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The 17th century

Works made in the 17th century, anywhere in the world.

266 works · hang 1280 ·

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

Walk this roomRehang this room

Section 1, north wall

  1. A work made of black chalk with pen and brown ink on cream laid paper.
    Putto Holding StaffGuido Reni, n.d.Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of oil on copper.
    Portrait of a ManJan Baptist Weenix, c. 1650Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist, by Jacob Duck, mid-1600s
    Salome with the Head of Saint John the BaptistJacob Duck, mid-1600sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  4. Lute Player, by Valentin de Boulogne, ca. 1625–26
    Lute PlayerValentin de Boulogne, ca. 1625–26Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Study of a Young Woman, by Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1665–67
    Study of a Young WomanJohannes Vermeer, ca. 1665–67Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. ONE OF A SET OF PROJECTS FOR A TITLE PAGE AND THE DECORATION OF A HORIZONTAL PANEL
    One of a set of projects for a title page and the decoration of a horizontal panelFrancesco Bedeschini, Italian, 1675-1699Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  3. Gathered in a round glass vase, a tall bouquet of flowers in shades of light and deep pink, sunshine yellow, and white with pine-green leaves nearly fills this vertical still life painting. Shown against an gray background, the vase sits on a narrow ledge, perhaps made of wood. A label with looping, cursive French text painted in gold against a baby blue background is affixed to the front of the ledge, along the bottom edge of the composition. The text reads, “C'est l'Angelicq main du grad Peinctre de Flore AMBROISE, renommé jusqu' au Rivage Moré.” A few of the flowers draw the eye, including a tulip and iris at the top of the bouquet. To our left, the tulip is mauve pink with cream-colored streaks, and one petal folds down to reveal the stamen inside. Next to it, a damselfly, an insect like a delicate dragonfly, rests on the vibrant yellow iris. The petals curling down from the iris are veined in muted burgundy red. Flowers filling in the bouquet below include a shell-pink cyclamen, a white gardenia, a closed blue and white striped columbine, a slate-blue grape hyacinth, lily of the valley, pale blue forget-me-nots, and a pink peony interspersed with leaves and greenery. The round glass vase has a narrow opening. A sprig of viola rests to our left of the vase on the ledge, and an orange, black, white, and brown butterfly perches on the stem of a pink cyclamen laying to our right of the vase. The artist signed the painting with a monogram and dated it in dark paint to our right on the face of the ledge: “AB 1621.”
    Bouquet of Flowers in a Glass VaseAmbrosius Bosschaert, 1621Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. A work made of pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash on ivory laid paper, laid down on cream laid paper.
    The Coronation of the Virgin and The Flight into EgyptJan de Bisschop, 1648/71Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, south wall

  1. The image features a detailed black and white illustration with multiple human and animal figures in a symbolic arrangement. In the foreground, two full-body figures are depicted in long robes and sandals, positioned on either side of a large draped banner with text. One figure holds an open book. Above the banner are celestial figures in dynamic poses. To the left is a winged bull-like creature and a seated male figure with a beard, next to a female figure in classical attire. They are all surrounded by flowing fabric and a lion-like animal. In the lower center foreground, there is an emblem resembling a coat of arms with an eagle and a crowned shield. The background is textured, with no natural landscape or architecture present, allowing the figures to stand out. The illustration is framed by the margins of an open book.
    Title Page for Balthasar Cordier, Catena Sexaginta Qvinqve Graecorvm Patrvm in S. Lvcam...Cornelis Galle I, 1628Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, over black and red chalk, heightened with white opaque watercolor, on joined sheets of laid paper, mounted to paperboard.
    Allegory of the Elevation of Cardinal Deacon Oddone Colonna to the Papal Chair as Pope Martin VBenedetto Luti, 1700Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of pen and brown ink, with traces of black chalk, on cream laid paper.
    Head of MedusaGodfried Maes, 1680Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. The Lovesick Maiden, by Jan Steen, ca. 1660
    The Lovesick MaidenJan Steen, ca. 1660Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Prince Shreyamsa dreams of the coming of Rishabha, from a Panchakalyanaka (Five Auspicious Events), 1670–80
    Prince Shreyamsa dreams of the coming of Rishabha, from a Panchakalyanaka (Five Auspicious Events)Unrecorded Indian maker, 1670–80Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Samson Captured by the Philistines, by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), 1619
    Samson Captured by the PhilistinesGuercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), 1619Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. Mountain Valley with a Plateau, by Hercules Segers, ca. 1625–30
    Mountain Valley with a PlateauHercules Segers, ca. 1625–30Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of red and black chalk, with touches of white chalk, on cream laid paper.
    Nude Old Man Seated, Leaning on His Forearm, Facing LeftJacob Jordaens, c. 1640Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago