Who is the saint being sent to her death? The great British art quiz

Painting by Jan Cossiers, 1674. Photograph: © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

This quiz is brought to you in collaboration with Art UK, the online home of the UK’s public art collections, showing art from more than 3,000 venues, by 45,000 artists. Each day, a different collection on Art UK sets the questions.

Today our questions are set by the Hunterian, at the University of Glasgow, one of the UK’s leading university museums. Its art collection comprises more than 900 paintings, 40,000 works on paper and an impressive selection of applied and decorative art and sculpture. Important historically because of its origins in William Hunter’s collection, it contains works by Rembrandt, Chardin, Stubbs, and has developed particular strengths in Whistler, Mackintosh and Scottish art, especially the works of the Glasgow Boys and Scottish colourists.

You can see art from the Hunterian, University of Glasgow on Art UK here. Find out more on the Hunterian, University of Glasgow website here.

1. 

   Which artist painted this portrait of William Hunter, founder of the Hunterian?

   1. Sir Joshua Reynolds

   2. Sir Henry Raeburn

   3. George Romney

   4. Allan Ramsay

2. 

   What is the title of this John Duncan Fergusson work that shows the University of Glasgow in the background?

   1. View from My Studio Window

   2. Spring in Glasgow

   3. Spring Landscape with a Woman Picking Blossom

   4. Noon-Day

3. 

   The title of this work by James Abbott McNeill Whistler is also the title of a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. What is the name of the poem?

   1. To Helen

   2. To One in Paradise

   3. Annabel Lee

   4. For Annie

4. 

   The martyrdom of which saint is depicted in this 1647 painting by Jan Cossiers?

   1. Bernadette

   2. Elizabeth

   3. Catherine

   4. Cecilia

5. 

   What was a parrot thought to signify in Dutch paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries?

   1. Prosperity

   2. Grief

   3. Envy

   4. Infidelity

6. 

   This epic work from the Hunterian collection is one of an influential cycle of six paintings by Scottish artist Gavin Hamilton illustrating Homer's Iliad. What is the title?

   1. Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus

   2. Hector's Farewell to Andromache

   3. Andromache Bewailing the Death of Hector

   4. Priam Pleading with Achilles for the Body of Hector

7. 

   Where was Edward A Hornel’s Mine Own Back Garden, the subject of this 1887 painting?

   1. Brixham, Devon, south-west England

   2. Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland

   3. St Monans, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland

   4. Kirkcudbright, south-west Scotland

8. 

   Which Scottish mountain features in this work by Scottish colourist Samuel John Peploe?

   1. Ben More

   2. Ben Lomond

   3. Ben Nevis

   4. Ben Vorlich

Solutions

1:D - Allan Ramsay's painting of his friend Dr William Hunter is a masterpiece of 'natural' portraiture. Unsigned, it dates from the mid-1760s, and was probably commissioned privately by Hunter to commemorate his appointment as physician extraordinary to Queen Charlotte in 1762. Ramsay was an obvious choice for the job. One of the official court artists, he was also a favourite among enlightenment figures in London and in Scotland. Image: William Hunter, by Allan Ramsay, c.1764-1765. Credit: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow , 2:B - While living in the south of France, Fergussonfrequently depicted women surrounded by fruit, flowers and foliage. Painted in bomb-damaged Glasgow in 1941, this reworks a favourite composition in an urban setting. Glasgow University and the Botanic Gardens provide the background. The work celebrates youth and life, possibly conceived as a counterpoint to the traumas of the second world war. The sitter was Eileen Casavetti, a friend of the artist. Image: Spring in Glasgow, John Duncan Fergusson, c.1942. Credit: © The Fergusson Gallery, Perth and Kinross Council, Scotland/The Hunterian, University of Glasgow , 3:C - This painting was commissioned by William Graham, a Glasgow MP. It was never completed, however, and subsequently rubbed down for repainting. Whistler persuaded Graham to exchange it for the riverscape Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge, now in the Tate's collection. Unusually for Whistler, the picture was inspired by a synonymous poem by Edgar Allan Poe, about a child who lived 'In a kingdom by the sea'. Image: Annabel Lee by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, c.1869-1897. Credit: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow , 4:C - The Martyrdom of St Catherine by Jan Cossiers shows St Catherine being dragged by the executioner towards the wheel with which she was to be killed. Between the wheel and the executioner are soldiers, and above their heads, the feet of a statue of an ancient god. Gesturing towards a pagan deity, a richly robed high priest condemns Catherine, who has refused to renounce Christianity. Image: The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine, 1674, Jan Cossiers. Credit: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow , 5:A - Often appearing prominently in domestic scenes, these rare birds are evidence of the vast and profitable trade network established by the newly independent Dutch Republic. Parrots were coveted as a symbol of prosperity. However, as they are very social and intelligent creatures, they were also highly valued as companions. Image: Portrait of a Lady With a Parrot, 1564, by Antonis Mor (c.1512-1576). Image: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow , 6:B - This scene from Homer's Iliad shows Hector, commander of the Trojan army and son of the King of Troy, saying farewell to his wife, Andromache, before the battle that would cost him his life. It is the last of six ambitious paintings illustrating Homer's poem; today, only three survive. Hamilton studied at the University of Glasgow before settling in Rome, where he became one of the founding figures in European neoclassical painting. Image: Hector’s Farewell to Andromache, Gavin Hamilton, c.1775. Credit: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow , 7:D - Hornel, associated with the Glasgow Boys from the mid-1880s, spent most of his career in his home town of Kirkcudbright in south-west Scotland. The town's distinctive skyline, with its towered tollbooth and whitewashed, gable-ended houses, features in many of his paintings. In early works such as this, Hornel was interested in capturing natural light effects. Image: Mine Own Back Garden, Edward Atkinson Hornel, 1887. Credit: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow , 8:A - Peploe first visited Iona with his friend Cadell in 1920. Over the next decade, the two regularly painted together on the island and the resulting paintings played a significant role in the development of Scottish 20th-century landscape art. This view of Ben More, on Mull, from Iona was a particular favourite, which Peploe explored many times from different vantage points. Image: Ben More with Martyr's Bay, Iona, Samuel John Peploe, c.1925. Credit: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

Scores

1. 8 and above.

   A brush with greatness!

2. 7 and above.

   A great impression!

3. 6 and above.

   A good impression

4. 5 and above.

   A good impression

5. 4 and above.

   A decent impression

6. 3 and above.

   Could be worse…

7. 2 and above.

   Start brushing up!

8. 0 and above.

   Start brushing up!

9. 1 and above.

   Start brushing up!