Saint Jerome could not be more popular with painters - of course he is blessed with his tame lion but his sumptuous and anachronistic cardinal’s robes, his asceticism and his learning have all fascinated artists from Lippi and Messina to Bellini and Dürer. Join Kate Davey on a tour of paintings of this favourite saint. 

Your Host: Kate Davey has a MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art where she studied medieval art and architecture with Professor Paul Crossley in 2010; her original degree is in history and law from Christ’s College, Cambridge. She has been guiding at the National Gallery since 2019. She has been trustee/board member of several heritage charities including the Victorian Society (vice-chair), the British Archaeological Association (for whom she co-convened their recent conference on the art and architecture of Chichester and West Sussex) and the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture. She is particularly interested in ecclesiastical art and sculpture. Favourite artists include Botticelli, Holbein and Constable.

Every year marks another journey around the sun and our most recent journey saw the National Gallery turn 200. For this collection tour, expert guide, Muriel Carré, celebrates this venerable age by looking at some of the masterpieces from another angle. 

Far from focusing on youth only, many artists have explored the theme of old age and ageing in a myriad ways: venerable figures from the Old Testament, beautiful portraits of patriarchs and matriarchs, still lifes evoking the passage of time, grotesque caricatures mocking the folly of those who desperately cling to their youth, mighty bearded gods… This tour will also be an exploration of the changing style of some of our greatest masters, from youth to maturity. 

Your host: Muriel Carré is an award-winning guide specialising in art and architecture. Muriel studied English Literature and History at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, followed by a Master's degree in Art History at Christie's, London. Alongside teaching English Literature in France and abroad, Muriel has worked for a contemporary art online magazine in Madrid. Muriel now leads tours in English and French in all the major London museums and historic houses.

This tour will explore the variety of ways women are depicted in paintings, but also the role of women in the art world.

Your host: Sarah Ciacci has an MA in late 19th-century French painting and 20th-century abstract art from University College, London. Qualifying as a Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London in 2008, Sarah has been a National Gallery guide ever since.  

Sarah runs tours for My Kids, taught Art History for a decade at Richmond University, and is a Gallery Educator and an Accredited Lecturer for the Arts Society.