Form: To create this work, like many other oil paintings, the artist would work in layers to achieve the final outcome. He would sketch and use an underpainting before starting to apply the actual colors of the paint he wanted to use. Then we know at some point either the artist or someone who came after him completed and over-painting. We also know that there was a large knot in the walnut panel chosen for this piece which has led critics to think that this work was not made by Leonardo. Critics believe this as they think that Leonardo would never have made such a rookie mistake of choosing a bad piece of wood. 

Content: A man is facing the viewer head-on with his right hand up in the air. His pointer, middle, and thumb all face the sky while his ring finger and pinky face the ground. In his left hand, he holds a crystal ball. 

Iconography: Depicts Salvator Mundi, which depicts Christ as the savior of the world. The sign he makes with his right hand is the sign of blessing. The orb he holds is up to interpretation by many art historians and is believed to represent many different things such as the heavens, his divine power, etc 

Context: Was found in a freeport by Alexander Parish and Robert Simon. The work was authenticated in 2008 and exhibited at the National Gallery in London in 2011. Has a long provenance but there was a big chunk in the provenance which made critics think the piece was not authentic and made by Leonardo. (The panels provenance dates back to 1649 when it was recorded in the collection of King Charles I of England. Then sold to the Duke of Buckingham in 1763. Then it disappeared until 1900 when it was in the property of Sir Frederick Cook. Then in the 1950s it was sold to an American collector and was considered a copy of Salvator Mundi completed by one of Leonardo's students. Once bought it was brought to Diana Modestini who completed the conservation and restoration of the work). The piece was bought for 125.7 million by Bouvier then he sold it for 450 million dollars possibly to a Saudi prince. Ultimately Bouvier ended up being sued and got blacklisted from many different auction houses. 

Over-painting: the final layers of paint over an underpainting, in a system of working in layers. This relates to the painting because Dianne Modestini's restoration work revealed that there was another thumb underneath the over-painting

Form: Made from oil on a poplar panel. The pose in which the Mona Lisa is portrayed was somewhat new for the time as paintings usually were just the bust and did not include the subject's arms. Similar to The Last Supper in the sense that the main figure forms a triangular composition. Is a great example of sfumato (smokey haziness that softens outlines) which makes her appear very life-like and like an actual person you could talk to. As mentioned below there are lots of different interpretations of what emotion here face depicts. 

Content: A woman is sitting in the middle of the picture frame and seems to be sitting in front of a window. She faces us in a 3/4 view with her hands crossed over each other. She wears elegant clothing with somewhat of a smile on her face as she rests in her chair. 

Iconography: The woman portrayed is believed to be Lisa del Giocondo, a member of the Gherardini family. It is believed that she wears a veil and that she either sits in front of a painting or a window. Additionally, there are many different variations as to what her facial gesture may mean. Some believe it can show content, mischievousness, etc. 

Context: Believed to have been commissioned by the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo and believed to be a painting of his wife Lisa. The work has a very long provenance which gave the work its fame. The work was wanted by Hitler during WW2 and because of this a group of people, called Monument Men, saved the work by transporting it to several different locations so that he could not get a hold of it. After that, the work ended up being stolen by two men from the Louvre. Additionally, the fact that the woman's expression is unreadable adds to its popularity. 

Provenance: the place of origin of a work of art and related information. Also the biography of the object or history of ownership. This relates to the work as the piece is mainly famous due to its provenance. 

Form: The body of Moses shows a lot of energy, tension, and drama through lots of movement as each part of Moses's body moves in opposition to the next part. A key component is that Moses is depicted as having horns. Was made through marble sculpting which is a subtractive method. Michelangelo, the artist of the piece, is said to believe that every sculpture he has made already exists within the piece of marble he chose to use for the sculpture. To create the work the artist would have chosen the block, typically carved out major pieces on site of the marble mine, and have his rough piece of marble shipped over the sea/river to his studio where he would work. To create the shape he would use a variety of chisels and then finish off the piece by polishing it. 

Content: There is a man who seems to be in movement almost as if he is just sitting down or just starting to move to get up. His left arm covers his groin while his right arm awkwardly holds a panel that seems to be slipping from his hold. He looks out to his left while simultaneously grabbing his beard.

Iconography: The man portrayed is said to be Moses from the bible ( who was an Old Testament exemplar of papal leadership since he was a priest, a lawyer, and a ruler of the Israelites). Additionally, he is depicted as having horns due to a language mistranslation for rays of light.  

Context: Michelangelo was offered by Pope Julius II to make a freestanding three-story mausoleum to be located inside St. Peter's Basilica for his tomb. The specific sculpture of Moses was intended for an upper corner part of the tomb but because Michelangelo did not want to sculpt the Pope, Moses has now become the main figure of the Pope's tomb. The original plan of the tomb envisioned a tiered, freestanding structure with a door to an interior burial chamber, niches and sculpture at the lowest level, and a figure of Julius II, either seated on a throne, recumbent on a funeral bier, or possibly in a sarcophagus, at the top. Additionally, it was supposed to have over 40 life-size sculptures, and on the lower level of the tomb, Michelangelo planned niches containing allegorical representations of Victories standing over conquered territories--a reference to Julius’ military efforts. Michelangleo spent a lot of his life working on the tomb of only finished Moses and a couple of other statues for the tomb. Partially the reason why he did not get to finish more is because the pope had money issues he left to work on the Sistine Chapel before coming back to work more on the tomb.

Pope Julius II: was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503-1513. Was one of the most powerful and influential popes, a central figure of the High Renaissance, and left a significant cultural and political legacy. Single most important patron of High Renaissance art in Rome. This relates to the work as the sculpture was made for Pope Julius II's tomb. 

Form: Being made out of marble the process for sculpting the work was similar to the process used when Michelangelo created the sculpture of Moses. The overall sculpture is a pyramidal form that is created through the head of Mary, the head of Christ, and the knees of Christ.  Looks very realistic as Christ's flesh moves underneath his mother's fingers. Unlike most depictions of pietà, Christ is shown with minimal if any wounds, and his mother is depicted as a very youthful woman. 

Content: A woman in a large robe seems to be sitting while holding a man in her lap who is only covered with a small piece of cloth over his waist. She looks down at him while holding her left hand out to the side of her.

Iconography: In Christianity, the woman portrayed in the piece is said to be the Virgin Mary and the man she holds on her lap is Jesus Christ, the son of the god and the savior of mankind. The scene takes place right after Christ was taken off the cross. Christ's neck is bare to show us the vulnerability of the moment. 

Context: was commissioned by French cardinal Bilheres de Lagraulas and was Michelangelos his first large-scale public project. It was made for the tomb of the cardinal. The work ended up being done so well that he ended up being asked to create the sculpture of David which ended up being one of his most famous works. Originally it is said that the work had no writing but once Michelangelo heard others discussing who the artist could have possibly been he went back in and sculpted his name into the sash of the virgin claiming that he made it, or rather was making it (a reference to the past speech of Greek and Roman artist).

Pietà: A depiction of the Virgin Mary with the crucified body of Jesus across her lap. Developing in Germany in the 14th century, the Pietà became a familiar part of Renaissance religious imagery. This relates to the work as it is an example of a Pietà.

Form: A classic example of linear perspective is shown with the vanishing point being Christ's head. Objects such as the doorways to the right and left of the dinner table follow the implied orthogonal lines. There are four groups created within the work that are reacting to Christ's news. Judas, the betrayer of Christ, is shown being greedy by grabbing food while given the news. Peter, the man to the left of Judas, aka Christ's protector, holds a knife. The painting was created with a mix of fresco, oil paint, and tempera paint which led to the quick deterioration of the work. By painting on a plaster surface with a tempera/oil mixture, Leonardo effectively “sealed” the breathable plaster surface with an unbreathable layer of paint.  Humidity quickly built up in the plaster, causing the painted surface to sprout various types of mold and flake off. Additionally, it is said that Leonardo tried to speed up the drying process with heat which only made conditions worsen. 

Content: Thirteen men sit at a table in the middle of a seemingly large room. There is food on the table they sit at as they seem to have just stopped eating for some reason. The man in the middle appears to be serene while others around him are facing several other very complex emotions.

Iconography: In Christianity, the scene depicts the Last Supper in which Jesus gives his 12 disciples bread for his body and wine as blood (aka the holy communion), also where Jesus lets them know that one of them will betray him (which would be Judas)

Context: was commissioned by Ludovico to make a depiction of the Last Supper with heraldic emblems of Ludovico and his wife. Was a subject matter for a monastic refectory. Despite Leonardo knowing about the flaking he never came back to try and fix the problem. So other artists came and tried to save the work by applying glue and more paint over the piece. Similar to the Mona Lisa the work has a long provenance and ties to Hitler with him trying to destroy the work so the Monument came in and saved the piece. Since its creation, the piece has been restored to remove the overpainting put on the work. Overall there have been 38,000 hours spent on its restoration, 42.5% is Leonardo's work, 17.5% is completely lost, and 40% is the work of restorers

Monument Men: the Allied art preservation team made of 345 men and women who applied their civilian talents as museum directors, curators, art historians, etc to save, Western civilization’s treasures. They evacuated 400,000 works from the Louvre. They also took part in the conservation of the 1,000+ pieces Hitler had stolen and returned more than 5 million works to their proper owners. This relates to the work as the monument men were able to save the work by covering the painting with a scaffold of steel bars, mattresses, and sandbags during WW1

Form: Shows us the forms of classical architecture (from Greece and Rome) such as coffers, columns, pilasters, barrel vaults, and ionic and Corinthian capitals and fluting. We know the piece was separated right above the memento mori part of the painting that was originally located below the main scene. Through the use of linear perspective, the painting has immense depth and allows the viewer to peer into the illustrated architecture that might have been inspired by the interior of Brunelleschi's church of San Lorenzo

Content: The main man who draws our figure is hanging on a wooden fixture that is shaped like a cross. Above him is another man who seems to be holding up the fixture. Below the main figure to the right and left of him are four figures. Three of them hold their hands together while the other seems to gesture out to the main figure. Everyone is in a very large room that seems to go far back very deep into space 

Iconography: The main figure is Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, and he is crucified on the cross on which he died. Behind him supporting the cross is a representative figure of God. The woman in purple to the left of Christ is the Virgin Mary who directs our attention to Jesus. The man to the right of Jesus is said to be St. John. And lastly, the two other figures furthest from Christ are the donors of the painting. Below them is a memento mori that translates to "What you are I once was; what I am you will be". The colors used symbolize different things such as red for passion and the blood of Christ, blue for fidelity and devotion, etc. 

Context: scholars have speculated that Brunelleschi might have assisted Masaccio in adapting his perspectival system to monumental painting due to their close relationship. Giorgio Vasari was commissioned to remodel the place and was asked to cover the fresco (due to later generations not liking the early Renaissance styles); instead, he tried to preserve the piece while concealing it with as little damage as possible. The painted chapel was a substitute for a real private chapel that the family wanted but couldn't afford. The imagery is more devotional rather than narrative and it encourages the viewer to focus on the mystical aspects of the Trinity and the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. It also shows what the Renaissance is all about; portraying divine figures as having human qualities

Linear perspective: a mathematically based system of perspective in which diminishing scale creates the impression of distance on a flat surface. A system for depicting three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface. This applies to the work as it is the first painting we know of to employ Brunelleschis one one-point perspective (aka linear); uses a vanishing point, orthogonal, and a horizon line

Form: David stands in contrapposto with his weight being placed on his right leg (shows Donatello's knowledge and skill of antiquity practices). The figure debatably has a sexual undertone due to the feather that climbs up David's leg. The sculpture itself is made out of bronze through the lost wax method. In this method the artist would create a plaster mold of the existing model, then wax would be poured inside the mold and spread evenly before the excess wax was poured out. Then the artist would carve any fine detail, while also adding wax channels and bronze nails to the sculpture. The final plaster mold is made with the wax inside of the plaster and was put into the kiln to cook and clean out the wax only leaving the bronze nails in the mold. After that, the artist would pour bronze into the now hollow mold and once it had rested long enough chipped off the plaster to reveal the bronze. In the last step, the artist would remove the now bronze channels and nails before polishing the finished piece

Content: There is an androgynous-looking boy who stands resting on the decapitated head of a man. The boy wears a hat, has his hand on his hip, and carries a sword with his right hand. 

Iconography: This is believed to represent David who steps on the head of Goliath, which is from the story told in the bible. In this story, David killed the bad giant named Goliath with a slingshot and a stone. Other art historians argue that the sculpture could alternatively be a depiction of the God of Mercury since he wears a similar hat. Important to note is that this scene takes place after David has already won the battle. 

Context: the piece was a private commission for the medici family and was placed in the courtyard of the medici palace. the lack of documentation complicates the interpretation of the figure since there is no record of the commission nor is there a date for when it was made. A 15th-century leader identified it as david which shows that these leaders did not find the subject matter sexual. Similar to Michelangelo's David, David was portrayed in this work since he was seen as Florence's civic icon. Florence was also the underdog, like David, and rose from beneath because of its favored eyes from god

Freestanding Sculpture: sculptures that are designed to not be attached to anything (ex: a wall, a fence, a window, a building, etc) and can support themself by their own weight. This relates to the work as it is the first nude freestanding statue since antiquity.

Form: one of the first almost life-size representations of a female nude that is fully mythological in nature. The composition is very flat mainly due to emphasis on pattern (the v-shaped waves), and rhythmic representation of light and shadow and the waves in the background. Employs somewhat elongated proportions and exaggerated contrapposto which gives the piece an even greater sense of mythicality. Places black outlines around his forms, possibly because no comparable corpus of two-dimensional mythological models existed

Content: In the middle of the piece there is a woman who stands nude on a seashell near the shore of an island. To her left, a man is holding another woman who seems to be blowing air toward the main figure. To the main figure's right, there is a dressed woman on shore who reaches out to cover her with a blanket.

Iconography: The main lady who stands on the seashell is said to be Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The man to her left is the god of the west wind Zephyrus who is believed to be holding either Chloris or Aura. The woman to Venus's right is just said to be an attendant. The seashell is emblematic of the idea of Venus being birthed from sea foam. 

Context: We do not know a lot such as who commissioned it (maybe medici), or where it was originally located (maybe at a wedding celebration). Shows the rebirth unfolding within a powerful Christian framework not just the rebirth of antiquity. The nudity is unexpected since females at the time were only seen nude in depictions of Eve and seen in something traumatic. Botticelli’s disposition of the figures across a frontal plane is comparable to the rendering of figures in Exekias’ work, as is the emphasis on compositional balance and the play of positive and negative space. He emphasizes the use of linearity and outlines. His application of abstract devices might have served to identify his classical subjects with a style derived from classical antiquity

Venus Pudica: a term used to describe a classic figural pose in Western art. In this pose, an unclothed female (either standing or reclining) keeps one hand covering her genitalia. This pose was employed by the Late Classical sculptor Praxiteles in his depiction of Aphrodite surprised at her Bath (aka Aphrodite of Cnidos), the first known nude female statue. This relates to the work as Venus, the main figure depicted in the work, is illustrated in the Venus Pudica pose.

Form: The work itself was made out of reused marble that had been abandoned by two previous sculptors before Michelangelo. The piece is different from Verrocchio's and Donatello's in four major ways with differences seen in the medium, the scene depicted, the size of the work, and the age of David. This sculpture, as mentioned above, is made out of marble and is more than three times the size of its predecessors. The scene depicted in this specific work is the scene right before David begins his fight with the Goliath. Additionally, the David sculpted by Michelangelo is a young man compared to his counterparts who were prepubescent boys. 

Content: A nude man is leaning on one of his legs while his right hand rests on his thing and his left hand holds something while also resting on his left shoulder. The man stands on a flat rock while a stump seems to support the weight being held on his right leg. 

Iconography: This is believed to represent David who is from the story told in the bible. In this story, David killed the bad giant named Goliath with a slingshot and a stone. In David's left hand, he holds the slingshot that he used to kill the giant.  Important to note is that this scene takes place right before David is about to begin the battle. 

Context: was commissioned by the Florentine consul of the wool guild and was intended to continue/complete a civic-sponsored project. Was part of the city's ongoing campaign to give visual form to the newly emergent republic and to link the republic to the golden age of Florentine independence. The work, originally made for a buttress of the duomo on the outside of the cathedral, shows the artist's devotion to his city of birth and the newly emerging republican values of the city. The figure of David was a very important figure for Florence since he is seen as the city's mascot who was an underdog. Florence applied this to themselves as they believed they were the underdogs who consistently defeated other city-states that tried to take over them. Shows the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek sculptors. Michelangelo wanted to show the humanist approach. Once the piece was finished it was placed on a platform in front of the palazzo (turned the meaning from religious to political). Eventually, it was moved again to a room inside the Galleria dell Accademia where it is today. There was also a time when the piece was considered controversial due to its nudity so someone made leaves that hung around David's waist to cover his genitals

Restoration: any attempt to conserve and repair architecture, paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and objects of the decorative arts (furniture, glassware, metalware, textiles, ceramics, and so on) that have been adversely affected by negligence, willful damage, or, more usually, the inevitable decay caused by the effects of time and human use on the materials of which they are made. Focuses on the protection and care of cultural property, including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. This relates to the work as the piece had to go under restoration due to it being attacked during and anti-Medici riot in which his arm and several other components of the work were damaged

Form: The painting is very 2D and flat with no atmospheric perspective, barely any cast shadows, and flat round halos. Instead of choosing elements to include for the sake of iconography the artist chose to accentuate (like Gabriel's wings) since the painting was in a place where monks would not need objects to help them understand the scene. The work was also lined up with a window in the building it was located in so that it could light up the picture plane. The architecture in the piece repeats the pietra serena molding that was found in the building in which the work was originally placed. The piece looked best when the viewer walked up the stairs to it letting the proportion of the figures seem more natural.

Content: To the left of the painting there is a human-looking figure with wings that slightly bows to the other main figure on the right side of the panel. The woman on the right bows back looking at the winged human while sitting on a stool. Both figures are outside under what looks like a porch to the entrance or exit of a building 

Iconography: Depicts the annunciation, which in Christianity is when the angel Gabriel was sent from god to Nazareth to tell the Virgin Mary that she was going to bear Jesus by getting pregnant through the holy spirit. 

Context: Cosimo de Medici was the monastery's patron, commissioned the building of San Marco, and donated the monastery to the Dominican monks of Fiesole which included Fran Angelico (the artist). The work was located on the wall of a hallway leading to the monk's cells in the Dominican monastery (would have been seen only by other monks), right up the flight of stairs (like the first thing you see). The piece was used by monks for aid whilst praying so that they focus better.

Iconography: involves understanding the specific culturally constructed symbols and motifs in a work of art that can help us to identify the subject matter. This relates to the work as the piece is different from other depictions of the annunciation due to the lack of Iconography within it. Such as how there are no lilies or prayer books that are typically rendered in an annunciation scene.