Floor plan

Style galleriesThe Northern Renaissance

The Northern Renaissance

This is a drawing of a wilderness setting by a river. The scene features rocky cliffs, lush vegetation, a large bearded figure holding a staff, and a small cherubic figure beside them. In the background, there is a village against a mountainous backdrop. The drawing has rich texture and intricate details, with a contrast of dark lines and lighter hues.
The image features a landscape view of a medieval village scene. It includes a stone bridge over a river, buildings, a church with a tower, trees, hills, mountains, and cloudy sky. The image is depicted in intricate detail using a monochromatic palette, focusing on contrasts of light and shadow.
A work made of etching on ivory laid paper.
The Harvesters, by Pieter Bruegel, 1565

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Dürer's prints, Holbein's portraits and the art of northern Europe in the 1500s.

Section 1, north wall

  1. This is a drawing of a wilderness setting by a river. The scene features rocky cliffs, lush vegetation, a large bearded figure holding a staff, and a small cherubic figure beside them. In the background, there is a village against a mountainous backdrop. The drawing has rich texture and intricate details, with a contrast of dark lines and lighter hues.
    Saint ChristopherLucas Cranach the Elder, 1506Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The image features a landscape view of a medieval village scene. It includes a stone bridge over a river, buildings, a church with a tower, trees, hills, mountains, and cloudy sky. The image is depicted in intricate detail using a monochromatic palette, focusing on contrasts of light and shadow.
    Mountainous Landscape with a VillageHanns Lautensack, 1553Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 1, south wall

  1. A work made of etching on ivory laid paper.
    St. John the EvangelistBartholomaeus Spranger, c. 1590Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The Harvesters, by Pieter Bruegel, 1565
    The HarvestersPieter Bruegel, 1565Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, south wall

  1. Shown from the waist up, a light-skinned woman sits angled slightly to our right in this vertical portrait painting. The woman has blue eyes, faint brows, and a sloping nose ending in a small bulb. Her upper lip is thin and her lower lip full over a slight double chin. Her blond hair is pulled back under a gold, cap-like headdress and a black, wide-brimmed hat with a shallow crown. She wears a high-necked white, black, and gold dress with intricate detailing, a gold chain necklace that falls to her waist, and a black belt with a gold clasp and medallions. She wears two gold rings set with gems on the pointer finger of her left hand, which is folded across her belly over the other hand. A scarlet-red wallcovering with pink floral designs fills two-thirds of the space behind her. The rightmost third of the background opens onto a landscape with a tall, spindly tree, a leaping animal, presumably a dog, and a bridge across a body of water leading to a town. Across another body of water, perhaps a lake, mountains are marine blue in the distance under a clear, celestial-blue sky.
    Margarethe Vöhlin [obverse]Bernhard Strigel, 1527Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The image shows a woman sitting with a child on her lap. The woman has a gentle expression and long hair, wearing a flowing robe. The child is facing her, reaching up with one hand. In the background are trees, hills, a building, and a fountain with a lion's head spouting water into a basin. The illustration is detailed, capturing textures and elements in the scene.
    Madonna and Child at a FountainMaster MZ, 1501Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. This is a drawing of a winged figure with a sheep, accompanied by a mythical creature and cherubs. The central figure is holding the sheep tenderly. On the left, two cherubs are flying with a laurel branch, under the word "PACIENTIA." On the right is a mythical creature with dragon-like features. Below the scene, a plaque with an inscription is placed against the pedestal. The artwork is detailed with lines, cross-hatching, and shading, accentuating textures and forms.
    Pacientia (Patience)Sebald Beham, 1540Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, north wall

  1. The Raising of Lazarus, by Jacques Bellange, ca. 1606–8
    The Raising of LazarusJacques Bellange, ca. 1606–8Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The image shows a landscape with a city in the distance, a castle on a cliff, fields, forests, and two figures with a dog hunting. There are sailboats on water and houses on farmland. The style is detailed with etching lines in sepia tones.
    The Rabbit HuntersPieter Bruegel, 1560Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. This painting shows a man from the waist up. He is facing forward and gazes out at us. He has fair skin, light brown hair, a thin mustache and beard, and light green eyes. His expression is mostly neutral, although his peach lips are slightly turned up at the edges. He is wearing a black garment with a high collar and a hood and a black flat cap on his head. The background is plain blue, fading to black around the edges of the painting.
    Portrait of a ManCorneille de Lyon, c. 1536/1540Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 3, north wall

  1. A work made of pen and brush and brown ink and brush and brown wash on ivory laid paper.
    A Hilly Landscape with Figures Near a RavineJan Brueghel the Elder, 1595Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. This print features a detailed scene. In the center is a classical-style pavilion with arched openings and a domed roof adorned with intricate designs. A group of mostly-nude people is gathered around the pavilion, with one on horseback, holding a spear, and another holding a flag. In front of the pavilion, a knight on horseback appears to be falling into a dark hole in the ground. Vegetation, including trees and shrubs, is scattered throughout the landscape, and birds are seen flying in the sky above the pavilion. The horizon shows hills leading to a distant castle on a rocky formation on the right.
    Marcus Curtius Plunging into the ChasmLucas Cranach the ElderCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. The Seed Received among the Thorns, from the Parable of the Sower, by Gerard P. van Groningen, c. 1573
    The Seed Received among the Thorns, from the Parable of the SowerGerard P. van Groningen, c. 1573Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 3, south wall

  1. A work made of pen and brown ink and brush and black and green washes, over black chalk, on cream laid paper.
    Interior View of the ColiseumLodewijk Toeput, c. 1580Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Fish Market, by Joachim Beuckelaer, 1568
    Fish MarketJoachim Beuckelaer, 1568Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Still Life with Flowers, a Snail and Insects, by Joris Hoefnagel, 1589
    Still Life with Flowers, a Snail and InsectsJoris Hoefnagel, 1589Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art