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.

This recent acquisition was attributed to the wrong artist for quite some time.

The complex composition of this active Italian work shocases the change of taste that occurred in the mid 16th century.

In this portrait, the right hand of the sitter disappears off the side of the canvas. Mistake or something else?

This impressive triptych of the miracles of Christ may not have been the work of just one artist.

NGVextra NGVI Director's Tour

This painting by the pioneering Italian Baroque artist Annibale Carracci was originally painted for a ceiling in an opulent palace, thus it is displayed high in the room to hint at how Annibale intended it to be seen.

This painting tells the story of Cleopatra's opulent party, when she dissolved the world’s largest pearl in vinegar and drank it to impress a prospective lover.

A look at the recently hung Long Portrait Gallery, focusing on the portrait of a well-to-do Dutch couple.

This elaborate Tiepolo ceiling painting uses spatial illusionism to deceive the eyes.

Here, the artist emphasises architecture rather than focusing on the people.