From carpenters and workshop assistants to apothecaries and goldsmiths, it took a village to make a panel painting.
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Ancient potters prepared clay, threw vases, oversaw firing, and either added decoration or employed vase-painters.
Making Greek vases
Learn how Pollock produced this early painting, before turning to the technique known as action painting.
Paint Application Studies of Jackson Pollock’s Mural
Straight from the horse’s mouth: the process of making a photograph, in the artist’s own words.
Ansel Adams: Visualizing a Photograph
From love to hunting, a code of honor dictated medieval social norms and facilitated social mobility.
Chivalry in the Middle Ages
Kalends, nones, ides—the medieval month took its three fixed points from ancient Rome. But what about red days?
The medieval calendar
Miniatures in these magnificent books glorify the word of God—and illustrate secular stories with equal clarity.
Manuscripts: major works of art
From scraping skin and cutting quills to painting and bookbinding, making a manuscript is a long, complex process.
Making manuscripts
Watch a modern artist engrave a precious gemstone using the techniques of the ancients.
The art of gem carving
To prepare a body for the afterlife, ancient Egyptians removed organs, dried the body, wrapped it, and more.
The mummification process
From carpenters and workshop assistants to apothecaries and goldsmiths, it took a village to make a panel painting.
Gold-ground panel painting
X-rays of this unique bronze figure revealed an iron armature, as well as vital clues to the sculptor’s process.
Adriaen de Vries’s bronze casting technique: direct ...
Watch a sculptor demonstrate the use of traditional tools as he carves a block of marble.
Carving marble with traditional tools
How did ancient Greek potters make and decorate their pottery?
Making Greek vases
Ancient artisans discovered they could inflate hot glass to make vessels quickly and cheaply.
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