NGVextra – NGV International Director’s Tour National Gallery of Victoria

This devotional image brings together various symbols of Christ’s crucifixion including the crown of thorns, nails and spear.

In 1923 the NGV paid a high price for this work, since then, the authenticity of the work has been questioned and still the debate rages.

Buying a painting by Sebastiano Ricci proved to be a good deal for the NGV when a tip off showed the work to be that of the master Tiepolo.

This very dramatic 17th century painting was once part of the high altar in a church in the Spanish district in Rome. A shift in taste saw it removed and now it hangs in Melbourne.

This portrait of an affluent family, with their bright coloured clothes, has a surprising Australian connection.

This portrait was bought over fifty years ago and no one then knew who the sitter was. New technology and research has solved this puzzling mystery.