christmas details

"RED, to my mind, being the best colour..." says Mr Pooter in The Diary of a Nobody - and many paintings agree.

This year's Christmas Details shows 16 red patches taken from 16 pictures whose dominant colour is red. All these details are the right way up. Each picture is by a different, and very well known, painter. Two of them have been used in the competition previously. We can't, of course, guarantee that the precise shade of red is reproduced faithfully in every case.

Please tell us the names of the pictures and artists, numbering them 1-16. Send your answers to: CHRISTMAS DETAILS, IoS, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL. Your answers should reach us by 4 January. The first fully correct answer to be picked - or the most nearly correct - will be awarded a case of champagne. Three runners- up will receive a bottle each. The solutions and the names of the winners will be published on 21 January. The answer to Details 265 will appear next Sunday.