Floor plan

Time and placeThe 17th century

The 17th century

Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
Hanuman spies Sita in the Ashoka Grove, from the “Shangri” Ramayana, c. 1700–25
Sketch for "The Four Prophets of Israel" (for Il Gesù, Rome), by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, c. 1675–1677
Album of Landscapes: Leaf 5, by Wang Gai, 1677
Sleeping Peasants near Fields (Parable of the Weeds), by Simon de Vlieger, 1650–53
A work made of etching in black on ivory wove paper.
This is a drawing of mythical sea creatures in a marine landscape. The central figures are depicted as mythical beings, possibly mermen, with human torsos and fish-like tails, partially submerged in water. One figure prominently holds a large seashell with text written on it. Around them are various other marine creatures and features such as a distant rocky shore, birds flying in the sky, and waves creating a dynamic setting. The drawing is detailed in line work.

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. Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
    Portrait of Tieleman RoostermanFrans Hals, 1634Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Hanuman spies Sita in the Ashoka Grove, from the “Shangri” Ramayana, c. 1700–25
    Hanuman spies Sita in the Ashoka Grove, from the “Shangri” RamayanaUnrecorded Indian maker, c. 1700–25Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. 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
  4. Album of Landscapes: Leaf 5, by Wang Gai, 1677
    Album of Landscapes: Leaf 5Wang Gai, 1677Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Sleeping Peasants near Fields (Parable of the Weeds), by Simon de Vlieger, 1650–53
    Sleeping Peasants near Fields (Parable of the Weeds)Simon de Vlieger, 1650–53Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. A work made of etching in black on ivory wove paper.
    The Knight and Death, from The Dance of DeathWenceslaus Hollar, 1651Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. This is a drawing of mythical sea creatures in a marine landscape. The central figures are depicted as mythical beings, possibly mermen, with human torsos and fish-like tails, partially submerged in water. One figure prominently holds a large seashell with text written on it. Around them are various other marine creatures and features such as a distant rocky shore, birds flying in the sky, and waves creating a dynamic setting. The drawing is detailed in line work.
    Title Page for "Ornamenti di fregi e fogliani"Stefano della Bella, probably 1648Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, south wall

  1. Landscape with Travelers, by Herman van Swanevelt, 1630s
    Landscape with TravelersHerman van Swanevelt, 1630sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. The image shows a landscape with figures near a body of water. There are buildings made of logs, people gathered near a structure, and trees in the background. The style is detailed with precise linework, shading, and hatching. The color palette is monochrome, emphasizing light and shadow.
    Boat at a River Bank with Three GoatsAllart van Everdingen, probably c. 1645/1656Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A work made of hanging scroll; ink and colors on paper.
    Beauty Turning Her HeadHishikawa Moronobu, c. 1685-94Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, north wall

  1. Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun, by Nicolas Poussin, 1658
    Blind Orion Searching for the Rising SunNicolas Poussin, 1658Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Large painting of woman, in gold and pink dress, placing severed head on platter.
    Salome with the Head of Saint John the BaptistGuido Reni, c. 1639–42Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. 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
  2. Landscape with a Windmill, by Jacob van Ruisdael, 1646
    Landscape with a WindmillJacob van Ruisdael, 1646Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  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. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Jacopo ButeraFrancesco Solimena, c. 1695Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago