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The 16th century

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

210 works · hang 1523 ·

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

Walk this roomRehang this room

First room, north wall

  1. Dragon and Tiger, by Sesson Shūkei, c. 1546–56
    Dragon and TigerSesson Shūkei, c. 1546–56Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Erasmus of Rotterdam, by Hans Holbein the Younger, ca. 1532
    Erasmus of RotterdamHans Holbein the Younger, ca. 1532Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of oil on panel.
    Domenico da GambassiAndrea del Sarto, 1525–28Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

First room, south wall

  1. Portrait of a Woman as Saint Catherine, by Pier Francesco Foschi, c. 1560
    Portrait of a Woman as Saint CatherinePier Francesco Foschi, c. 1560Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of the wife of Yizhai, by Ruan Zude, datable to 1561 or 1620
    Portrait of the wife of YizhaiRuan Zude, datable to 1561 or 1620Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, by Albrecht Dürer, probably 1519
    Virgin and Child with Saint AnneAlbrecht Dürer, probably 1519Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Landscape with a Double Spruce, by Albrecht Altdorfer, ca. 1521–22
    Landscape with a Double SpruceAlbrecht Altdorfer, ca. 1521–22Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. The Nativity, by Giorgio Ghisi, 1553
    The NativityGiorgio Ghisi, 1553Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. The image features a landscape view of a medieval village scene. It includes a stone bridge over a river, buildings, a church with a tower, trees, hills, mountains, and cloudy sky. The image is depicted in intricate detail using a monochromatic palette, focusing on contrasts of light and shadow.
    Mountainous Landscape with a VillageHanns Lautensack, 1553Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. 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

Second room, north wall

  1. The Penitence of Saint Jerome, by Joachim Patinir, ca. 1515
    The Penitence of Saint JeromeJoachim Patinir, ca. 1515Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The Power of Women: Samson and Delilah, by Lucas van Leyden, c. 1512
    The Power of Women: Samson and DelilahLucas van Leyden, c. 1512Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609), by El Greco, ca. 1600
    Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609)El Greco, ca. 1600Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Third room, north 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. Saint John on Patmos, by Hans Baldung (called Hans Baldung Grien), ca. 1511
    Saint John on PatmosHans Baldung (called Hans Baldung Grien), ca. 1511Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. The magician disguised as a Brahman returns to claim his “daughter-in-law,” from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fifth Night, c. 1560
    The magician disguised as a Brahman returns to claim his “daughter-in-law,” from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fifth NightUnrecorded Indian maker, c. 1560Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art