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Quiz about Sign on the Dotted Line
Quiz about Sign on the Dotted Line

Sign on the Dotted Line Trivia Quiz


Many works of art were created on commission - a patron requested that the artist create the work. This quiz covers some of them, where the artist had to sign on the dotted line because he had been contracted to produce the item.

A multiple-choice quiz by rossian. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
rossian
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
374,094
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
588
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: mulder52 (8/10), ChefMcGee (7/10), Guest 185 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Which artist, often considered to be the first of the Renaissance artists, was commissioned, in around 1305, to paint the frescos in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Donatello was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici to create a bronze sculpture of Judith and Holofernes. In which city was the sculpture originally displayed, where it can still be seen in the early twenty-first century? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Pope Julius II commissioned Raphael to paint a portrait of him in the early sixteenth century. Two major copies of the picture exist - one is in the Uffizi and the other, believed by many to be the original, can be seen in which major UK gallery? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. 'The Marie de' Medici Cycle' is a series of twenty-four paintings originally commissioned, in 1621, for the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. Which Flemish artist painted them? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The Marquess of Rockingham commissioned George Stubbs to paint a picture of 'Whistlejacket' in or around 1762. What was Whistlejacket? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. John Everett Millais painted a portrait of which art critic, remembered for his involvement in a law suit with another artist? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Commissioned by Jean-Baptiste Faure, the 1874 painting called 'The Dance Class' was the work of which artist? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The advertising company Brown and Bigelow commissioned a series of paintings by Cassius Coolidge in 1903. They were designed to advertise cigars, and often featured dogs playing which card game, which gave the series its name? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Pablo Picasso created the painting named 'Guernica' to depict an event in which war? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Rowan Gillespie created a series of sculptured figures in 1997, under the title of 'Famine'. If I tell you the famine that inspired him was caused by potato blight, you may be able to work out that the work can be seen in which city? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which artist, often considered to be the first of the Renaissance artists, was commissioned, in around 1305, to paint the frescos in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua?

Answer: Giotto

The chapel, and its decorations, were commissioned by Enrico Scrovegni, who was a member of a banking family. Money lending was considered to be sinful, particularly if interest was high, and the building of the chapel is often considered to be Scrovegni's penance. Giotto painted a series of scenes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, which are truly stunningly beautiful. Giotto di Bondone, to give him his full name, was the pioneer in the change of style from Byzantine art to the more realistic depiction of figures associated with the Renaissance.

The other artists were all rather later - Fra Angelico and Masaccio were fifteenth century and Titian was active in the sixteenth century.
2. Donatello was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici to create a bronze sculpture of Judith and Holofernes. In which city was the sculpture originally displayed, where it can still be seen in the early twenty-first century?

Answer: Florence

The Medici family were renowned as patrons of the arts, and were the political leaders of Florence. Medici had already commissioned a bronze 'David' from Donatello, which was completed in around 1430. This is on display in the Bargello art museum in Florence in the early twenty-first century.

The commission for 'Judith and Holofernes' came in 1460 and the statue was originally on display, with 'David', at the Medici palace. It was later moved to the Piazza della Signoria and is now (2015) on display inside the Palazzo Vecchio.
3. Pope Julius II commissioned Raphael to paint a portrait of him in the early sixteenth century. Two major copies of the picture exist - one is in the Uffizi and the other, believed by many to be the original, can be seen in which major UK gallery?

Answer: National Gallery, London

Julius II was pope from 1503 until 1513, and it was he who commissioned the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. Raphael's portrait of the pope was different from the previously accepted depictions. He showed Julius deep in thought, not kneeling at his devotions, and this established a precedent which lasted for many years.

The painting dates from around 1511 and Raphael made several copies of it. The one in the Uffizi was accepted as the original until 1970, when closer examination of the version in London seemed to indicate that it was the first version.

This is not universally accepted by all art historians.
4. 'The Marie de' Medici Cycle' is a series of twenty-four paintings originally commissioned, in 1621, for the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. Which Flemish artist painted them?

Answer: Peter Paul Rubens

Marie de' Medici was married to King Henry IV of France, and the paintings are primarily of her and her journey through life. Under the terms of the contract, Rubens had to complete all the paintings within two years. It seems that he had some leeway, since the contract only tied him to paint the figures, not necessarily the backgrounds. The series covers Marie's birth, through her wedding (by proxy) to the king, her coronation and so on, and can be seen at the Louvre, in Paris, in the twenty-first century.

Of the other artists listed, only Van Dyck was Flemish and he was associated with the English court - King Charles I in particular. Vermeer and Hals were both Dutch.
5. The Marquess of Rockingham commissioned George Stubbs to paint a picture of 'Whistlejacket' in or around 1762. What was Whistlejacket?

Answer: A horse

Whistlejacket was a racehorse, and Stubbs's depiction of him shows him against a completely plain background, so the eye has to concentrate on the horse. Stubbs was renowned for this skill in painting horses, and much of his work depicts these animals.

He did also paint more exotic creatures, such as tigers, giraffes and monkeys. Stubbs even painted a kangaroo - not a common sight in the English countryside.
6. John Everett Millais painted a portrait of which art critic, remembered for his involvement in a law suit with another artist?

Answer: John Ruskin

Ruskin was a patron of the arts, and the best known art critic of Victorian times. Millais painted Ruskin in Scotland, standing on rocks next to a stream. Ruskin's wife, Effie, fell in love with Millais and the pair eventually married, after she obtained an annulment of her first marriage. Ruskin was involved in a law suit for libel brought by James Whistler in 1877. Although Whistler won, he was awarded only derisory damages and was financially ruined.

The portrait of Ruskin was acquired by the British government in 2013 as a payment in lieu of inheritance tax, and put on display at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum.
7. Commissioned by Jean-Baptiste Faure, the 1874 painting called 'The Dance Class' was the work of which artist?

Answer: Edgar Degas

You probably won't be surprised to learn that the painting is of ballet dancers, assuming you didn't already know. The topic was a favourite of Degas, although not his only one. The painting was completed in 1874 and shows over twenty figures of dancers, their teacher and their mothers. One version is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while the Musée d'Orsay in Paris has a different painting of the same scene.
8. The advertising company Brown and Bigelow commissioned a series of paintings by Cassius Coolidge in 1903. They were designed to advertise cigars, and often featured dogs playing which card game, which gave the series its name?

Answer: Poker

Coolidge painted a series of sixteen pictures, not all of which showed the dogs at the poker table. Since nine of them did, though, the whole collection is known as 'Dogs Playing Poker'. You have probably seen reproductions of them, since they seem to be popular in public houses, although you probably would have no idea of the artist's name. Coolidge himself was from New York, and was not a trained artist.
9. Pablo Picasso created the painting named 'Guernica' to depict an event in which war?

Answer: Spanish Civil War

The government, known as the Second Spanish Republic, had commissioned Picasso to paint a mural for the World's Fair due to be held in 1937. Picasso had, it is reported, been struggling to find inspiration, but when he heard of the bombing of Guernica, he had found his topic.

The bombing was carried out by German and Italian forces in support of the forces led by General Franco, who would go on to take power in 1939. The painting was put on display at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid in 1992.
10. Rowan Gillespie created a series of sculptured figures in 1997, under the title of 'Famine'. If I tell you the famine that inspired him was caused by potato blight, you may be able to work out that the work can be seen in which city?

Answer: Dublin

Gillespie is Irish, and has a foundry in Blackrock, Dublin where he creates his sculptures. 'Famine' is a group of life size, poorly clad and emaciated figures, which has been on display outside the Custom House in Dublin since 1997. A similar set of figures was created for Toronto in 2007, in recognition of the fact that many Irish emigrated to Canada to escape the consequences of the potato blight of the mid nineteenth century.

The original work was commissioned by Norma Smurfit, a member of a prominent Irish manufacturing family, who donated it to the Irish government on completion.
Source: Author rossian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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This quiz is part of series Rossian's Commission Quizzes (21-40):

The second batch of quizzes I've written for commission. The original list was getting too long, so has been split into more manageable sections.

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  2. Armed and Dangerous Easier
  3. Don't Come Around Here No More Average
  4. Stop! In the Name of Love Average
  5. There, But for the Grace of God, Go I Average
  6. Forecasting the Weather Average
  7. Now That's What I Call a Saucepan! Average
  8. What's With the Azzurri Average
  9. Sign on the Dotted Line Easier
  10. Turquoise Waters Easier
  11. Root Beer Floats Average
  12. Dead Centre: Simple Easier

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