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16th-century Italy

Works made in Italy in the 16th century.

66 works · hang 2505 ·

The rooms are imagined; every work on their walls is real.

Walk this roomRehang this room

First room, north wall

  1. Saint John the Baptist Bearing Witness, by Annibale Carracci, ca. 1600
    Saint John the Baptist Bearing WitnessAnnibale Carracci, ca. 1600Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The Musicians, by Caravaggio, 1597
    The MusiciansCaravaggio, 1597Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the BaptistJacopo Bassano, 1560–65Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

First room, south wall

  1. Six women, eight men, two satyrs, and one child gather in pairs and trios in a loose row that spans the width of this nearly square painting. They are set within a landscape with craggy rocks, cliffs, and trees. Most of the people face us, and the men, women, and child have pale skin. The two satyrs have men’s torsos and furry goat’s legs, and they have darker, olive complexions. Most of the men wear voluminous, knee-length togas wrapped in short robes in shades of white, topaz blue, grass green, coral orange, or rose pink. Most of the women wear long, dress-like garments in tones of shell pink, apricot orange, or lapis blue over white sleeves. For all but one woman, their garments have fallen off one shoulder to reveal a round, firm breast. Several objects are strewn on the rocky, dirt ground in front of the group, including a wide, wooden bucket with a piece of paper affixed to its front to our right, a glass goblet, a pitchfork, a large blue and white ceramic dish filled with grapes and small yellow fruits, and an overturned cup near the center. Cliff-like, craggy rocks rise steeply behind the group to our left, filling much of the sky opposite a tall grove of leafy, dark green trees to our right. A few puffy white clouds float across the vivid blue sky. The slip of paper on the barrel has been inscribed, “joannes bellinus venetus p MDXIIII.”
    The Feast of the GodsGiovanni Bellini, 1514/1529Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Portrait of Vincenzo Guarignoni, by Giovanni Battista Moroni, c. 1572
    Portrait of Vincenzo GuarignoniGiovanni Battista Moroni, c. 1572Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. Virgin and Child with Saints, c. 1510
    Virgin and Child with SaintsUnrecorded Italian maker, c. 1510Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of a Young Man, by Dosso Dossi, c. 1530
    Portrait of a Young ManDosso Dossi, c. 1530Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. The image shows a human figure with wings positioned as though in flight. The figure is captured from a slightly frontal perspective, with the head turned downwards and the right arm outstretched. The facial features are undefined, focusing more on the body's muscular structure. The figure wears a cloth or drapery around the waist and has well-defined muscles on the chest, arms, and legs. Large wings extend out behind the figure, adding to the sense of flight. The background is plain with a light texture.
    A Flying AngelJacopo Palma il Giovane, 1580/1590Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Second room, north wall

  1. A work made of engraving in black on cream laid paper.
    The Academy of Baccio BandinelliEnea Vico, 1544/50, printed c. 1560sCourtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Vividly colored painting of Virgin Mary with baby Jesus and baby John the Baptist.
    Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the BaptistAntonio da Correggio, c. 1515Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Bright light from the upper left illuminates two muscular men and a winged angel against a dim landscape in this square painting. They all have pale skin, and the two men have dark brown hair and beards. One man, Jesus, stands ankle-deep in a rippling dark blue stream in the center of the composition facing us with downcast eyes. He is nude except for a white cloth that drapes over one shoulder and is tied around his hips. The other end of the cloth drops into the water. Jesus’s hands are pressed together in prayer at chest-height closer to his right shoulder, to our left. He leans his torso in the other direction and looks down at the water. The second man stands on the riverbank to our right. His body faces our left but his left shoulder, closer to us, dips down so his broad back is angled toward us. His lower body is wrapped in a cobalt-blue garment bordered with what looks like sheepskin. His near hand swings back to clutch the trunk of a tree growing immediately behind him. In his other hand, he holds up a pewter-grey dish that dribbles water onto Jesus’s head. On the left riverbank, the copper-haired angel looks on, facing our right in profile but the body faces us. The angel wears a sleeveless, pumpkin-orange robe with a shimmering salmon-pink mantle draped over the right shoulder, to our left. Petal-pink and dark grey wings extend from the shoulders, and the lower legs and feet are bare. The shadowy landscape has a dark green field stretching back to jagged, sapphire-blue mountains along the horizon, which comes four-fifths of the way up this composition. Pale blue clouds skim across the vivid blue sky, where three chubby, winged babies float. One holds a triangle and a rod with which to strike it, and another might hold a rectangular musical instrument. Blue clouds split nearby to show a sliver of golden yellow light, and possibly more angels.
    The Baptism of ChristParis Bordone, c. 1535/1540Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Third room, north wall

  1. A young woman with a pale, peachy skin is shown from waist up, wearing a shimmering, royal-blue dress in this vertical painting. Her body is angled to our right as she holds a metal object, perhaps a vessel or incense burner, in her hands by her chest. She turns and tilts her head to our left, but then looks back across her body, off to our right with flint-gray eyes. She has a full, oval-shaped face with a straight nose, smooth cheeks, and her pale pink lips are closed. A gray pearl earring hangs from the ear we can see. Her auburn-brown hair is parted down the middle, and loosely pulled back into a braid that brushes her left shoulder, to our right. The blue dress has a square neckline and a fitted bodice. Light glints off the fabric, shading it from royal to sapphire blue. A voluminous white sleeve is rolled back to her right elbow, to our left. That arm and hand nearly span the width of the painting as she holds the vessel, which has a conical top, near the lower right corner of the composition. The background is solid black.
    Portrait of a Young Woman as a Wise VirginSebastiano del Piombo, c. 1510Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of black chalk (recto), and black chalk and pen and black ink (verso), on ivory laid paper.
    Virgin and Child with Saints Peter and John the Baptist (recto); Saint John the Baptist (verso)Pietro d' Asaro, n.d.Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. The Baptism of Christ, by Jacopo Bassano, ca. 1590
    The Baptism of ChristJacopo Bassano, ca. 1590Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Third room, south wall

  1. Study for the Nude Youth over the Prophet Daniel (recto); Figure Studies for the Sistine Ceiling (verso), by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1510–11
    Study for the Nude Youth over the Prophet Daniel (recto); Figure Studies for the Sistine Ceiling (verso)Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1510–11Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. A work made of etching in black on cream laid paper.
    Saint Catherine of Siena Receiving the StigmataFrancesco Vanni, c. 1595Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago