When I was maybe five years old my family used to go to the National Gallery of Art on Sundays. ~Occasional Sundays.~ I probably don’t really remember how often… When I look back I realize that the museum was very new at the time. The building was opened in 1941. I wonder how much traffic it got during the war when people had no gas and other things on their minds! But I know my mother loved visiting art galleries.

Anyway, last Sunday I wanted to think about beautiful things. I remembered a picture I saw at the Gallery during a special exhibition, and went looking for it. Online!

The Duomo in Milan from a Side Street by William Wyld is as beautiful as ever. And not on display, so if I had gone in person I wouldn’t have seen it.

To find Wyld’s picture I entered the painting’s title in NGA’s search function. It gave me the picture I wanted — plus four more screens of possibilities. ??? I had great fun checking them out, though it took a while to work out why they were being offered as answers to my search.

Saint Lucy and a Donor by Gabriele Caliari Veronese, Venice, 1585-1595

The Flight into Egypt 1484 Sculptors in Marble, partly gilded. Benedetto Briosco and Tommaso Cazzaniga, Italy. This lovely object is also not on public view at this time.

Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels. Triptych likely by Agnolo Gaddi, ~ 1387. Likely for an altar. The details in this beautiful piece of art are well worth checking out. https://www.nga.gov/artworks/206122-madonna-and-child-saints-andrew-benedict-bernard-and-catherine-alexandria-angels-entire-triptych

I discovered that many of the artworks I was shown had the word ‘duomo’ in their history or description. Since it means important church or cathedral I got a bunch of pictures of saints, plus an altar piece. This last picture is a more mysterious choice, but very lovely. Look at the lady’s right hand. Absolutely charming.

A Genoese Noblewoman and her Son by Flemish artist, Anthony Van Dyck. 1626. https://www.nga.gov/artworks/1230-genoese-noblewoman-and-her-son (I’ve given the link because art historians had quite a time deciding who and what this picture was. Interesting discussion.)

All pictures including the header A Lady Writing by Vermeer are from the Natioal Gallery of Art in DC, in the public domain.