Silver ink on purple parchment—what luxury! This is the oldest surviving illustrated biblical text.
Location City: Vienna
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
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
A perpetual construction site, this tower rises and falls—just like each of us.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Tower of Babel
Roman rubble litters the ground at St. Sebastian’s feet. His nude body also recalls the antique past.
Andrea Mantegna, Saint Sebastian
The name of this prehistoric sculpture refers to a Roman goddess—but what did she originally represent?
Venus of Willendorf
The Mexica were long-distance traders, and Tenochtitlan received luxury goods from distant conquered cities.
Aztec feathered headdress
Even the smallest carvings, seen only by a select few, could carry a strong political message.