This mosaic shows how the arts—and an interest in naturalism—flourished in the final centuries of the Byzantine Empire.
Essay refreshed October 2021
The Parthenon has a complex, fascinating story.
The Story of the Parthenon
Van Eyck’s enigmatic and iconic double portrait often prompts the question: is the female figure pregnant?
The question of pregnancy in Jan van ...
Silver ink on purple parchment—what luxury! This is the oldest surviving illustrated biblical text.
The Vienna Genesis
The soaring audience hall of the Achaemenid Persian kings was an imposing space, designed to impress.
Persepolis: The Audience Hall of Darius and ...
A luxury reserved for royals, moralized bibles paired image and text. Their commentary compared 13th-century bad guys to biblical villains.
Bible moralisée (moralized bibles)
Like a comic without words, these frescoes tell the story of Christ and his parents—and give their patron a cameo.
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel
Athena's great temple has inspired for 2,500 years, and only became a ruin fairly recently.
The Parthenon, Athens
Did Hunefer live an ethical life? See the judgment of the Egyptian gods—who weigh Hunefer’s heart.
Hunefer’s Judgement in the presence of Osiris
This massive temple complex was a major religious center—and its architecture mirrors ancient Egyptian creation myths.
Temple of Amun-Re and the Hypostyle Hall, ...
It’s the oldest story in the book, but Dürer made it new. Printed in multiple, his creation traveled far and wide.
Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve
Demons as haunting as these could be a sign of delirium, or just another of Grünewald’s otherworldly creations.
Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece
Love, fear, indignation, and grief. Leonardo weaves together a wide spectrum of human emotion.
Leonardo, Last Supper
This domestic building references ancient Roman architecture—and the nearby Medici palace.
Leon Battista Alberti, Palazzo Rucellai
This city within a city is famed for its three highly decorative palaces and their equally elaborate gardens.
The Alhambra
This florid box, designed to hold cosmetics, attests to the rich ivory carving tradition of Islamic Spain.
Pyxis of al-Mughira
Taut skin, exposed ribs, a bleeding wound—this Christ suffered in both life and death. Medieval viewers took solace in his pain.
Röttgen Pietà
This visually dazzling manuscript helped lift King Louis IX to sainthood. A dedication page shows the book’s illuminator at work.
Saint Louis Bible (Moralized Bible or Bible ...
Recycled Roman columns fill the prayer hall of this dazzling mosque, one of the oldest built in Islamic Spain.
The Great Mosque of Córdoba
No splashes of wine stain this luxurious book! Its 56 miniatures illustrate the story of Passover.
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