“1000 Masterpieces from the Great Museums of the World” is one of the most successful TV series about art. The original, with improved image quality, takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of art. Comprehensively illustrated and compellingly presented – the well-known authors of five short art surveys provide a deeper insight into the masterpieces of painting. Baroque painting of the 17th century is notable for its overwhelming splendour and pathos. In the age of the plague, religious wars and the excesses of the nobility, art served the aims of the Counter-Reformation and Absolutism. The glory of this epoch shines through, between lust for life and the pain of death – thanks to great masters such as van Dyck, Rubens, Velázquez, Rembrandt and Caravaggio. Anthonis van Dyck: Simson and Delilah (c. 1628-30), Peter Paul Rubens: The garden of love (c. 1633), Diego Velázquez: Las Meninas (1656), Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn: The return of the prodigal son (c. 1668), Michelangelo Caravaggio: The lute player (c. 1595)