Floor plan

Time and placeThe 14th century

The 14th century

"The Four Knights of Kai Khusrau in the Mountains", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings), by Abu'l Qasim Firdausi, dated 741 AH/1341 CE
Spring Dawn over the Elixir Terrace, by Lu Guang, ca. 1369
The Last Supper, by Ugolino da Siena (Ugolino di Nerio), ca. 1325
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.
Dragon pine, by Wu Boli, late 14th–early 15th century
Christ in Majesty with the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist: Single Leaf from a Book of Rules, by Master of the Washington Coronation, c. 1310–20
Vibrantly colored mythical scene depicting people, animals, and dragons in front of mountains.
The Crucifixion, by Pietro Lorenzetti, 1340s

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. "The Four Knights of Kai Khusrau in the Mountains", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings), by Abu'l Qasim Firdausi, dated 741 AH/1341 CE
    "The Four Knights of Kai Khusrau in the Mountains", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)Abu'l Qasim Firdausi, dated 741 AH/1341 CECourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Spring Dawn over the Elixir Terrace, by Lu Guang, ca. 1369
    Spring Dawn over the Elixir TerraceLu Guang, ca. 1369Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. 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
  4. 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

First room, south 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. Christ in Majesty with the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist: Single Leaf from a Book of Rules, by Master of the Washington Coronation, c. 1310–20
    Christ in Majesty with the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist: Single Leaf from a Book of RulesMaster of the Washington Coronation, c. 1310–20Courtesy of the Cleveland 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
  4. The Crucifixion, by Pietro Lorenzetti, 1340s
    The CrucifixionPietro Lorenzetti, 1340sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript, by Ahmad ibn al-Suhrawardi al-Bakri, dated 707 AH/1307–8 CE
    Folio from a Qur'an ManuscriptAhmad ibn al-Suhrawardi al-Bakri, dated 707 AH/1307–8 CECourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Album leaf
    Sheep and shepherd-boy under a willowLi Song, 1368-1644Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  3. Book Cover, by Italian (Sienese) Painter
    Book CoverItalian (Sienese) PainterCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Portrait of Shun'oku Myōha, ca. 1383
    Portrait of Shun'oku MyōhaUnrecorded Japanese maker, ca. 1383Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. Album leaf
    Mounted traveler and servant bearing a zitherWu Wei, 1368-1644Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  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. "Gushtasp Slays the Rhino-Wolf", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings), by Abu'l Qasim Firdausi, ca. 1330–40
    "Gushtasp Slays the Rhino-Wolf", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)Abu'l Qasim Firdausi, ca. 1330–40Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Woods and Valleys of Mount Yu, by Ni Zan, dated 1372
    Woods and Valleys of Mount YuNi Zan, dated 1372Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art