Floor plan

Style galleriesPaintings of the 18th century

Paintings of 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.
A work made of opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
The Visit, by Pietro Longhi, 1746
A work made of oil on canvas.
Our Lady of Valvanera, ca. 1770–80
A work made of oil on canvas.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Paintings made in the 18th century, from every museum.

Section 1, 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. A work made of opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
    Holi Festival in a Walled Garden with CelebrantsUnrecorded Indian maker, c. 1764Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. The Visit, by Pietro Longhi, 1746
    The VisitPietro Longhi, 1746Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Alexander at the Tomb of Cyrus the GreatPierre Henri de Valenciennes, 1796Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 1, south wall

  1. Our Lady of Valvanera, ca. 1770–80
    Our Lady of ValvaneraUnrecorded Latin American maker, ca. 1770–80Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The White TableclothJean Siméon Chardin, c. 1731–32Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, south wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The DancePietro Longhi, c. 1750Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of six-panel screen; ink, colors, and gold on paper.
    Baskets with Flowers of the Four SeasonsUnrecorded Japanese maker, 19th centuryCourtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A Lady Playing the Tanpura, ca. 1735
    A Lady Playing the TanpuraUnrecorded Indian maker, ca. 1735Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Artist: Robert Edge Pine, Sitter: Margaret Brown Stone, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
    Margaret Brown StoneRobert Edge Pine, c. 1785Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
  2. The Sacrifice of Isaac, by Francesco Guardi, 1750s
    The Sacrifice of IsaacFrancesco Guardi, 1750sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. The Letter, by Pietro Longhi, 1746
    The LetterPietro Longhi, 1746Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. The Meeting, by Pietro Longhi, 1746
    The MeetingPietro Longhi, 1746Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. The soaring, gilded vault of a central aisle of the inside of a church fills this horizontal painting. The ceiling of the nave curves up and away from us like a tunnel. It is lined with coffers, which have inset panels, decorated with gold. The light-filled nave angles down from the top center of the composition toward the lower left as it moves away from us. The white stone pillars supporting the barrel vault are intricately carved and decorated with pudgy, winged cherubs holding portraits of men, and aisles run parallel to the central nave to our left and right. In the side aisles, pink marble columns flank altars in chapels. At the far end of the church, the nave is interrupted where it opens into the light-filled crossing, before continuing beyond. Marking the space where the long hall of the church is intersected by a shorter arm to create a cross shape is a structure made of four twisting columns supporting a pointed canopy, all cast in bronze. Tiny men and women pray or gather in pairs and small groups along the nave. Some wear tattered clothing and others are elegantly dressed.
    Interior of Saint Peter's, RomeGiovanni Paolo Panini, c. 1754Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Sketch for a Ceiling, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1750s
    Sketch for a CeilingGiovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1750sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. 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