Floor plan

Time and placeThe 17th century

The 17th century

Jesus writes on the ground (folio 130 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier, 1602–4
Herbaceous Peony, by Yun Shouping, 1685
A work made of oil on panel.
Lucas van Uffel (died 1637), by Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1622
Xu You and Chao Fu, by Okumura Masanobu, 18th century
Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth, by Francisco de Zurbarán, c. 1640
Shown from about the knees up, a pale-skinned young woman stands within a stone niche, with a parrot perched on her finger as she gazes out at us in this vertical painting. The woman’s hands are raised to chest height, and she balances the spruce-blue parrot on the index finger of her far hand while her other hand holds an indistinct, white object. Her body is angled to our left, and she looks at us from the corner of her green eyes under faint brows. Her round face has a small nose, flushed cheeks, and her coral-red mouth curls up in a slight smile, her lips parted. Her honey-blond hair is gathered at the back of her head with curly tendrils framing her face and falling to her shoulders. She wears a golden-brown gown trimmed with a narrow ruffle of white fabric along the low neckline that reveals her décolletage. The bird faces the woman and lifts something, presumably a bit of food, up with one dark claw. The underside of its tail is crimson red. A light-skinned boy stands in deep shadow just to the right of the woman. He looks up at her and holds a silver tray in both hands. They stand within a light brown, arched, stone opening beyond a ledge, which comes up to about the woman’s knees. A carpet patterned with stylized flowers in ruby red, burnt orange, teal blue, white, and black is bunched up and draped over the parapet, to our right. A tall, iron-gray cage sits to our left. The rug partly covers an inscription on the front face of the niche that reads, “M. DO,” with the O cut off. A copper-colored, fringe-lined drapery hangs from the upper right of the arch and is fastened to the inner edge of the opening to create a swag. The woman is brightly lit from the upper left, and the space behind her and the boy is ink black. The artist signed and dated the lower left corner as if he had carved into the front face of the arch. It reads, “CNetscher .Ao. 16.66,” with the C and N overlapping to make a monogram.

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. Jesus writes on the ground (folio 130 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier, 1602–4
    Jesus writes on the ground (folio 130 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome XavierUnrecorded Indian maker, 1602–4Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Herbaceous Peony, by Yun Shouping, 1685
    Herbaceous PeonyYun Shouping, 1685Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. A work made of oil on panel.
    Trompe-l'Oeil Still Life with a Flower Garland and a CurtainAdriaen van der Spelt, 1658Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. Lucas van Uffel (died 1637), by Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1622
    Lucas van Uffel (died 1637)Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1622Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Xu You and Chao Fu, by Okumura Masanobu, 18th century
    Xu You and Chao FuOkumura Masanobu, 18th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth, by Francisco de Zurbarán, c. 1640
    Christ and the Virgin in the House at NazarethFrancisco de Zurbarán, c. 1640Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Shown from about the knees up, a pale-skinned young woman stands within a stone niche, with a parrot perched on her finger as she gazes out at us in this vertical painting. The woman’s hands are raised to chest height, and she balances the spruce-blue parrot on the index finger of her far hand while her other hand holds an indistinct, white object. Her body is angled to our left, and she looks at us from the corner of her green eyes under faint brows. Her round face has a small nose, flushed cheeks, and her coral-red mouth curls up in a slight smile, her lips parted. Her honey-blond hair is gathered at the back of her head with curly tendrils framing her face and falling to her shoulders. She wears a golden-brown gown trimmed with a narrow ruffle of white fabric along the low neckline that reveals her décolletage. The bird faces the woman and lifts something, presumably a bit of food, up with one dark claw. The underside of its tail is crimson red. A light-skinned boy stands in deep shadow just to the right of the woman. He looks up at her and holds a silver tray in both hands. They stand within a light brown, arched, stone opening beyond a ledge, which comes up to about the woman’s knees. A carpet patterned with stylized flowers in ruby red, burnt orange, teal blue, white, and black is bunched up and draped over the parapet, to our right. A tall, iron-gray cage sits to our left. The rug partly covers an inscription on the front face of the niche that reads, “M. DO,” with the O cut off. A copper-colored, fringe-lined drapery hangs from the upper right of the arch and is fastened to the inner edge of the opening to create a swag. The woman is brightly lit from the upper left, and the space behind her and the boy is ink black. The artist signed and dated the lower left corner as if he had carved into the front face of the arch. It reads, “CNetscher .Ao. 16.66,” with the C and N overlapping to make a monogram.
    A Woman Feeding a Parrot, with a PageCaspar Netscher, 1666Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, south wall

  1. Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
    Portrait of Tieleman RoostermanFrans Hals, 1634Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. The image displays an oval portrait of a man's upper torso. He is turned slightly to the right, looking directly at the viewer with a composed expression. The man has pale skin, defined facial features, softly arched eyebrows, a subtle mustache, and styled hair in an 18th-century fashion. He wears a blue coat with white lapels, silver buttons, and a silver-fringed epaulet on the shoulder, along with a cravat and waistcoat. The background is a smooth, neutral gray.
    Portrait of a Man in a Military UniformUnrecorded French maker, 18th centuryCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus, by Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée), 1658
    Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of AhasuerusClaude Lorrain (Claude Gellée), 1658Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Merrymakers at Shrovetide, by Frans Hals, ca. 1616–17
    Merrymakers at ShrovetideFrans Hals, ca. 1616–17Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Jacopo ButeraFrancesco Solimena, c. 1695Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. An older man at left in red raises his hat toward a central table chaotically overflowing with dead game, fruits, and vegetables. The wings of dead birds and limbs of animals are splayed out at dramatic angles; a deer at center is suspended by his back legs. Live birds and a cat animate the scene.
    Still Life with Dead Game, Fruits, and Vegetables in a MarketFrans Snyders, 1614Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Album of Landscapes: Leaf 6, by Wang Gai, 1677
    Album of Landscapes: Leaf 6Wang Gai, 1677Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. The image shows four elderly men around a table. They have long hair and beards, and appear focused as they write or take notes on tablets. They wear classical robes and sit in different postures, engaged in writing or possibly calculating. Two hold writing implements and tablets, while a third holds a scroll. Above them, a seated figure with wings is present. Light rays emanate from a dove at the top, highlighting a celestial influence. An eagle is perched nearby. Architectural elements like columns and arches are in the background. A lion's head is under the table.
    The Four EvangelistsRobert NanteuilCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Fish and rocks, by Bada Shanren (Zhu Da), dated 1699
    Fish and rocksBada Shanren (Zhu Da), dated 1699Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art