Objects, images, descriptions and audio guide.
Albert Besnard was a good friend of fellow artist Henri Lerolle, whose wife Madeleine and daughter Yvonne are the subjects of this double portrait set in a studio. The a…
This richly dressed elite male belonged to a row of identical figures who processed along the walls of a patio in one of Teotihuacán’s wealthy apartment compounds. He of…
With their typically large scale, and loose and energetic brushwork, Abraham van Beyeren’s opulent still life paintings were designed to be seen from a slight distance—p…
Known as a tête d'expression or "expressive head," this painting represents an essential part of the academic training of history painters who specialized in religious, …
Maurice Denis made this painting during the summer of 1899 while vacationing with his family in the coastal village of Le Pouldu in Brittany in northwestern France. Two-…
As secretary of foreign affairs for Louis XV of France, Jean-Gabriel du Theil (1685–1755) helped negotiate the 1738 Treaty of Vienna, which ceded the Duchy of Lorraine t…
This painting is a smaller version of a mural on the same subject painted for the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, which has a companion mural titled Winter . A writer at the ti…
While many Dutch painters focused on depicting the local countryside, others were inspired by the hilly topography, golden sunlight, and picturesque monuments of Italy. …
This painting is a visual presentation of a teaching ascribed to the Chinese Buddhist monk Shandao (善導) (613–681). It describes a challenging journey to the land of th…
One of the first artists to specialize in flower painting, Ambrosius Bosschaert may have been inspired by the botanical gardens and scientific collections in his hometow…
In medieval Italian churches, painted altarpieces served as the focal point for worshippers during the rituals of faith. The figures of Jesus, Mary, and eight saints are…
The Irish poet Lady Manners rejected as “unflattering” this portrait representing her as the goddess Juno, symbolized here by the peacock. Thomas Lawrence exhibited the …
This painting is an example of a tronie , a Dutch word meaning “head” or “facial expression.” Tronies were not intended to be identifiable portraits, but artistic invest…
The sitter's dress deliberately evokes ancient Roman costume. However, the white muslin and straightforward cut also derives from earlier English fashions that favored s…
Charles II (1630–1685) fled England in 1651 during the English civil war and commissioned this portrait during his exile in France. Charles II never fought on the battle…
This painting is the second of a set of two illustrated handscrolls. The first scroll depicts the biography of the Japanese Buddhist monk Ryōnin. This scroll begins with…
Although Cezanne exhibited twice with the Impressionists, he rejected his friends’ goals of capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere in their art. Instead,…
An arhat (Nahan in Korean), an advanced disciple of the Buddha, is represented here in profile with a halo encircling his head. This particular arhat is Segongyang jonja…
Located in New Castle, New Hampshire, Bos’n’s Hill was a favored leisure spot for Tarbell’s family, which included four children. It provides the luminous setting for th…
In retaliation for Samson’s single-handed decimation of their army, the Philistines bribed his lover Delilah to discover the source of his strength: his hair, uncut sinc…
Calabazas, a jester in the court of King Philip IV of Spain, had physical and mental disabilities, a state that the artist emphasizes, rather than tries to hide. While t…
This painting depicting a recently married aristocratic couple is filled with symbolism. The various floral elements represent love and fertility, while the colors of th…
Barbarigo served as second in command of the Venetian naval forces during the Battle of Lepanto, fighting against the Ottoman Empire on October 7, 1571. During the skirm…
Although Veronese is best known for his large-scale, pageant-like presentations, here the artist has taken the narrative of the Annunciation (the announcement of the ang…