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National Gallery

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The National Gallery has around 2,300 pictures, from the early Renaissance to the Impressionists (1250–1900), forming one of the greatest collections in the world. Containing work by the most important painters of the main European schools, the collection was acquired from John Julius Angerstein in 1824, and moved to the present building (also home to the National Portrait Gallery) in 1838. The Sainsbury Wing now houses the excellent Renaissance collection. From 2003–2005 rooms may close owing to building work.
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Top 10 Paintings

1. Virgin and Child with St Anne and John the Baptist

1. Virgin and Child with St Anne and John the Baptist

This full-size drawing for a painting, known as a cartoon (fromcartone, a large sheet of paper), is one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance, by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519).
2. The Arnolfini Portrait

2. The Arnolfini Portrait

One of the most famous paintings from the extensive Flemish collection is this unusual and masterly portrait of an Italian banker and his wife in Bruges. Jan van Eyck (1389–1441) brought oil painting to a new and colourful height.
3. The Ambassadors

Full of symbols and hidden meaning, this painting by Hans Holbein (1533) has a foreshortened skull in the foreground.
4. The Wilton Diptych

4. The Wilton Diptych

A highlight of Gothic art, this exquisite English royal painting, by an unknown artist, shows Richard II being recommended to the Virgin by saints John the Baptist, Edward and Edmund.
5. Rokeby Venus

5. Rokeby Venus

Painted in Rome to replace a lost Venetian painting, theRokeby Venus is the only nude by Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), court painter to Spain’s Philip IV.
6. Mystic Nativity

Feminine grace has never been depicted better than by the painter Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510). Painted in a centennial year,Mystic Nativity reflects his own anxieties, with an inscription fromRevelation .
7. Supper at Emmaus

A master of light and shade, Caravaggio (1573–1610) painted without preliminary drawings and used contemporary costumes and settings to produce a vivid realism.
8. Young Woman Standing at a Virginal

8. Young Woman Standing at a Virginal

Peace and calm rule the works of the Dutch painter Jan Vermeer (1632–75). Many of his interiors were painted in his home in Delft, but it has never been possible to identify his models.
9. A Woman Bathing in a Stream

This portrait by Rembrandt (1606–69) was painted when his technical powers were at their height, and shows his striking brushwork and mastery of earthy colours.
10. Bathers at La Grenouillière

10. Bathers at La Grenouillière

Claude Monet (1840–1926), the original Impressionist, explored the effect of light on water at La Grenouillière, a popular bathing spot on the Seine, where he worked alongside Auguste Renoir.

Practical Information

There is a spacious café and a good restaurant. The Sainsbury Wing has an excellent art bookshop. Guided tours and audio guides are available. Explore the collection on screen with Art Start, which is situated in the Sainsbury Wing. Trafalgar Square WC2 020 7747 2885 www.nationalgallery.org.uk Open 10am–6pm daily (10am–9pm Wed). Sainsbury Wing exhibitions open until 9pm on Wed Free Free guided tours at 11:30am and 2:30pm daily (also 6:30pm Wed)