This portrait is one of thousands stolen by the Nazis, and its story shows that the madness didn’t end with WWII.
Location City: Vienna
Silver ink on purple parchment—what luxury! This is the oldest surviving illustrated biblical text.
The Vienna Genesis
Two different portraits—it’s St. Matthew in both, but watch the style change from smooth modeling to frenzied brushwork.
Matthew in the Coronation Gospels and Ebbo ...
A family outing begins with a river crossing and ends with Jacob wrestling an angel. This story twists and turns.
The Story of Jacob from the Vienna ...
Join the birds and soar through this frozen landscape. On the pond below, playful scenes warm the air.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Hunters in the ...
A well-dressed artist paints Clio, the muse of history, but as with any Vermeer, the real subject here is light.
Johannes Vermeer, The Art of Painting
Bruegel offers up a slice of peasant life. Despite our historical distance, this is a wedding party we can attend.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Peasant Wedding
These three learned men differ in age, outlook, and dress. But do they represent religions, eras, or philosophies?
Giorgione, Three Philosophers
Without historical sources, what gives an artist authority to depict the divine? Gossaert channels St. Luke.
Jan Gossaert, Saint Luke Painting the Madonna
What a show-off! Hoping to win a papal commission, the confident young painter foregrounds his hand—and his skill.
Parmigianino, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror
With her open mouth, tilted head, and soft flesh, Io exudes sensuality, giving herself up willingly to Jupiter.
Correggio, Jupiter and Io
Just another day in Hell. Bosch’s seemingly endless representations of pain and suffering betray his dark vision.
Hieronymus Bosch, Last Judgment Triptych
With gold that recalls a Byzantine art, Klimt created a modern icon in this cosmic and eternal painting.
Gustav Klimt, The Kiss
Originally part of a total work of art, this frieze was accompanied by a sculpture of Beethoven and music by him.
Gustav Klimt, Beethoven Frieze
Made for a Christian ruler by Islamic artisans, this cloak is full of Islamic motifs and cosmological references.
Coronation Mantle
Such a gruesome act; such a passive woman. But is she really so refined? With Cranach, meaning is never clear-cut.
Lucas Cranach the Elder, Judith with the ...
From the ruffled veil around Mary’s face to the lancet windows of a very Gothic Jerusalem, Rogier revels in detail.
Rogier van der Weyden, Crucifixion Triptych
Get out your Pantone colors—and count the shades of green. With stunning precision, Dürer elevates humble ground.
Albrecht Dürer, The Large Piece of Turf
The body’s expressive contortions reflect sculptural tradition, but Schiele used it to express the interior self.
Egon Schiele, Seated Male Nude (Self-Portrait)
Is Schiele’s haunted figure meant to be a famed Austrian artist or Jesus Christ—or both?