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The 17th century

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

266 works · hang 485 ·

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

Walk this roomRehang this room

Section 1, north wall

  1. Shown from the chest up, a light-skinned man with a wrinkled face and a silvery gray beard and hair gazes into the distance in this oval portrait painting. His chest is angled to our right but he turns his head to look off over his other shoulder, to our left. His slate-blue eyes are a little sunken and lined with wrinkles. Shading marks the hollows of the temple and cheek we can see. His thin lips are closed and framed by his curly mustache and beard. A dark, mahogany-brown cap is pushed back on his head, and his brown jacket has gold-colored buttons down the front. The collar of a cream-colored shirt shows through at the neckline. The background is dark olive green. The artist signed the work near the man’s shoulder, to our right: “GDOV.”
    Bust of a Bearded ManGerrit Dou, c. 1642/1645Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Water laps at a curving shoreline in front of a steep sandy dune carpeted in grass, shrubs, and trees in this horizontal landscape painting. The dune takes up the lower right quadrant of the composition. A few broken tree trunks are overgrown with vines and plants across the top and down the sloping side of the dune facing us. A red brick wall cuts through the vegetation up the side of the dune and disappears into the shrubbery at the top. The twisting branches and canopies of three large trees reach into the upper right quadrant of the composition. The vegetation stops abruptly along the sheer edge of the dune where it faces the water. The land curves like a backward capital letter C so it almost reaches the left edge of the painting along the horizon, which comes a quarter of the way up the composition. A cow and three more animals, perhaps sheep or more cows, graze or lie on a grassy mound in the distance, and sailboats line the horizon in the deep distance. White ripples swirl in the steel-blue water. The artist signed and dated the lower center, “J Ruisdael . 1648.”
    Dunes by the SeaJacob van Ruisdael, 1648Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Screen (two-panel)
    Herons and Old WIllowKano Sadanobu, 1615-1868Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution

Section 1, south wall

  1. The image shows a woman standing close to us, slightly turned to the side, looking down, with a hand supporting her draped attire and the other grasping a stick. Next to her, a donkey drinks from a shallow stream, carrying a large wicker basket with barrels inside. A dog is splashing in the water beside them. The horizon is low, meeting a rise of land with trees and shrubs, leading the eye to a distant pathway where a couple of small figures can be seen. The sky above has sketchily rendered clouds. The style involves fine, detailed linework, characteristic of etching, emphasizing textures such as the fur of the donkey and the folds of the fabric. The color palette is monochromatic, relying on various intensities of ink and line density to render shadows and highlights.
    Woman Crossing a StreamKarel Dujardin, 1662Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of oil on panel.
    CrucifixionMaría Josefa Sánchez, 1646Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Pomegranates and Other Fruit in a Landscape, by Abraham Brueghel
    Pomegranates and Other Fruit in a LandscapeAbraham BrueghelCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, by Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1662
    Young Woman with a Water PitcherJohannes Vermeer, ca. 1662Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, south wall

  1. A work made of etching in black on cream laid paper.
    Soldier in Profile Holding a Pike, from Capricci e habiti militariFilippo Napoletano, 1610/29Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The artwork depicts four human figures, two males and two females, seated. One woman holds a baby, while one man holds a young child. The figures have different hairstyles and clothing, sitting in a natural setting with trees and hills in the background. The scene is drawn in a sketch-like style, focusing on lines and expressions.
    The Holy FamilySimone CantariniCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A work made of black chalk, with touches of white chalk, on cream laid paper.
    A ProcessionAmbroise Dubois, c. 1610Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. Self-Portrait, from "The Iconography", by Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1640
    Self-Portrait, from "The Iconography"Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1640Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Painting depicting Christ anointed by a woman in yellow, seated centrally at a crowded table of guests with long thin grayish faces in colorful robes with strong white highlights. In the background, tall grey archways, a steepled building, and city architecture.
    The Feast in the House of SimonEl Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos) and workshop, c. 1608–14Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Papers with Japanese text hang from a tree bearing red and gold leaves.
    Autumn Maples with Poem SlipsTosa Mitsuoki, c. 1675Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. Lute Player, by Valentin de Boulogne, ca. 1625–26
    Lute PlayerValentin de Boulogne, ca. 1625–26Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Watercolor of tiny people and horses, framed with gold flowers on navy background.
    Royal Horse Inspection'Aliquli Jabbadar, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), late 17th centuryCourtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Portrait of a GirlFrancesco Solimena, c. 1700Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago