Floor plan

Time and placeThe 16th century

The 16th century

Venus and Cupid, by Lorenzo Lotto, 1520s
Latona Giving Birth to Apollo and Diana on the Island of Delos, by Diana Scultori, 1561-1565
A nude woman, pudgy child, and two satyrs, which have men’s heads and torsos with goat’s legs and horns, are in a landscape in this octagonal painting. The scene is divided in half by a tree stump which only reaches to the center of the composition. To the left of the stump, the pale-skinned, nude child stands and hunches over to draw on the ground with a V-shaped compass. Two pieces of paper and a violin lie nearby. The landscape behind him has a body of water leading back to a town with buildings streaked with peach, perhaps flames. A band of peach sky separates the blue silhouettes of mountains lining the horizon from the vivid blue sky above. At the bottom center of the painting, a shield with an oval horizontally striped with red and white leans on the boy’s side of the tree, which has one leafy branch growing on the left side. One satyr holds a jug and kneels close to the tree with his back to it as he looks back over one shoulder. He and the other satyr both have dark, peach-toned skin and full beards. The second satyr hovers to the right of the nude, sleeping woman, both hands reaching for her or the rose-pink cloth surrounding her. The woman has blond curls, a round face, and she sleeps with one hand resting across her belly and her head tipped to our left. The trio are on a grassy area enclosed by dense, dark-green bushes and trees.
Two women and a man support the gray, lifeless body of a nearly nude man along a stone ledge in this vertical painting. The people have pale skin, except for the dead man at the center, Jesus, who has ash-white skin with dark shadows around his closed eyes. He has a long straight nose, and his lips are slightly parted. He has a brown beard, and his long, wavy hair falls away from his face. A white cloth wraps across his hips, and blood trickles from a gash over his right ribs and holes in his feet. A woman and man prop him up on either side, each holding Jesus by a limp arm, and each has a faint, gold halo encircling their heads. To our left, the woman holds her face close to his, her brows deeply furrowed and her mouth wide open, teeth showing. Her forehead, chin, and neck are covered by a white veil, worn under navy-blue cloak that covers her head and body. The cloak falls open over one arm and a bent knee to reveal her long-sleeved, lighter blue dress. On Jesus’s other side, a cleanshaven man with curly brown hair holds Jesus’s arm with both hands. The man’s eyes squint with tears as he tips his head toward Jesus. His pink lips are parted, and the corner of the mouth we can see is pulled down. He wears an emerald-green, long-sleeved tunic under a vivid red cloth that wraps around his right arm, waist, and left leg. The fourth and final person is a woman sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around Jesus’s crossed ankles. She sits with one foot tucked under her body and the other leg out straight. Waist-length, wavy, auburn-brown hair falls freely over her shoulders and across her face, but we can see her downturned, open mouth and nearly closed eyes. She wears a rose-pink dress, cinched at the waist. A brown cloth wraps around her waist and right leg. A cylindrical, lidded, white jar sits on the dirt ground nearby. The group is arranged in front a thigh-high stone ledge, except for the man in green and red, who steps into what is presumably the coffin. A rocky outcropping to our right has a cave-like opening with grasses and growth along the top. The landscape beyond has a dirt path winding between pine-green hills dotted with trees. Two slate-blue buildings perch atop one hill. White clouds float across the blue sky above.
"Farhad Carves a Milk Channel for Shirin", Folio 74 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, by Nizami, dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
Samson and the Lion, from "The Story of Samson", ca. 1560–80

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in the 16th century, anywhere in the world.

First room, north wall

  1. Venus and Cupid, by Lorenzo Lotto, 1520s
    Venus and CupidLorenzo Lotto, 1520sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Latona Giving Birth to Apollo and Diana on the Island of Delos, by Diana Scultori, 1561-1565
    Latona Giving Birth to Apollo and Diana on the Island of DelosDiana Scultori, 1561-1565Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A nude woman, pudgy child, and two satyrs, which have men’s heads and torsos with goat’s legs and horns, are in a landscape in this octagonal painting. The scene is divided in half by a tree stump which only reaches to the center of the composition. To the left of the stump, the pale-skinned, nude child stands and hunches over to draw on the ground with a V-shaped compass. Two pieces of paper and a violin lie nearby. The landscape behind him has a body of water leading back to a town with buildings streaked with peach, perhaps flames. A band of peach sky separates the blue silhouettes of mountains lining the horizon from the vivid blue sky above. At the bottom center of the painting, a shield with an oval horizontally striped with red and white leans on the boy’s side of the tree, which has one leafy branch growing on the left side. One satyr holds a jug and kneels close to the tree with his back to it as he looks back over one shoulder. He and the other satyr both have dark, peach-toned skin and full beards. The second satyr hovers to the right of the nude, sleeping woman, both hands reaching for her or the rose-pink cloth surrounding her. The woman has blond curls, a round face, and she sleeps with one hand resting across her belly and her head tipped to our left. The trio are on a grassy area enclosed by dense, dark-green bushes and trees.
    AllegoryPietro degli Ingannati, c. 1515-1525Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First room, south wall

  1. Two women and a man support the gray, lifeless body of a nearly nude man along a stone ledge in this vertical painting. The people have pale skin, except for the dead man at the center, Jesus, who has ash-white skin with dark shadows around his closed eyes. He has a long straight nose, and his lips are slightly parted. He has a brown beard, and his long, wavy hair falls away from his face. A white cloth wraps across his hips, and blood trickles from a gash over his right ribs and holes in his feet. A woman and man prop him up on either side, each holding Jesus by a limp arm, and each has a faint, gold halo encircling their heads. To our left, the woman holds her face close to his, her brows deeply furrowed and her mouth wide open, teeth showing. Her forehead, chin, and neck are covered by a white veil, worn under navy-blue cloak that covers her head and body. The cloak falls open over one arm and a bent knee to reveal her long-sleeved, lighter blue dress. On Jesus’s other side, a cleanshaven man with curly brown hair holds Jesus’s arm with both hands. The man’s eyes squint with tears as he tips his head toward Jesus. His pink lips are parted, and the corner of the mouth we can see is pulled down. He wears an emerald-green, long-sleeved tunic under a vivid red cloth that wraps around his right arm, waist, and left leg. The fourth and final person is a woman sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around Jesus’s crossed ankles. She sits with one foot tucked under her body and the other leg out straight. Waist-length, wavy, auburn-brown hair falls freely over her shoulders and across her face, but we can see her downturned, open mouth and nearly closed eyes. She wears a rose-pink dress, cinched at the waist. A brown cloth wraps around her waist and right leg. A cylindrical, lidded, white jar sits on the dirt ground nearby. The group is arranged in front a thigh-high stone ledge, except for the man in green and red, who steps into what is presumably the coffin. A rocky outcropping to our right has a cave-like opening with grasses and growth along the top. The landscape beyond has a dirt path winding between pine-green hills dotted with trees. Two slate-blue buildings perch atop one hill. White clouds float across the blue sky above.
    PietàMoretto da Brescia, 1520sCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. "Farhad Carves a Milk Channel for Shirin", Folio 74 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, by Nizami, dated 931 AH/1524–25 CE
    "Farhad Carves a Milk Channel for Shirin", Folio 74 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of GanjaNizami, dated 931 AH/1524–25 CECourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Samson and the Lion, from "The Story of Samson", ca. 1560–80
    Samson and the Lion, from "The Story of Samson"Unrecorded French maker, ca. 1560–80Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. Still life painting of dead waterfowl and vegetables in windowsill.
    Still Life with Game FowlJuan Sánchez Cotán, c. 1600–3Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Venus and Adonis, by Titian, 1550s
    Venus and AdonisTitian, 1550sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of engraving on three joined sheets of ivory laid paper.
    The Wedding of Cupid and PsycheHendrick Goltzius, 1587Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Second room, north wall

  1. Screens (six-panel)
    Monkeys and trees on a river bankSesson Shūkei, 1568-1615Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  2. The handmaiden again pleads for the death of the prince, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night, by Lalu, c. 1560
    The handmaiden again pleads for the death of the prince, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth NightLalu, c. 1560Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Third room, north wall

  1. The Baptism of Christ, by Jacopo Bassano, ca. 1590
    The Baptism of ChristJacopo Bassano, ca. 1590Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Martyrdom of Saint Andrew, by Guido Reni, 1600s
    Martyrdom of Saint AndrewGuido Reni, 1600sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Eighteen Views of Huzhou, by Song Xu, c. 1588
    Eighteen Views of HuzhouSong Xu, c. 1588Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Third room, south wall

  1. A work made of pen and brown ink on dark cream laid paper, laid down on laid paper, with pen and ink and gold ruled lines.
    The Flight into EgyptDomenico Campagnola, c. 1540Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of engraving on paper.
    Title page, from The Seven VicesHieronymous Wierix, c. 1598Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago