How do you paint your own slave? Painter Julie Mehretu explores Velázquez’s answer to this troubling question.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Zero in on the beautiful passages of line in this print—and witness the artist at work.
A-Level: Rembrandt, Christ Crucified between the Two ...
Michelangelo transforms a male model into a female figure. Discover the artist’s working process.
A-level: Michelangelo, Studies for the Libyan Sibyl ...
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A-level: The Conservation of Tullio Lombardo’s Adam
What detail! Dürer studied the human body obsessively and spent four years working on this print. It shows.
A-level: Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve
Tiffany and Company used this reproductive technique to create presentation copies of a sterling silver vase.
The Electrotyping Process
An ambitious three-year project stabilized the lustrous wools and dazzling colors of this fragile carpet.
Conserving the Emperor’s Carpet
In 2002, this iconic Renaissance sculpture fell onto the floor. Learn how conservators picked up the pieces.
The Conservation of Tullio Lombardo’s Adam
This painting took months of cleaning and structural work to revive—and posed several conservation challenges.
Michael Gallagher on Everhard Jabach and His ...
This magnificent portrait was recently cleaned for the first time in 60 years. Now, the silver brocade gleams.
Conserving Velázquez’s Portrait of Philip IV
Discolored varnish had obscured much of these paintings, but technical examination revealed Gossart’s subtlety.
Jan Gossart – Conservation Discoveries
How do you paint your own slave? Painter Julie Mehretu explores Velázquez’s answer to this troubling question.
Diego Velázquez, Juan de Pareja
These mummy portraits are unlike anything from ancient Egypt, combining Roman naturalism with Egyptian function.
Faiyum mummy portraits
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Congyi, Cloudy Mountains
A serene Mary offers her draped lap as a throne for Christ. Her outsized hands direct the viewer to the divine.
Virgin and Child in Majesty
When reconstructed, the panels of this altarpiece resemble the architecture of an Italian Gothic cathedral.
Illustrating a Fifteenth-Century Italian Altarpiece
The detailed scenes of this multi-layered painting drew worshipers in—and brought them closer to God.
Biblical Storytelling: Illustrating a Fifteenth-Century Netherlandish Altarpiece
The subject is conventional, but Liang Kai’s airy composition makes this painting unusual. What’s behind the mist?
Liang Kai, Poet Strolling by a Marshy ...
Layers of built-up wax obscure headlines and newspaper images in this painting composed of three canvases.
Jasper Johns, White Flag
Calder injected motion into sculpture with his mobiles—the viewer’s mere presence impacts their movement.
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!