The fire that engulfed the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was a terrible tragedy—though not an unusual one.
Location Country: France
This portrait of an unnamed woman speaks volumes about slavery, politics, and gender in revolutionary France.
Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Portrait of Madeleine
Such a tease! This ambiguous portrait plays psychological and optical games with the viewer.
Leonardo, The Mona Lisa
Shown with an architectural plan in his lap, this prince constructed temples to the gods and likenesses of himself.
Seated Gudea holding temple plan
Mary’s swaying hip, elongated neck, and tender touch of the Christ Child all imbue this golden sculpture with grace. A pomegranate signals death.
Humanizing Mary: the Virgin of Jeanne d’Evreux
Glass fills a staggering three quarters of this chapel’s walls. The entire building serves as a reliquary for the crown of thorns.
Sainte-Chapelle, Paris
Artificial? Moi? This genuine portrait of familial affection challenged assumptions about the aristocracy.
Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait with her Daughter
Above the entrance to Amiens, animated figures and flowing drapery attest to the increasing naturalism of Gothic sculpture in the 13th century.
Amiens Cathedral
Weightless walls of glass and lifelike sculpture—in its freedom and invention, the great cathedral at Reims typifies High Gothic style.
Reims Cathedral
This energetic image of military victory captures a moment of transition between classical and Byzantine art.
The Emperor Triumphant (Barberini Ivory)
Animal sacrifice played an important role in ancient Roman religion, but what was involved in the preparation?
Preparations for a Sacrifice
Perrault’s unified design updated the columns of ancient temples to suit modern French taste.
Claude Perrault, East façade of the Louvre
This remarkable object takes its subject from European prints, but was made by an indigenous artist.
Featherworks: The Mass of St. Gregory
This well-preserved building in modern-day France is a textbook example of a Vitruvian temple.
Maison Carrée
The calendar pages of this sumptuous prayer book depict seasonal life. Above it all, constellations help mark time.
Limbourg brothers, Très Riches Heures du Duc ...
Uniting ancient Greek purity with Gothic daring, this church marked a new direction for French architecture.
Soufflot, The Panthéon (Church of Ste-Geneviève), Paris
This Neoclassical monument to Napoleon’s army was modeled on an ancient Roman temple in Nîmes, just much bigger.
Vignon, Church of La Madeleine
Was this the beginning of the end for David—or a new dawn? As far as portraits of Napoleon go, there’s none better.
Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Complete with barnyard guests, this rural wedding party embodies the Enlightenment idea of “natural” man.
Jean-Baptiste Greuze, The Village Bride
In style and story, this rigorously organized canvas looked back to antiquity; it soon became an icon of Revolution.