Floor plan

Time and placeThe 14th century

The 14th century

Simple Retreat, by Wang Meng, ca. 1370
Hanging scroll (mounted on panel)
Shown from the waist up, a woman wearing a garnet-red robe rests a book and a palm frond against a spiked wheel, all against a gold background in this arched, vertical painting. The woman’s light skin is tinged with pale green, and her cheeks are faint pink. Her shoulders face us, and she slightly looks up and off to our right with gray eyes under curved brows. She has a long, straight nose, and her small, full, bow-shaped lips are closed. Her wavy blond hair is parted down the middle and pulled back at the base of her head. Her red robe has a pattern of delicate diamond shapes and the underside is white, visible where it turns over around the neck. The robe is fastened with a round, gold disk the size of a DVD. Letters there read, “S.K.A.T.E.R.I.N.A.” around the perimeter of a four-lobed, red, blue, and gold geometric design at the center of the brooch. The sky-blue garment beneath her robe has a marine-blue collar. She clasps the palm frond in her left hand, to our right. The hand rests on the book, which is propped against the wheel in front of her, so the frond reaches beyond and above that shoulder, nearly to the edge of the painting. The wheel is edged with short, curving spikes like talons. The woman’s gold crown and round halo blend into the shimmering gold background, which is visibly cracked in some areas. The top of the panel curves up as if into an arch but is cut across the panel over her halo.
"Muhammad's Call to Prophecy and the First Revelation", Folio from a Majma' al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Histories), by Hafiz-i Abru, ca. 1425
Handscroll
Mahasiddha Jnanatapa, ca. 1350
This is a drawing of a decorated manuscript page. The image features an ornate design with illuminated letters and intricate floral borders. The text is in Latin, written in a Gothic script, with larger, stylized letters at the beginning of paragraphs. Floral motifs and vine patterns, painted in vibrant colors including gold, blue, and red, frame the text. Illustrations of a bird and a peacock are integrated into the decorative borders. A small heraldic shield appears just below the middle of the page, adding a heraldic element to the composition. The craftsmanship and artistry associated with illuminated manuscript traditions are showcased, inviting viewers to appreciate the detailed embellishments and the skillful blending of text and imagery.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in the 14th century, anywhere in the world.

First room, north wall

  1. Simple Retreat, by Wang Meng, ca. 1370
    Simple RetreatWang Meng, ca. 1370Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Hanging scroll (mounted on panel)
    After the rain: fishing nets drying on the shoreTraditionally attributed to Li Tang, 1368-1644Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  3. Shown from the waist up, a woman wearing a garnet-red robe rests a book and a palm frond against a spiked wheel, all against a gold background in this arched, vertical painting. The woman’s light skin is tinged with pale green, and her cheeks are faint pink. Her shoulders face us, and she slightly looks up and off to our right with gray eyes under curved brows. She has a long, straight nose, and her small, full, bow-shaped lips are closed. Her wavy blond hair is parted down the middle and pulled back at the base of her head. Her red robe has a pattern of delicate diamond shapes and the underside is white, visible where it turns over around the neck. The robe is fastened with a round, gold disk the size of a DVD. Letters there read, “S.K.A.T.E.R.I.N.A.” around the perimeter of a four-lobed, red, blue, and gold geometric design at the center of the brooch. The sky-blue garment beneath her robe has a marine-blue collar. She clasps the palm frond in her left hand, to our right. The hand rests on the book, which is propped against the wheel in front of her, so the frond reaches beyond and above that shoulder, nearly to the edge of the painting. The wheel is edged with short, curving spikes like talons. The woman’s gold crown and round halo blend into the shimmering gold background, which is visibly cracked in some areas. The top of the panel curves up as if into an arch but is cut across the panel over her halo.
    Saint Catherine of AlexandriaBartolomeo Bulgarini, c. 1335/1340Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. "Muhammad's Call to Prophecy and the First Revelation", Folio from a Majma' al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Histories), by Hafiz-i Abru, ca. 1425
    "Muhammad's Call to Prophecy and the First Revelation", Folio from a Majma' al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Histories)Hafiz-i Abru, ca. 1425Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

First room, south wall

  1. Handscroll
    Palace ladies tuning a zither (qin)Traditionally attributed to Zhou Fang, 1368-1644Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  2. Mahasiddha Jnanatapa, ca. 1350
    Mahasiddha JnanatapaUnrecorded Himalayan maker, ca. 1350Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. This is a drawing of a decorated manuscript page. The image features an ornate design with illuminated letters and intricate floral borders. The text is in Latin, written in a Gothic script, with larger, stylized letters at the beginning of paragraphs. Floral motifs and vine patterns, painted in vibrant colors including gold, blue, and red, frame the text. Illustrations of a bird and a peacock are integrated into the decorative borders. A small heraldic shield appears just below the middle of the page, adding a heraldic element to the composition. The craftsmanship and artistry associated with illuminated manuscript traditions are showcased, inviting viewers to appreciate the detailed embellishments and the skillful blending of text and imagery.
    Manuscript Leaf from a Book of Hours (incip. Passionis)Unrecorded French maker, 1390Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Second room, south wall

  1. The Assumption of the Virgin, by Bernardo Daddi, 1337–38
    The Assumption of the VirginBernardo Daddi, 1337–38Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The Crucifixion, by Pietro Lorenzetti, 1340s
    The CrucifixionPietro Lorenzetti, 1340sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Vibrantly colored mythical scene depicting people, animals, and dragons in front of mountains.
    Milarepa on Mount KailashUnrecorded Himalayan maker, c. 1500Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Second room, north wall

  1. Dragon pine, by Wu Boli, late 14th–early 15th century
    Dragon pineWu Boli, late 14th–early 15th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Saint Andrew, by Simone Martini, ca. 1326
    Saint AndrewSimone Martini, ca. 1326Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Lineage Portrait of an Abbot, ca. 1350
    Lineage Portrait of an AbbotUnrecorded Himalayan maker, ca. 1350Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Album leaf
    Dragon among cloudsTraditionally attributed to Chen Rong, 1368-1644Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution

Third room, north wall

  1. The Last Supper, by Ugolino da Siena (Ugolino di Nerio), ca. 1325
    The Last SupperUgolino da Siena (Ugolino di Nerio), ca. 1325Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The Adoration of the Magi, by Giotto di Bondone, possibly ca. 1320
    The Adoration of the MagiGiotto di Bondone, possibly ca. 1320Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art