Apollo 11 Stones
Oldest African art, charcoal on stone, depicts animal silhouette, created by mobile hunters and gatherers.
Great Hall of the Bulls
Paleolithic rock painting in France, depicts hunting scenes, animals, and battles between man and bull.
Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine
Bone sculpture from Mexico, altered to resemble a dog head, considered a sacred bone.
Running Horned Woman
Rock painting in Algeria, shows a woman running with soldiers, adorned with tattoos and ceremonial clothing.
Beaker with Ibex Motifs
Painted terra cotta from Iran, features goat and dog designs, geometric patterns, found in a cemetery.
Anthropomorphic Stele
Sandstone sculpture from the Arabian Peninsula, possibly a grave marker or monument to a leader.
Jade Cong
Carved Jade artifact from China, intricate details, shaped by rubbing with abrasive sand, found in graves.
Stonehenge
Neolithic ceremonial site in the UK, constructed in three phases, associated with astronomy and calendars.
The Ambum Stone
Sculpture from Papua New Guinea, depicts an anteater, one of the oldest in Oceania, used for grinding food.
Tlatilco Female Figurine
Ceramic figurine from Central Mexico, features a split personality, emphasis on wide hips and waist.
Terra cotta Fragment
Terra cotta artifact from the Solomon Islands, stylized human face, used for storing or serving food.
Temple of Athena Nike
Located in Athens, it was burned down and featured Doric and Ionic columns, influencing classical architecture.
Grave Stele of Hegeso
A marble grave marker depicting a servant and Hegeso, reflecting patriarchal society in Athens with hierarchical scale.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
A Hellenistic Greek sculpture of Nike, symbolizing victory and movement, commemorating naval victory.
Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon
A Hellenistic Greek structure depicting Gods vs Giants, showcasing power and ionic orders.
House of the Vettii
A Pompeii home owned by former slaves, displaying wealth and social status through decoration.
Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun
A Roman mosaic depicting Alexander the Great's battle, showing naturalism and Hellenistic influence.
Seated Boxer
A Hellenistic Greek bronze sculpture of a defeated boxer, emphasizing emotion and naturalism.
Head of a Roman Patrician
A Republican Roman marble portrait showing verism and seriousness, reflecting the virtue of a public career.
Augustus of Prima Porta
An Imperial Roman marble statue idealizing Augustus, used for propaganda and referencing Greek style.
Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater)
An Imperial Roman structure symbolizing power, using concrete and classic orders for entertainment.
Forum of Trajan
A Roman forum depicting Trajan's victories, emphasizing imperial power and civic spaces.
Pantheon
An Imperial Roman temple turned church, featuring a dome and influential Renaissance architecture elements.
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
A Late Imperial Roman marble sarcophagus with a narrative of Romans vs Goths, showcasing organized chaos.
Catacomb of Priscilla
Late Antique European burial site with early Christian art and iconography, depicting scenes from the Bible.
Santa Sabina
A Late Antique European basilica with depictions of crucifixion, aiming to inspire and impress people to join Christianity.
Alhambra
A palace complex in Granada, Spain, showcasing wealth with various palaces, gardens, and ornamental elements like geometric forms and reflecting water.
Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece)
A painting depicting the Annunciation scene with symbolic details, patrons, and attention to detail by Robert Campin in the Netherlands.
Pazzi Chapel
A centrally-planned chapel in Florence, Italy, commissioned by the Pazzi family, featuring Corinthian columns, barrel vaults, and Pietra Serena Stone.
The Arnolfini Portrait
A painting by Jan van Eyck showing wealth symbols, attention to detail, and a double portrait of a married couple during the Northern Renaissance.
David
A bronze sculpture by Donatello depicting the biblical story of David and Goliath, showcasing contrapposto and humanistic expressions.
Palazzo Rucellai
A building in Florence, Italy, designed by Leon Battista Alberti, reflecting Greek and Roman architecture, emphasizing measure, and housing the Rucellai family.
Madonna and Child with Two Angels
A painting by Fra Filippo commissioned by the Medici family, portraying a simple and playful depiction of Mary, Angels, and Christ.
Birth of Venus
A painting by Botticelli depicting the birth of Venus with modesty, wind sprites, and mythological elements during the Italian Renaissance.
Last Supper
A painting by Leonardo da Vinci showing the biblical event with individualized features, linear perspective, and the use of Sfumato technique.
Adam and Eve
An engraving by Albrecht Durer symbolizing the four humors, human-animal connection, and the biblical story of Adam and Eve.
Sistine Chapel ceiling and altar wall Frescoes
Artworks by Michelangelo in Vatican City depicting biblical scenes, idealized beauty, and muscular autonomy.
Schools of Athens
A fresco by Raphael in the Vatican showing famous philosophers, linear perspective, and a tribute to human knowledge.
Isenheim Altarpiece
A devotional artwork by Matthias Grunewald depicting Christ's life progression and serving as the central object in an Isenheim hospital.
Entombment of Christ
An altarpiece by Jacopo da Pontormo showcasing Mannerism characteristics and rejecting Renaissance traditions.
Allegory of Law and Grace
A woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder reflecting Protestant Reformation ideals and the role of law and grace in relation to God.
Venus of Urbino
A painting by Titian representing sensuality, realism, and symbolism like fidelity and beauty during the Renaissance.
Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza
An artwork from the Viceroyalty of New Spain containing information about the Aztec empire and their capital, Tenochtitlan.
II Gesu, including Triumph of the Name of Jesus ceiling Fresco
A church in Rome with Baroque frescoes, Jesuit influences, and a basilica plan in response to the Protestant Reformation.
Architecture in the Realist Period
Characterized by authority with scrolls, barrel vaulting, and Corinthian columns.
Lively Painting Techniques
Utilizes movement, color, and shadow to create an illusion of three-dimensionality.
Hunters in the Snow
Painting by Pieter Bruegal depicting an unsuccessful hunt, focusing on landscape and everyday activities.
Mosque of Selim II
Ottoman mosque showcasing dome, Qibla, buttresses, minarets, and abundant windows.
Baroque Style in Art
Features theatrical action, diagonal lines, gritty realism, and contemporary clothing.
Henri IV Receives the Portrait of Marie de’ Medici
Painting by Rubens portraying ancient mythology and Roman gods/goddesses.
Self-Portrait with Saskia
Etching by Rembrandt depicting an intimate moment with depth created through hatching.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
Borromini's architectural masterpiece with motion, geometric structure, and "secret" windows.
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
Bernini's Baroque sculpture representing a spiritual vision and the connection between heaven and earth.
Angel with Arquebus
Painting symbolizing the power and political influence of the Spanish government during the Counter Reformation.
Las Meninas
Velázquez's painting from the perspective of the king and queen, emphasizing illusion of depth and naturalism.
Woman Holding a Balance
Vermeer's painting symbolizing wealth, piety, and self-knowledge during the Baroque period.
The Palace of Versailles
Architectural marvel symbolizing the power and importance of King Louis XIV.
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade
Spanish adaptation of Japanese folding screen with political undertones.
The Virgin of Guadalupe
Painting based on a divine theme, emphasizing sacredness through decoration with mother of pearl.
Fruit and Insects
Still life painting by Rachel Ruysch symbolizing the natural world and mastery of detail.
Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo
Painting depicting inter-ethnic mixing in New Spain and social hierarchy perceptions.
The Tete a Tete
Hogarth's painting satirizing aristocratic marriages during the industrial revolution.
Portrait of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
Cabrera's painting of the first feminist nun, showcasing her intelligence and assertive gaze.
A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery
Wright's painting reflecting Enlightenment ideas and the Scientific Revolution.
Daguerreotype
An early photographic process using iodine sensitized silverplate and mercury vapor, highlighting the artistic value of the subject matter.
Liberty Leading the People
A Romantic painting symbolizing revolutionary beliefs, featuring Liberty as a personification of freedom and a mix of classes fighting for liberty.
Gothic Revival
A style exemplified by the Palace of Westminster, combining Romantic Victorian ideals with modern construction techniques in response to industrialization.
Realism
A movement led by Gustave Courbet, rejecting neoclassical norms and focusing on depicting the common man and social statements.
Impressionism
An art style exemplified by Claude Monet's The Saint-Lazare Station, focusing on shape, color, and less on realism, capturing modern scenes.
Post-Impressionism
A movement seen in Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night, emphasizing marks over light, experimenting with varying light and weather depictions.
Cubism
A movement initiated by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, characterized by abstracting and simplifying forms, as seen in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.
Symbolism
Represented in Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, using gold leaf and Byzantine style to create a modern icon with ambiguous expressions.
Analytic Cubism
Early Cubism style depicted in Georges Braque's The Portuguese, featuring fragmentary views and overlapping planes to create abstraction.
Modernist Photography
Alfred Stieglitz's The Steerage marks the transition from pictorialist to modernist photography, focusing on formal aspects and artistry over symbolism.
Matisse's Style
Light and Airy paintings with complementary colors, idealistic paradise, and happiness, characterized by patterning and flattened space.
Kandinsky's Abstract Art
Depicts the natural world in an abstract way, aiming for a "piece of music" experience with sound and color, leading to abstract impressionism.
Kirchner's Self-Portrait
Reflects Die Brucke movement, painted during WW1 recuperation, expressing anxiety with jarring colors and nightmarish qualities.
Kollwitz's Memorial Sheet
Depicts grief over WW1 loss, themes of war and poverty, using woodcut to show martyrdom and working-class struggles.
Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye
Represents modernist architecture, focusing on functionality and clean living, inspired by ancient buildings and utilizing every space.
Mondrian's Composition
Inspired by Cubism, uses primary colors and asymmetrical balance to represent human evolution and progress.
Stepanova's Propaganda Art
Depicts the 5-year plan's success through photomontage, aiming to sway people for the USSR's political system.
Oppenheim's Surrealist Object
Surrealist piece inspired by a conversation with Picasso, revolutionizing human experience through odd assemblies.
Fallingwater Architecture
Organic architecture blending nature and home, featuring cantilever construction and large windows, considered a modern architectural masterpiece.
Kahlo's The Two Fridas
Surrealist self-portrait expressing emotional pain through symbolism, featuring a bond between two forms and references to her divorce and health issues.
Chiapas, Mexico
Example of classic Maya architecture with exemplary relief sculptures and a major influence of the Jaguar, commissioned by Shield Jaguar II.
Great Serpent Mound
Effigy mound in Ohio representing celestial knowledge of Native Americans and the largest serpent effigy mound in the world.
Templo Mayor
Aztec main temple devoted to gods Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli, showcasing the sophistication of Aztec culture.
Ruler's feather headdress
Aztec headdress made of quetzal and cotinga feathers, believed to be worn by a king.
City of Cusco
Incan capital known for its organized building techniques and mix of Spanish Baroque features with Incan materials.
Maize cobs
Metal alloy sculptures from Incan City of Cusco used in ritual activities as offerings to deities.
City of Machu Picchu
Incan architectural complex divided into terraces, showcasing Incan building techniques and culture.
All-T’oqapu tunic
Incan tunic representing diverse groups with elaborate designs and royal depictions.
Bandolier bag
Lenape beadwork bag influenced by European materials and worn by men in ceremonies.
Transformation mask
Kwakwaka’wakw ceremonial headdress symbolizing transformation and ancestral worship.
Painted elk hide
Eastern Shoshone artwork depicting daily life scenes to appeal to tourists and affirm native identity.
Black-on-black ceramic vessel
Puebloan ceramic vessel by Maria and Julian Martinez, known for its abstract geometric style.
Conical tower and circular wall of Great Zimbabwe
Symbol of power and prestige of Great Zimbabwe rulers, possibly used for rituals.
Great Mosque of Djenné
Largest mud-built structure in Mali, serving as a religious and community center.
Wall plaque from Oba’s palace
Benin brass plaque depicting Oba lineage and mixing African and European cultural elements.
Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool)
Ashanti symbol of royalty and soul of the Ashanti people, protected and revered.