Floor plan

Time and placeThe 18th century

The 18th century

Shown from about the ribcage up, a cleanshaven man with pale skin sits with his elbow resting on the arm of his chair so the back of those fingers brush his chin in this vertical portrait painting. His body and face are angled to our right almost in profile so he looks at us from the corners of his brown eyes under dark, arched eyebrows. He has a straight nose, and his pale coral-pink lips are closed. His nickel-gray hair is curled along his ears and pulled back with an olive-green bow at the nape of his neck. His large hat is pushed back over his forehead, away from us, so its wide brim creates a dark circle around his face. The lapels of his steel-blue, tight-fitting jacket are folded back over a high, white collar. The edge of the white shirt also shows at the cuff of his right hand. The elbow closer to us rests on what might be a piece of light gray paper or piece of fabric, over a cranberry-red cloth or the arm of the upholstered chair. His left hand, farther from us, is propped on a wood frame or board, to which a small, white, square cloth appears to be affixed or draped. The light falls strongly from our upper left so his profile is brightly lit against the dark shadows on the far side of his face. The background darkens from light, slate blue to our left to coffee brown to our right.
The Actor Ishikawa Danjuro V Performing a Shibaroku Act with a Drawn Sword in His Hand, by Katsukawa Shunshō, ca. 1781
Courtesans at Leisure from the series The Six Immortal Poets, by Katsukawa Shunzan, early 1780s
Tomb with Sphinxes and an Owl, by Louis Jean Desprez, c. 1779–84
A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
A work made of graphite and pen and black ink, with touches of opaque, white watercolor on cream laid paper.
This painting shows a woman in a tan dress and a tan hat with red flowers, walking on a grassy shoreline, holding a dark purple umbrella. The woman is positioned in the center of the painting, and she faces the left, standing at the edge of the water, looking downward. She has light skin and dark hair put up under her hat. The horizon is high in the painting, where the blue-gray sky and water meet. Small ships are visible in the distance, floating on the horizon. On the right side of the painting, the yellow and green ground curves, sloping slightly downward to meet the water. The painting has loose, visible brushstrokes.
The image depicts a forest scene with large trees dominating the right side, two figures seated by a stream, rocky formations on the left, grazing animals in the distance, and a monochrome color palette of brown and espresso tones.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in the 18th century, anywhere in the world.

First room, north wall

  1. Shown from about the ribcage up, a cleanshaven man with pale skin sits with his elbow resting on the arm of his chair so the back of those fingers brush his chin in this vertical portrait painting. His body and face are angled to our right almost in profile so he looks at us from the corners of his brown eyes under dark, arched eyebrows. He has a straight nose, and his pale coral-pink lips are closed. His nickel-gray hair is curled along his ears and pulled back with an olive-green bow at the nape of his neck. His large hat is pushed back over his forehead, away from us, so its wide brim creates a dark circle around his face. The lapels of his steel-blue, tight-fitting jacket are folded back over a high, white collar. The edge of the white shirt also shows at the cuff of his right hand. The elbow closer to us rests on what might be a piece of light gray paper or piece of fabric, over a cranberry-red cloth or the arm of the upholstered chair. His left hand, farther from us, is propped on a wood frame or board, to which a small, white, square cloth appears to be affixed or draped. The light falls strongly from our upper left so his profile is brightly lit against the dark shadows on the far side of his face. The background darkens from light, slate blue to our left to coffee brown to our right.
    Benjamin WestUnrecorded maker, c. 1776Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The Actor Ishikawa Danjuro V Performing a Shibaroku Act with a Drawn Sword in His Hand, by Katsukawa Shunshō, ca. 1781
    The Actor Ishikawa Danjuro V Performing a Shibaroku Act with a Drawn Sword in His HandKatsukawa Shunshō, ca. 1781Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Courtesans at Leisure from the series The Six Immortal Poets, by Katsukawa Shunzan, early 1780s
    Courtesans at Leisure from the series The Six Immortal PoetsKatsukawa Shunzan, early 1780sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  4. Tomb with Sphinxes and an Owl, by Louis Jean Desprez, c. 1779–84
    Tomb with Sphinxes and an OwlLouis Jean Desprez, c. 1779–84Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

First room, south wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
    Viewing the MoonSuzuki Harunobu, c. 1767/68Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of graphite and pen and black ink, with touches of opaque, white watercolor on cream laid paper.
    Farmer Requesting Permission to Marry a Nobleman's DaughterGabriel de Saint-Aubin, 1761Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. This painting shows a woman in a tan dress and a tan hat with red flowers, walking on a grassy shoreline, holding a dark purple umbrella. The woman is positioned in the center of the painting, and she faces the left, standing at the edge of the water, looking downward. She has light skin and dark hair put up under her hat. The horizon is high in the painting, where the blue-gray sky and water meet. Small ships are visible in the distance, floating on the horizon. On the right side of the painting, the yellow and green ground curves, sloping slightly downward to meet the water. The painting has loose, visible brushstrokes.
    Woman by the SeasideUnrecorded French maker, 19th centuryCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. The image depicts a forest scene with large trees dominating the right side, two figures seated by a stream, rocky formations on the left, grazing animals in the distance, and a monochrome color palette of brown and espresso tones.
    A Shepherd and a Young Woman With Their Feet in a BrookSalomon Gessner, 1764Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Second room, south wall

  1. A work made of pen and brown ink and brush and brown and gray wash, over black chalk, on ivory laid paper.
    Three Angels Appearing to AbrahamGiovanni Battista Tiepolo, c. 1726Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Painting
    Maharao Umed Singh hunting tigersHans Raj Joshi, 1787Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  3. A Girl Writing a Letter, by Suzuki Harunobu, 18th century
    A Girl Writing a LetterSuzuki Harunobu, 18th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Kiyomizu Komachi, from the series Futabagusa nana Komachi, by Kitagawa Utamaro, 1790s
    Kiyomizu Komachi, from the series Futabagusa nana KomachiKitagawa Utamaro, 1790sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. A work made of ink and color on hemp cloth.
    Korean Buddhist PaintingUnrecorded Korean maker, late 19th-early 20th centuryCourtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The DancePietro Longhi, c. 1750Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Third room, north wall

  1. Snails, by Nagasawa Rosetsu, c. 1788–89
    SnailsNagasawa Rosetsu, c. 1788–89Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Paulownias and Chrysanthemums, by Sakai Hōitsu, early 1800s
    Paulownias and ChrysanthemumsSakai Hōitsu, early 1800sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art