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    A sprig of flowering rosemary lying against an ivory-white background and the twelve insects that surround it fills this horizontal painting. Stretching nearly the length of the composition with the cut end to our left, the rosemary has blunted, needle-like, gently curling teal-green leaves and small periwinkle-blue flowers along the ash-brown stem. Several insects perch on the sprig while others are seen as if looking from overhead, resting on the white background. The three largest insects perch along the top of the sprig, with an ivory-white butterfly with moss-green and black markings to the left, a black and golden, fuzzy bumblebee near the center, and a lemon-yellow butterfly with red antennae to our right. A tiny red insect, perhaps a ladybug without spots, sits on a leaf between the bee and yellow butterfly, and a small wasp-like insect rests on a leaf in at the lower left. Another mosquito-like insect alights on the surface nearby, next to a beetle with a honey-orange body with black, almost tiger-like stripes. A large cockroach sitting near the lower right corner has six spindly legs, a mahogany-colored abdomen, a black thorax, and tiny, black head. Spaced somewhat evenly across the top of the panel are a brick-red, winged insect to the left, a mint-green, beetle-like bug near a moth patterned with bone white and black, and a black, fly-like insect to our right. Lit from the upper left, the rosemary and insects cast shadows on the surface. The artist signed and dated the work with gray in the lower left corner: “J v. kessel . . f. Ao 1653.”

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    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
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    Only have an hour to spend?

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  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
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    A sprig of flowering rosemary lying against an ivory-white background and the twelve insects that surround it fills this horizontal painting. Stretching nearly the length of the composition with the cut end to our left, the rosemary has blunted, needle-like, gently curling teal-green leaves and small periwinkle-blue flowers along the ash-brown stem. Several insects perch on the sprig while others are seen as if looking from overhead, resting on the white background. The three largest insects perch along the top of the sprig, with an ivory-white butterfly with moss-green and black markings to the left, a black and golden, fuzzy bumblebee near the center, and a lemon-yellow butterfly with red antennae to our right. A tiny red insect, perhaps a ladybug without spots, sits on a leaf between the bee and yellow butterfly, and a small wasp-like insect rests on a leaf in at the lower left. Another mosquito-like insect alights on the surface nearby, next to a beetle with a honey-orange body with black, almost tiger-like stripes. A large cockroach sitting near the lower right corner has six spindly legs, a mahogany-colored abdomen, a black thorax, and tiny, black head. Spaced somewhat evenly across the top of the panel are a brick-red, winged insect to the left, a mint-green, beetle-like bug near a moth patterned with bone white and black, and a black, fly-like insect to our right. Lit from the upper left, the rosemary and insects cast shadows on the surface. The artist signed and dated the work with gray in the lower left corner: “J v. kessel . . f. Ao 1653.”

    Featured exhibition:

    Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World

    Now on view

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    • Must Sees

    Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Only have an hour to spend?

    We've got you covered.

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events
    A sprig of flowering rosemary lying against an ivory-white background and the twelve insects that surround it fills this horizontal painting. Stretching nearly the length of the composition with the cut end to our left, the rosemary has blunted, needle-like, gently curling teal-green leaves and small periwinkle-blue flowers along the ash-brown stem. Several insects perch on the sprig while others are seen as if looking from overhead, resting on the white background. The three largest insects perch along the top of the sprig, with an ivory-white butterfly with moss-green and black markings to the left, a black and golden, fuzzy bumblebee near the center, and a lemon-yellow butterfly with red antennae to our right. A tiny red insect, perhaps a ladybug without spots, sits on a leaf between the bee and yellow butterfly, and a small wasp-like insect rests on a leaf in at the lower left. Another mosquito-like insect alights on the surface nearby, next to a beetle with a honey-orange body with black, almost tiger-like stripes. A large cockroach sitting near the lower right corner has six spindly legs, a mahogany-colored abdomen, a black thorax, and tiny, black head. Spaced somewhat evenly across the top of the panel are a brick-red, winged insect to the left, a mint-green, beetle-like bug near a moth patterned with bone white and black, and a black, fly-like insect to our right. Lit from the upper left, the rosemary and insects cast shadows on the surface. The artist signed and dated the work with gray in the lower left corner: “J v. kessel . . f. Ao 1653.”

    Featured exhibition:

    Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

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    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
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    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

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    A crowned man holding up a sword lunges toward another man who wears a helmet and holds up both hands in this vertical painting. This happens in front of a long banquet table set with a rumpled white cloth. About a dozen people react or cling to each other on the far side of the table and more gather farther in the background. Most of the people have pale, peachy skin and wear tunics, robes, and dresses in shades of celestial and sky blue, pale yellow, forest green, peach, or white. The man holding the sword has a furrowed brow, and his lips are parted. He wears a molded yellow breastplate over seafoam-green, knee-length tunic. A marine-blue cloak patterned with a gold design wraps loosely around his shoulders, and he wears toeless, shin-high sandals on bare legs. A white pearl earring hangs from the ear we can see, and more pearls are on his breastplate. He holds the sword up with his right hand, farther from us, and holds the sheath with the other. He steps to our left, toward the man who wears royal-blue armor with gold trim, including a gold lion’s head at the shoulder. His silver helmet has gold decorations and a fluffy sky-blue feather. He faces our right so his face is in shadow, but his mouth is open. He steps onto his right leg, closer to us, as he leans back with his hands raised. A vivid red cloth flutters from his shoulders to his knees. The table behind this pair is on a platform with five steps. A man lies on the green and white checked floor on our side of the steps with his head coming toward us. He grips an urn with one arm and holds his other hand out. One foot is raised and the other knee bent so that foot is on the ground. Silver urns, trays, and a chalice sit on the steps to our right. Two people in the crowd on the far side of the table stand out. One is an ashen-faced woman wearing a crown to the left, who clutches another woman as she looks at the conflict. The other person is to the right and has dark brown skin and short, dark hair. That person wears an iron collar around the neck over a white pleated shirt and a sage-green vest edged in gold. The space behind the table is enclosed with a person-high wall topped with thick, dark green columns. A man to our left stands above the melee and reaches for another person, presumably to rescue them from the chaos. The space beyond opens into a tall, light-filled, white stone-clad space where people line balconies. Several spears and the tops of people’s heads indicate another group on the far side of the wall. A green curtain is pulled up into the top right corner of the composition.
    Donato Creti, Alexander the Great Threatened by His Father, probably 1700/1705, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.6

    Alexander the Great Threatened by His Father

    Alexander the Great Threatened by His Father

    Donato Creti · probably 1700/1705 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1961.9.6

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