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The 17th century

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

266 works · hang 6748 ·

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

Walk this roomRehang this room

Section 1, north wall

  1. Portrait of the Jester Calabazas, by Diego Velázquez, c. 1631–32
    Portrait of the Jester CalabazasDiego Velázquez, c. 1631–32Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Screen or fusuma (fragment)
    Tiger lilies and grassStyle of Ogata Kenzan, 1663-1868Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  3. The Fortune-Teller, by Georges de La Tour, probably 1630s
    The Fortune-TellerGeorges de La Tour, probably 1630sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. A rutted, dirt road curves from the bottom center of the canvas toward and behind a grove of tall trees to our left, beneath a pale blue sky with fluffy white clouds that fills the top two-thirds of this horizontal landscape painting. The broad, green canopies of the trees to our left create deep shade over twisting trunks, shrubs, and grasses. A narrow stream meandering alongside the road to our left reflects the moss, pine, and sage greens of the leaves. The land rises in a sloping bank to our right, and leads back to open fields with hedgerows that stretch to the horizon. Shorter, more spindly trees cluster along the bank in the distance. Tiny in scale, people are sprinkled throughout the landscape, either singly or in small groups. In the shade of the grove to our left, a man with dark pantaloons, a brown hat and coat, and a walking stick strolls along the road with a woman wearing a red skirt, a dark shirt, and a white apron and cap. Just off the curve of the road to our right, another man with a walking stick, tan hat, and dark gray pantaloons talks to a woman also wearing red, black, and white. Another person, slightly smaller in stature, stands between them. At a pond farther back from this trio, a man with a broad-brimmed hat sits fishing at the edge of the water. Barely visible, a house with a pitched roof, a tall, brick-red chimney, and a white picket fence peeks out from behind the trees beyond the pond. Finally, a man wearing a rust-orange coat, gray pantaloons with white stockings, and a tall hat, carrying a pole propped on his shoulder, walks toward us on a footpath running alongside the fields. Tall, cream-white clouds dot the pale blue sky above, and tiny dots of dark paint suggest flying birds. Soft sunlight pours across the countryside. The artist signed and dated the painting in small script in the lower right corner: “meijndert Hobbema F 1663.”
    A Wooded LandscapeMeindert Hobbema, 1663Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of ink on paper.
    Akbar Offering Timur's Crown to Shah JahanIslamic, Mughal period (1526–1857), ca. 1650–1700Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. 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

Section 2, south wall

  1. Paying the Hostess, by Pieter de Hooch, ca. 1670
    Paying the HostessPieter de Hooch, ca. 1670Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The Advent of a Demon; Scene from a Performance in an old Kabuki Theatre
    The Advent of a Demon; Scene from a Performance in an old Kabuki TheatreUnrecorded Japanese makerCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of etching in black on cream laid paper.
    Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the BaptistElisabetta Sirani, 1650/60Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. Battle between monkeys and demons, from the “Shangri” Ramayana, c. 1700
    Battle between monkeys and demons, from the “Shangri” RamayanaUnrecorded Indian maker, c. 1700Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Sketch for "The Four Prophets of Israel" (for Il Gesù, Rome), by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, c. 1675–1677
    Sketch for "The Four Prophets of Israel" (for Il Gesù, Rome)Giovanni Battista Gaulli, c. 1675–1677Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of Isabella Brant, by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1620–25
    Portrait of Isabella BrantPeter Paul Rubens, c. 1620–25Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. The Immaculate Conception, by Guido Reni, 1627
    The Immaculate ConceptionGuido Reni, 1627Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. Large painting of cupid being whipped, a woman tries to hold back the a man in red dress.
    Cupid ChastisedBartolomeo Manfredi, 1613Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Queen Henrietta Maria, by Anthony van Dyck, 1636
    Queen Henrietta MariaAnthony van Dyck, 1636Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Album of Seasonal Landscapes, Leaf C (previous leaf 6), by Xiao Yuncong, 1668
    Album of Seasonal Landscapes, Leaf C (previous leaf 6)Xiao Yuncong, 1668Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art