Floor plan

Time and placeThe 17th century

The 17th century

Lute Player, by Valentin de Boulogne, ca. 1625–26
A work made of oil on copper.
A work made of oil on canvas.
The image shows a slightly elevated perspective of a rugged landscape with dense vegetation and rock formations. The horizon is high in the upper third of the image, with a distant building or castle on a hill. The structure is silhouetted against the sky and partially obscured by foliage. Intricate line work and hatching create detailed textures and shading, especially in the trees and clouds. The color palette is monochromatic, using varying shades of brown and sepia to give the artwork an antiquated and rustic appearance.
Hanging scroll
A work made of engraving on ivory laid paper.
A work made of oil on canvas.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

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

Section 1, 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. A work made of oil on copper.
    Portrait of a ManJan Baptist Weenix, c. 1650Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Music LessonGerard ter Borch the Younger, c. 1670Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. The image shows a slightly elevated perspective of a rugged landscape with dense vegetation and rock formations. The horizon is high in the upper third of the image, with a distant building or castle on a hill. The structure is silhouetted against the sky and partially obscured by foliage. Intricate line work and hatching create detailed textures and shading, especially in the trees and clouds. The color palette is monochromatic, using varying shades of brown and sepia to give the artwork an antiquated and rustic appearance.
    Firs in the DefileAllart van Everdingen, probably c. 1645/1656Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 1, south wall

  1. Hanging scroll
    The palaces and gate towers of PenglaiZhu Dan, 1683Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  2. A work made of engraving on ivory laid paper.
    Landscape with Sheep, from The Small LandscapesSchelte Adamsz. Bolswert, c. 1638Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Ecce Agnus DeiBartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1655Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, south wall

  1. A windmill stands on a promontory cutting into a waterway under a partially stormy sky in this square landcape painting. The promontory and mill are painted in muted tones of brown and rust orange, while steel-gray and white clouds encircle a topaz-blue sky above. The promontory juts into the scene from our left, and the front of the windmill is angled to our right so its golden-tan sails catch the light. Silvery water winds around the base of the promontory and extends to a dark green, shadowy bank on the far side. A boat in the lower right corner of the composition is rowed by a man wearing a red jacket and cap. A path runs to the water’s edge from the left edge of the painting, in front of the promontory’s retaining wall, which is shored up with stones or panels. A person in dark clothing close to the windmill seems to rest their arms on the retaining wall, their back to us. Closer to us, a woman holds a child’s hand as they walk down the path to the bank. A bearded man with tattered brown clothes and bare feet stands leaning against the wall near a woman wearing burnt-orange garment. She sits or kneels at the water’s edge in front of a basket of clothes and holds up a brown cloth. The olive-green forms of the trees on the far bank are reflected in the water, and closer inspection reveals two cows near the water there. Charcoal-gray clouds pile up along the left of the painting and span the top edge. There is a brilliant blue sky beyond and a screen of white clouds near the horizon, which comes about a third of the way up the canvas.
    The MillRembrandt van Rijn, 1645/1648Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of opaque and translucent watercolors, with pen and brown ink, over graphite, on cream laid paper.
    Two Old Men beside a Sled Bearing the Coats of Arms of Amsterdam and UtrechtHendric Avercamp, 1620/33Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Clearing after Rain over Streams and Mountains, by Wang Hui, dated 1662
    Clearing after Rain over Streams and MountainsWang Hui, dated 1662Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Reading the News at the Weavers' Cottage, by Adriaen van Ostade, 1673
    Reading the News at the Weavers' CottageAdriaen van Ostade, 1673Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Travelers in Hilly Countryside, by Aelbert Cuyp, c. 1650
    Travelers in Hilly CountrysideAelbert Cuyp, c. 1650Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Adoration of the Magi, by Guido Reni, 1642
    Adoration of the MagiGuido Reni, 1642Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Desk Album: Flower and Bird Paintings, by Zhang Ruoai, 1700s
    Desk Album: Flower and Bird PaintingsZhang Ruoai, 1700sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 3, north 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. Papers with Japanese text hang from a tree bearing red and gold leaves.
    Flowering Cherry and Autumn Maples with Poem SlipsTosa Mitsuoki, 1654/81Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago