Who’s that in the plumed hat? From emperors to kings, the painter Bichitr mastered court portraiture.
Location City: Washington D.C.
Though at first glance this nude seems plucked from classical antiquity, it actually alludes to modern politics.
Hiram Powers, The Greek Slave
This outfit was likely made for a British lieutenant and gifted to him in a ritual exchange to show mutual respect.
Global trade and an 18th-century Anishinaabe outfit
Found marking the grave of an important individual, this gorget was worn as a neck ornament during life.
Mississippian shell neck ornament (gorget)
Nampeyo found inspiration from the old to create a pottery style that was entirely new and highly sought after.
Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa), polychrome jar
Martinez’s distinctive style developed from studying Southwestern pottery and Modernist abstraction.
Julian Martinez, Buffalo Dancers
The artist used Spanish coins as models for the coats of arms woven into this basket in California, then New Spain.
Juana Basilia Sitmelelene, Presentation Basket (Chumash)
This canvas was rolled, varnished, reworked, and revised again. A classical scene, it once hung in a study.
Giovanni Bellini and Titian,The Feast of the ...
Over a thousand years before Instagram, Maya painted vases communicated about the lives of the rich and famous.
Politics and History on a Maya Vase
As the low candles and late hour suggest, Napoleon is short on time. David captures the twilight of his reign.
David, The Emperor Napoleon in His Study ...
Professional female artists were few in the Dutch Republic. Here, Leyster cultivates confidence in her abilities.
Judith Leyster, Self-Portrait
With honesty and directness, Rembrandt paints a “selfie.” His marked face captures aging—and the painting process.
Rembrandt, Self-Portrait (1659)
Is it a cautionary tale of vanity? A prompt for introspection? Art historians are still weighing the evidence.
Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance
Have print, will travel. New technologies of mechanical reproduction allowed Dürer to circulate his artistic ideas.
Albrecht Dürer’s woodcuts and engravings
Quiet and meditative, two kneeling shepherds set the painting’s tone—and allow the viewer to join them in worship.
Giorgione, The Adoration of the Shepherds
This modest painting never feels cramped in its circular frame. For all her humility, Mary has a monumental grace.
Raphael, The Alba Madonna
Depicting his subject in motion was a departure from the norm, making this painting the talk of the town.
Gilbert Stuart, The Skater
The artist transforms metal from alcohol bottles into textiles that represent libations for ancestors.
El Anatsui, Untitled
In spite its name, this jade figure was a ritual object and never used as an axe.
Kunz Axe (Olmec)
Take me out to the ballgame: hundreds of courts survive for a ritual ballgame that united Mesoamerican society.