Which emperor is this? Take the great British art quiz

1. 

   This portrait at London’s Kenwood House of an unknown woman is attributed to Dutch golden age artist Ferdinand Bol – but who did Edward Cecil Guinness believe it was painted by when he bought it in 1888?

   1. Anthony van Dyck

   2. Rembrandt van Rijn

   3. Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck

   4. Frans Hals

2. 

   This 17th-century still life painting by Pieter Claesz, at Audley End House in Essex, features a table spread with meat, fish, bread and onions. But what is the name given to the type of large Dutch drinking glass depicted?

   1. Roemer

   2. Stein

   3. Tankard

   4. Bowl

3. 

   Which Roman emperor does this portrait – from Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire – depict, whom the historian Suetonius claimed "never wore the same garment twice"?

   1. Caligula

   2. Caracalla

   3. Nero

   4. Commodus

4. 

   This portrait at Kenwood House of Daisy Leiter, later 19th countess of Suffolk, was painted by the American artist John Singer Sargent. Sargent was an exponent of which portrait style?

   1. Rococo

   2. Cubist

   3. Grand manner

   4. Aesthetic

5. 

   This painting by John Lucas at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight shows Prince Albert with his eldest child, Princess Victoria, and a pet greyhound which he brought with him when he came from Germany to marry Queen Victoria. What was the dog’s name?

   1. Waldman

   2. Corran

   3. Eos

   4. Dackel

6. 

   This view of Chiswick House and Gardens in London was mostly painted by landscape artist George Lambert, but who painted the figures in the foreground?

   1. Thomas Gainsborough

   2. William Hogarth

   3. George Romney

   4. Charles Jervas

7. 

   Peter Thellusson, the grandfather of the young boy in this portrait by Thomas Lawrence at Yorkshire’s Brodsworth Hall, left a will that is said to have inspired which novel by Charles Dickens?

   1. Dombey and Son

   2. A Tale of Two Cities

   3. Bleak House

   4. Martin Chuzzlewit

8. 

   Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman, on display at Audley End House, was painted by Hans Holbein. In which year was Holbein appointed the king’s painter to Henry VIII?

   1. 1527

   2. 1531

   3. 1536

   4. 1544

Solutions

1:B - Lord Iveagh purchased this painting on the same day as Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait With Two Circles and believed both works to be by the Dutch master. Portrait of an Unknown Woman had been attributed to Rembrandt since at least 1767 and even had his signature, which later proved to be false. Ferdinand Bol was Rembrandt’s most gifted pupil. This painting demonstrates his technical mastery of Rembrandt’s early style. Image: Portrait of an Unknown Woman’, c1644, Ferdinand Bol (1616-80), Historic England Archive, 2:A - The practice of painting inanimate objects can be traced back to ancient Greco-Roman art. However, the emergence of still life as a distinct genre occurred in the Netherlands during the early 16th century; it was then widely referred to as "stilstaende dingen", which translates as "still-standing things". It was only from 1650 that the modern Dutch term "stilleven" was introduced, from which the English still life derives. Image: Breakfast Piece, c1640, Pieter Claesz (1597/1598-1660), Historic England Archive, 3:C - The Bolsover Caesars go back to Titian’s famous but lost series of 11 paintings created in 1536-40 for Federico II, Duke of Mantua, and were based on the engravings by Aegidius Sadeler from the 1590s. Something of Nero’s reputed tyranny and extravagance is suggested by his downturned mouth, jutting chin and sinister expression. Image: Nero Claudius (AD37-AD68AD), fifth Roman Emperor (AD54-AD68), 1625-50, after Titian (c1488-1576), Historic England Archive, 4:C - John Singer Sargent was one of the last great exponents of the grand manner style of portraiture. The grand manner was an idealised style, drawing on classical and high Renaissance art. It was promoted in the 18th century by Sir Joshua Reynolds, who advocated the pursuit of perfect form over slavishly copying nature in order to elevate portraiture to the level of history painting. Image: Daisy Leiter, Later Margaret Hyde, 19th Countess of Suffolk, 1898, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Historic England Archive, 5:C - Prince Albert had Eos from a six-month-old puppy and they were inseparable. After Eos died, in 1844, she was buried in the grounds of Windsor Castle. John Francis produced a life-size bronze sculpture of Eos, a version of which can be seen on the garden terrace at Osborne. In Greek mythology, Eos is the goddess of the dawn. Image: Prince Albert (1819-61), Princess Royal and Eos, 1843, John Lucas (1807-74), Historic England Archive, 6:B - Lambert’s view of Chiswick shows a key moment and place in the history of English landscape gardening, showing the results of Lord Burlington and William Kent’s naturalistic designs. Lambert’s skill in depicting landscape was not matched by his figure painting, so he turned to his friend Hogarth to supply the animated couple surveying the serpentine river, and the relaxed young man reclining in the foreground. Image: Chiswick House, Middlesex, c1742, William Hogarth (1697-1764) and George Lambert (c1700-65), Historic England Archive, 7:C - Thellusson (1737-97) left his substantial fortune to the survivor of any children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living at the time of his death. The potential scale of any such accrued sum led to the Accumulations Act 1800 (known also as the Thellusson Act) which prevented such long term settlements. Image: Mrs Charles Thellusson, nee Sabine Robarts (1775-1814), and Her Son, Charles Thellusson (1797-1856), c1804, Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), Historic England Archive, 8:C - Holbein’s patrons outside royal circles included nearly a quarter of the peerage and many of the most important political figures of the day. In this portrait, the unknown sitter holds his gloves, a trope Holbein used in a number of aristocratic male portraits. Image: Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman, c1540, Hans Holbein the Younger (c1497-1543), Historic England Archive

Scores

1. 6 and above.

   A masterful triumph. Well done.

2. 0 and above.

   Not great but at least you tried.

3. 3 and above.

   Showing promise!