videos + essays
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and Hunting Scene (or Brooklyn Biombo)
Japanese objects came through Mexico on their way to Spain, and had a lasting impact on the arts of the Americas.
Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, Napoleon Bonaparte Visiting the Pest House in Jaffa
Napoleon masterfully manipulated his image, and this painting meant for Parisian audiences is pure propaganda.
Palmyra: the modern destruction of an ancient city
Terrorists overran Palmyra twice despite international cries for protection, sowing irreversible destruction.
Biombo with the Conquest of Mexico and View of Mexico City
This screen offers an idealized bird’s eye view of Mexico City on one side, and depicts the Conquest on the other.
Richard Caton Woodville, War News from Mexico
Painted for a divided US, people from North and South could identify with this image—others remain marginalized.
Albrecht Altdorfer, The Battle of Issus
Time collapses in this ambitious painting. As the Greeks battle the Persians, the West fends off the Ottoman East.
Cassone with the Conquest of Trebizond
On this marriage chest, domestic duties meet political concerns as Florence casts a wary eye on a changing East.
Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
Bare-breasted with a bayonet? Liberty leads a revolution that won’t be televised but will be seen in the Paris Salon.
Jacques-Louis David, The Intervention of the Sabine Women
Think of the children! In contrast to David’s earlier paintings, this scene extols the strength of women.
Eugène Delacroix, Scene of the Massacre at Chios
Delacroix’s scene of Greek survivors is anything but heroic and offers no relief to the suffering depicted.
Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda
Disorganized and youthful, Dutch troops surrender to the seasoned Spanish army. Count the victors’ spears!
The Bayeux Tapestry
This monumental 11th-century needlework presents an action-packed illustration of Anglo-Norman history.
