12 must-see paintings at the National Gallery, London
Quick answer
The National Gallery's must-see paintings are Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Holbein's The Ambassadors, Velázquez's Rokeby Venus, Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait, Constable's The Hay Wain, Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks and Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne. Twelve paintings are listed below with room numbers.
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The 12 key paintings, room by room
- 1
Room 43
Sunflowers — Vincent van Gogh (1888)
One of the versions of the series painted in Arles, a symbol of expressive colour.
- 2
Room 4
The Ambassadors — Hans Holbein (1533)
A symbol-packed double portrait with an anamorphic skull.
- 3
Room 30
The Rokeby Venus — Velázquez (c. 1647–51)
The artist's only surviving female nude.
- 4
Room 63
The Arnolfini Portrait — Jan van Eyck (1434)
A treatise on Flemish realism with a convex mirror.
- 5
Room 34
The Hay Wain — John Constable (1821)
The idealised English countryside, an icon of British landscape.
- 6
Room 34
The Fighting Temeraire — J. M. W. Turner (1839)
A Trafalgar warship towed to the breakers, a symbol of the end of an era.
- 7
Room 66
The Virgin of the Rocks — Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1491–1508)
The London version of one of the Renaissance's most famous compositions.
- 8
Room 29
Bacchus and Ariadne — Titian (1520–23)
A scene of mythological passion with extraordinary colour and movement.
- 9
Room 32
Supper at Emmaus — Caravaggio (1601)
Dramatic realism and theatrical light.
- 10
Room 55
The Battle of San Romano — Paolo Uccello (c. 1438–40)
A perspective experiment with lances on the ground.
- 11
Room 44
Bathers at Asnières — Georges Seurat (1884)
A summer scene on the Seine in pointillist technique.
- 12
Room 53
The Wilton Diptych (c. 1395–99)
A medieval English treasure painted on wood with gold leaf.
How to see them in one visit
They span every era: go chronologically from the Sainsbury Wing towards the main rooms. Follow the order of our 2-hour route. Works can change rooms, so check the floor plan. With AnyArt you can scan any painting to hear its story.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Sunflowers?
In room 43, near other Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works.
Where is The Ambassadors?
In room 4.
Where is the Rokeby Venus?
In room 30, with Velázquez.
Does the National Gallery have a Leonardo?
Yes, The Virgin of the Rocks, in room 66.