In 1990, Dame Paula Rego was commissioned to create a mural for the National Gallery’s new Sainsbury Wing Dining Room. Unsure what to do, she looked to a 15th-century altarpiece by the Italian artist Carlo Crivelli. Titled The Madonna of the Swallow, it shows the Virgin enthroned in gold and crowned Queen of Heaven. Following in Crivelli’s footsteps, Rego created an imaginary garden surrounded by blue-and-white-tiled walls. She populated the garden with powerful women: the Virgin Mary, Saint Catherine, Mary Magdalene, and Delilah. This rare exhibition places the two masterpieces side by side. —Elena Clavarino