Fine Art

Monks in a Grotto — History & Facts

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Friends of the Fogg Art Museum through the generosity of Miss Ethel Forbes, Edward W. Forbes, and Miss Emily McKibbin

More Artworks by Alessandro Magnasco

A congregation seated on benches and stools fills the shadowed interior of a synagogue with soaring columns and pointed arches.

The Synagogue

Alessandro Magnasco

Hermits (Anachorets) by Alessandro Magnasco, oil painting depicting hermits in solitude.

Hermits (Anachorets)

Alessandro Magnasco

Landscape with Gypsies and Washerwomen, oil on canvas by Alessandro Magnasco

Landscape with Gypsies and Washerwomen

Alessandro Magnasco

A group of monks in dark habits gather around a low table with food in a dim, cavernous hall, some sitting, kneeling, or standing, with one reading a book.

Monks at Supper

Alessandro Magnasco

Three monks in white habits fervently praying under a stormy sky, with a wooden cross in the background.

Praying Monks

Alessandro Magnasco

A chaotic scene depicting a figure suspended from the ceiling, surrounded by men in shadowy corners.

Torture Scene

Alessandro Magnasco

Venus reclines on a shell-chariot, surrounded by nymphs and satyrs in a vibrant, theatrical scene.

The Triumph of Venus

Alessandro Magnasco

A ship struggles in a turbulent sea, with crew members in distress and monks on shore praying for divine intervention.

The Shipwreck

Alessandro Magnasco

A vibrant garden party scene with elegantly dressed figures amidst a lush landscape leading to distant hills.

Garden Party in Albaro

Alessandro Magnasco

A group of monks in white habits praying in a dim grotto, illuminated by soft light filtering through foliage.

Monks Praying in a Grotto

Alessandro Magnasco

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More Religious Art

A triptych showing a lush garden with nude figures and animals on the left, a vibrant central panel of nude humans and fantastical creatures, and a dark, fiery hellscape with tortured figures on the right.

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch

Father embraces his son in an etching by Rembrandt van Rijn

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt van Rijn

A young woman in a red dress and blue mantle sits on a rock with two children, one holding a small bird, set against a landscape of hills and trees.

Madonna of the Goldfinch

Raphael

Rembrandt's 'The Crucifixion' depicts a dramatic moment in a religious context.

The Crucifixion

Rembrandt van Rijn

Rubens' depiction of Christ on the Cross with Mary, Mary Magdalene, and St John in a moment of profound grief.

Christ on the Cross with Maria, Mary Magdalene and St John

Peter Paul Rubens

A muscular female figure in an orange robe twists her body holding a massive open book above her head, with a young attendant seated behind her.

Libyan Sibyl

Michelangelo

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