Museum Website Yuletide Features

The website of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has two features that describe a pair of Italian Renaissance masterpieces for the holidays.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has two features on its website that are perfect for the holiday season. If you need a break from shopping for presents or are looking to get into the mood before attending a museum yuletide event, check out these two attractions on the NGA's website.

A streaming video about The Adoration of the Magi (ca. 1445) by Florentine masters Fra Angelico (ca. 1400-1455) and Fra Filippo Lippi (ca. 1406-1469) describes the rich iconography (symbolism) of the Italian Renaissance tondo or circular painting with numerous detail images.

One of the United States' holiday stamps for 2007 is The Madonna of the Carnation (ca. 1515) by Bernardino Luini (ca. 1480-1532), a Milanese painter and draftsman influenced by Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). You can listen to the 7:05 podcast on your computer or iPod. David Brown, Curator of Italian Paintings at the NGA, eloquently describes the work to host Barbara Tempchin.