pick up a free map from the ticket counter and also take advantage of
the excellent free audioguide to get the low-down on selected works. The room
numbering system is quite confusing as both Latin (I, II, III) and Arabic numbers
(1, 2, 3) are used. A tour of all 72 rooms covers almost 2km, so budget at least a
couple of hours if you want to see it all. Admission is free to anyone under 18.
Three small rooms in the gallery's northwest corner present a smattering of Eng-
lish and French works, including Thomas Gainsborough's
Portrait of John
Wilkinson.
Works by Gainsborough are rarely seen outside the UK, which is what
makes this portrait of the British industrialist so special. Nicknamed 'Iron Mad
Wilkinson' for pioneering the making and use of cast iron, he is - somewhat iron-
ically - shown in a nature setting and practically blends in with his surroundings.
West Wing: Italian Masterpieces
The first galleries in the west wing stay in the 17th and 18th centuries. Crowds often form
before Canaletto's
Il Campo di Rialto
(1758-63) in Room XII, which depicts the arcaded
main market square of the artist's hometown Venice with stunning precision and perspect-
ive. Note the goldsmith shops on the left, the wig-wearing merchants in the centre and the
stores selling paintings and furniture on the right.
Older by 150 years is Caravaggio's delightful
Amor Victorius
(1602/3) in Room XIV.
Wearing nothing but a mischievous grin, a pair of black angel wings and a fistful of arrows,
this cheeky Amor means business. Note the near-photographic realism achieved by the dra-
matic use of light and shadow.
The next galleries travel back to the Renaissance when Raphael, Titian and Correggio
dominated Italian art. The latter's
Leda with the Swan
(1532) in Room XVI is worth a
closer look. Judging by her blissed-out expression, Leda is having a fine time with that swan
who, according to Greek mythology, is none other than Zeus himself. The erotically charged
nature of this painting apparently so incensed its one-time owner Louis of Orleans that he
cut off Leda's head with a knife. It was later restored.
