Floor plan

Style galleriesThe Northern Renaissance

The Northern Renaissance

This is a painting depicting a heraldic coat of arms. The image features a detailed coat of arms with a central shield, adorned with black and gold sections, and additional decorative elements above it. There is a figure resembling a unicorn emerging from the crest. The background is a deep red hue. The artwork is displayed within a wooden frame with crossbars. This style is associated with displaying family crests and lineage.
The image shows a profile of a person's head and partial neck within a circular laurel wreath. The individual has distinct facial features, including a prominent nose and chin. The hairstyle is tight, wavy locks pulled back, and a laurel wreath crowns the head. The background is plain, with an inscription reading "IMP. CAESAR. TRAIANVS. AVG." Below the portrait are the initials "ISB" and the year "1546". The overall style resembles a classical engraving, featuring detailed line work and traditional iconography.
A work made of engraving in black on cream laid paper.
The image shows a central person standing with both arms raised. They have a long beard, aged appearance, long hair, and wear a robe. Three other individuals are around them, reclining or lying on the ground. The setting is an outdoor scene with detailed trees and vegetation. There are initials "I.SP" in the top right corner.
The Raising of Lazarus, by Jacques Bellange, ca. 1606–8
The Rabbit Hunt, by Pieter Bruegel, 1560

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 painting depicting a heraldic coat of arms. The image features a detailed coat of arms with a central shield, adorned with black and gold sections, and additional decorative elements above it. There is a figure resembling a unicorn emerging from the crest. The background is a deep red hue. The artwork is displayed within a wooden frame with crossbars. This style is associated with displaying family crests and lineage.
    Hans Roth [reverse]Bernhard Strigel, 1527Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The image shows a profile of a person's head and partial neck within a circular laurel wreath. The individual has distinct facial features, including a prominent nose and chin. The hairstyle is tight, wavy locks pulled back, and a laurel wreath crowns the head. The background is plain, with an inscription reading "IMP. CAESAR. TRAIANVS. AVG." Below the portrait are the initials "ISB" and the year "1546". The overall style resembles a classical engraving, featuring detailed line work and traditional iconography.
    TrajanSebald Beham, 1546Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A work made of engraving in black on cream laid paper.
    Christ on the CrossRaphael Sadeler, I, 1590Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 1, south wall

  1. The image shows a central person standing with both arms raised. They have a long beard, aged appearance, long hair, and wear a robe. Three other individuals are around them, reclining or lying on the ground. The setting is an outdoor scene with detailed trees and vegetation. There are initials "I.SP" in the top right corner.
    The Agony in the GardenSebald Beham, 1522Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The Raising of Lazarus, by Jacques Bellange, ca. 1606–8
    The Raising of LazarusJacques Bellange, ca. 1606–8Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. The Rabbit Hunt, by Pieter Bruegel, 1560
    The Rabbit HuntPieter Bruegel, 1560Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 2, south wall

  1. The image shows an elderly man seated from the waist up. He is angled slightly away from the viewer, resting his head on one hand and leaning on the other arm. The man has a deeply lined face, a large beard, curly hair, and appears focused on something outside the frame. He wears flowing garments and a book is under his arm. In the background, there are rugged, mountainous rock formations. Ornate text frames the image at the bottom.
    Saint AndrewHendrick Goltzius, probably 1589Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of engraving on paper.
    Spes, plate 2 from The Seven VirtuesHieronymous Wierix, c. 1598Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. 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

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of engraving on ivory laid paper.
    Fides, plate 1 from The Seven VirtuesHieronymous Wierix, c. 1598Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Landscape with a Double Spruce, by Albrecht Altdorfer, ca. 1521–22
    Landscape with a Double SpruceAlbrecht Altdorfer, ca. 1521–22Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. 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

Section 3, north wall

  1. The Harvesters, by Pieter Bruegel, 1565
    The HarvestersPieter Bruegel, 1565Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. This is a drawing of a group of medieval figures and a tree. The image depicts a dense gathering of figures, all wearing elaborate period costumes, including helmets, robes, and armor. Their expressions vary. At the top, a leafy tree dominates the background alongside swirling clouds. The foreground hints at an interaction among the individuals, possibly a scene of discourse or judgment. Several personal items and tools are on the ground. The attention to detail and the use of line to create intricate patterns and textures are notable features of this work. This is in the style of Albrecht Dürer.
    The Martyrdom of Saint BarbaraLucas Cranach the ElderCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 3, south wall

  1. The image features the upper body and head of a man in a circular frame. The man is facing slightly to the side and downward, with his body oriented to the left and his head turned towards the viewer. He has a prominent forehead, a defined nose, a furrowed brow, and a scrunched face. His hair is thinning on top, with longer strands curling around the back and sides of his head. The man has a beard with similar curled texture as his hair. He is wearing a garment that drapes over his shoulders, with visible folds and a texture that suggests a substantial fabric. No jewelry or objects are in his hands, as they are not visible in this image. The background is plain with a light, sketchy look, focusing attention on the man as the central figure in the circular composition.
    Head of an ApostleHendrick GoltziusCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The image shows an elevated view looking down into a crater-like landscape with steep surrounding cliffs. The horizon is high in the image, obscured by rocky formations and rising plumes of smoke. The detailed drawing has a sketch-like quality with fine lines depicting the cliffs and swirling smoke. The color palette is monochromatic, using shades of brown and beige. Two figures and a horse stand on a sloped terrain, providing scale. The crater's basin is visible, with smoke plumes and rock formations in the distance, stretching towards the horizon.
    Forum Vulcani: The Hot Springs at PozzuoliJoris Hoefnagel, 1578Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington