Germany – Smarthistory

The museums in Berlin and Munich contain ancient and modern masterpieces, and on the streets one is absorbed in the history of modern Germany.

videos + essays

This cup depicts the god of wine Dionysos escaping pirates by hiding and turning them into dolphins.

Tiye was a powerful figure, but her royal life was complicated, as demonstrated through this changing statue.

Opting for shadow over light, Titian frees himself—and future generations—from the Renaissance demand for clarity.

Dürer holds nothing back in this frontal portrait. By taking Christ’s pose, he conflates artist and creator.

Entranced by the evil of the human psyche, we come face to face with art history’s creepiest snake.

The myth is ancient, but these figures couldn’t be closer. Rubens’s virtuoso brushwork and color are on display.

These monumental figures concentrate their attention on the word of God, which Dürer writes into the painting.

Time collapses in this ambitious painting. As the Greeks battle the Persians, the West fends off the Ottoman East.

Part man, part goat, this companion of the god of wine relaxes after a night of drinking.

The first of many buildings commissioned by Hitler, this was meant to seem timeless, like ancient ruins.

Explore the evolution of ancient Greek sculpture with two groups from the same temple, but that seem ages apart.

Found in an artist’s studio, this stunning bust exemplifies a change in style, and may have been an early prototype.