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The 16th century

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

210 works · hang 353 ·

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

Walk this roomRehang this room

First room, north wall

  1. The image shows an elderly man seated from the waist up. He is angled slightly away from the viewer, resting his head on one hand and leaning on the other arm. The man has a deeply lined face, a large beard, curly hair, and appears focused on something outside the frame. He wears flowing garments and a book is under his arm. In the background, there are rugged, mountainous rock formations. Ornate text frames the image at the bottom.
    Saint AndrewHendrick Goltzius, probably 1589Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The Penitence of Saint Jerome, by Joachim Patinir, ca. 1515
    The Penitence of Saint JeromeJoachim Patinir, ca. 1515Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A nearly nude man with peachy skin stands next to and looks up at a man with ashen, ivory-colored skin, wearing armor and riding a bright white horse in this vertical painting. The horizon line comes less than a quarter of the way up the composition, and the sky behind the men and horse is vivid, aqua blue with a few silvery-gray and pale, yellow clouds floating along the top edge of the composition. The painting is created with long, blended brushstrokes, and the limbs and features of the two men and horse are elongated and have delicate, dark outlines. The horse’s body is angled to our right but it looks at us from the corners of its dark eyes. One front leg is raised. The rider looks down toward the man on foot at his side, to our left. The rider has dark, arched eyebrows, a long, straight nose, a pointed chin, and short, copper-orange hair. Wide ruffs pleated into figure-eights encircle his neck and wrists. His chest and arms are covered with plates of steel-gray armor edged and decorated with gold bands and medallions. He wears crimson-red pantaloons and stockings with mustard-yellow boots. With his right hand, to our left, he holds the gold hilt of a long, thin sword along the horse’s body. With his other hand, he holds a swath of lime-green fabric, which drapes down the side of the horse and across the hips of the man standing next to the rider. The sheen of the fabric is suggested with canary-yellow highlights where it catches the light. The standing man has short, dark brown hair and eyebrows. He looks to our right in profile, toward the rider, with pink lips parted. He holds the green fabric with his left hand, to our right, and he has a bandage around his leg near his right ankle. The horse and man stand on a spit of dark brown land, with a landscape of trees, buildings, and mountains deep in the distance beyond.
    Saint Martin and the BeggarUnrecorded Greek maker, 1600/1614Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First room, south wall

  1. 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
  2. This painting depicts three people seated side-by-side outdoors. The central person is a young, nude child with curly, reddish hair and a red beaded necklace, sitting on a red cushion. Their head is turned to the right. The woman on the left wears a white head covering, a sheer veil around her neck, a green dress, and a red cloak with floral designs. She holds the torso of the child and drapes a white cloth around its legs. The woman on the right has long, flowing reddish hair and wears a white dress or robe with gold detailing down the front, on the neckline, and on the wrists. She holds an open red book, and the child is turning one of the thin pages. All three people have pale skin. Above them, in the cloudy blue sky, there is a white dove with its wings outstretched, gold lines radiating from it. Above the dove, there is an image of a crowned bearded man with pale skin, wearing red robes and holding an orb. He is against a golden background with red dots that breaks through the pale clouds. The background shows a landscape with green trees, hills, and pale blue buildings.
    Saint Anne with the Virgin and the Christ ChildMaster of Frankfurt, c. 1511/1515Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. This is a drawing of an ornamental design featuring mythological creatures and motifs. The artwork depicts a symmetrical arrangement with two central figures holding musical instruments, surrounded by acanthus leaves, griffins, and sphinxes. In the upper portion, there is a winged figure with a crown-like headdress carrying symbols or trophies. The design is detailed with decorative elements including floral patterns and architectural motifs. Throughout the drawing, there are various mythological creatures integrated into the composition.
    Ornamental Panel Inscribed "Victoria Augusta"Giovanni Antonio da Brescia, c. 1516Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. Xintang (Immortal's Peak), by Song Xu, c. 1588
    Xintang (Immortal's Peak)Song Xu, c. 1588Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. A work made of woodcut in black on tan laid paper.
    The Circumcision of Christ, from The Life of the VirginAlbrecht Dürer, c. 1505, published 1511Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, by Gerard David, ca. 1512–15
    The Rest on the Flight into EgyptGerard David, ca. 1512–15Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of oil on panel.
    The Fall of Man with Scenes of the CreationAugustus Cordus, 1544Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. The image shows a man seated with a slight forward tilt. He is muscular, with one leg bent and the other extended. His head is turned to the left in profile, revealing his facial features, which include a large nose, full beard, and curly hair. He appears naked except for a fabric drape over his shoulders. In his left hand, he holds a staff, and there is a plant with twisting vines near him. The background is a shaded rocky surface with no other details.
    Man Seated Holding a Forked StaffGiovanni Antonio da Brescia, c. 1514/1515Courtesy 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. The image shows a landscape with a city in the distance, a castle on a cliff, fields, forests, and two figures with a dog hunting. There are sailboats on water and houses on farmland. The style is detailed with etching lines in sepia tones.
    The Rabbit HuntersPieter Bruegel, 1560Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A work made of engraving on three joined sheets of laid paper.
    The Last SupperJan Harmensz. Muller, 1594Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Third room, north wall

  1. The image depicts a landscape viewed from a slightly elevated angle. On the left side, there is a large tree with a twisted trunk and dense foliage. A winding path can be seen with a figure walking with a dog. In the distance, a river winds through the land, and there are rolling hills and trees in the background. The color scheme is sepia-toned.
    Hilly Landscape with Travelers on FootJean MorinCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  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