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Art for everyday objects

Art stories

Read researched, source-based stories about the artwork in the gallery. Each completed article covers the artist or maker, the kind of artwork, the world in which it was created, and a detail worth noticing. It also links to products currently available with that exact image. New stories are added as their research is completed.

215 artwork articles

Titles are listed alphabetically. Product suggestions on the article page appear only when the exact item is live and purchasable.

  1. "A Muslim Pilgrim Learns a Lesson in Piety from a Brahman", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi Amir Khusrau Dihlavi · 1597–98
  2. "Akbar With Lion and Calf", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album Govardhan · verso: ca. 1630; recto: ca. 1530–50
  3. "Bahram Gur Sees a Herd of Deer Mesmerized by Dilaram' s Music", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi Amir Khusrau Dihlavi · 1597–98
  4. "Black Buck", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album Manohar · recto: ca. 1615–20; verso: ca. 1530–50
  5. "Kai Khusrau, Gudarz and Giv Capturing the Demon's Fortress, Bahman (?)", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) Abu'l Qasim Firdausi · ca. 1430–40
  6. "King Lear," Act I, Scene I Edwin Austin Abbey · 1898
  7. "The Angel Gabriel meets 'Amr ibn Zaid (the Shepherd)", Folio from a Siyer-i Nebi (the Life of the Prophet) Mustafa ibn Vali · ca. 1595
  8. "The Elephant Clock", Folio from a Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by al-Jazari Farrukh ibn `Abd al-Latif · dated 715 AH/1315 CE
  9. "The Funeral of Isfandiyar," Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings) Abu'l Qasim Firdausi · 1330s
  10. "The Ox Shanzabeh Left Behind, Grazing in the Territory of the Lion King", Folio from a Kalila wa Dimna Unknown maker · second quarter 16th century
  11. "The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus", Folio from a Falnama (Book of Omens) Unknown maker · 1550s
  12. 'Aqua' in a Decorative Border with Sea Creatures, from a Series of Circular Designs with the Four Elements Crispijn de Passe the Elder · 1590–1612
  13. [Flower Study, Rose of Sharon] Adolphe Braun · ca. 1854
  14. [Fontainebleau Forest] Eugène Cuvelier · early 1860s
  15. [Newhaven Fishwives] Hill and Adamson · ca. 1845
  16. [Oak Tree and Rocks, Forest of Fontainebleau] Gustave Le Gray · 1849–52
  17. [The Great Wave, Sète] Gustave Le Gray · 1857
  18. A Banquet Dirck Hals · 1628
  19. A Bouquet of Flowers Clara Peeters · ca. 1612
  20. A Boy with a Cat, Morning Thomas Gainsborough · 1787
  21. A Corinthian capital on the ground at left, a monument with figures in low relief at left in the middleground, various animals and two shepherds at right, plate 4 from "Roman landscapes and ruins" (Paysages et ruines de Rome) Stefano della Bella · ca. 1646
  22. A fisherman leaning against a large tree, a woman walking next to a horse in the background, from "Four large landscapes" (Quatre grands paysages en hauteur) Stefano della Bella · ca. 1652–57
  23. A Gorge in the Mountains (Kauterskill Clove) Sanford Robinson Gifford · 1862
  24. A Hunting Scene Piero di Cosimo (Piero di Lorenzo di Piero d'Antonio) · ca. 1494–1500
  25. A Peasant Woman Picking Fleas off a Dog Adriaen Brouwer · ca. 1626–27
  26. A Rocky Coast William Trost Richards · 1877
  27. A shepherd on horseback in the middle of a stream, dogs, goats and cows follow, a large tree to left and mountains to right in the background, from "Four large landscapes" (Quatre grands paysages en hauteur) Stefano della Bella · ca. 1652–57
  28. A Stallion Habiballah of Sava · ca. 1601–6
  29. A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?) Edgar Degas · 1865
  30. A wooded river landscape with cattle Benjamin Barker, the younger · 1826
  31. Abigail Before David Lucas van Leyden · ca. 1507
  32. Adam and Eve Albrecht Dürer · 1504
  33. An Arctic Summer: Boring Through the Pack in Melville Bay William Bradford · 1871
  34. Armor Odilon Redon · 1891
  35. Arques-la-Bataille John Henry Twachtman · 1885
  36. At the Seaside William Merritt Chase · ca. 1892
  37. Augustus Saint-Gaudens Kenyon Cox · 1887, replica 1908
  38. Bird Hakusanjin Hokui · Date not stated
  39. Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun Nicolas Poussin · 1658
  40. Bouquet of Chrysanthemums Auguste Renoir · 1881
  41. Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase Vincent van Gogh · 1890
  42. Brahma with Attendants and Musicians Unidentified artist · late 16th century
  43. By the Seashore Auguste Renoir · 1883
  44. Calligraphic Galleon 'Abd al-Qadir Hisari · dated 1180 AH/1766–67 CE
  45. Captain George K. H. Coussmaker (1759–1801) Sir Joshua Reynolds · 1782
  46. Carmencita William Merritt Chase · 1890
  47. Chand Bibi Hawking with Attendants in a Landscape Unknown maker · ca. 1700
  48. Christ Carrying the Cross Martin Schongauer · ca. 1475–80
  49. Cider Making William Sidney Mount · 1840–41
  50. Cottage Children (The Wood Gatherers) Thomas Gainsborough · 1787
  51. Creation of Eve, from "The Dance of Death" Hans Holbein the Younger · ca. 1526, published 1538
  52. Deer Hunting – A Landscape Scene with Stag and Hounds in a River Thomas Rowlandson · 1787
  53. Design for a Plate with Arion Riding a Dolphin in a Medallion Bordered by Sea Monsters Adriaen Collaert · ca. 1600
  54. Design for a Plate with Galatea on a Shell Flanked by Trumpeters in a Medallion Bordered by Sea Monsters Adriaen Collaert · ca. 1600
  55. Design for a Plate with Neptune in a Shell Drawn by Horses in a Medallion Bordered by Sea Monsters Adriaen Collaert · ca. 1600
  56. Dogs and Still Life Pierre Charles Canot · 1778
  57. Dune Landscape with Oak Tree Jacob van Ruisdael · 1650–55
  58. Edward and Sarah Rutter Joshua Johnson · ca. 1805
  59. Emperor Vespasian Cured by Veronica's Veil Unknown maker · ca. 1510
  60. Esther and Ahasuerus Unknown maker · mid-17th century
  61. Façade of the church of San Lorenzo in Florence, decorated with the emperor's arms, four figures of death flanking the three entrances, the two in center on horseback, a large angel above central door, from "Ceremonies for the Funeral of Emperor Ferdinand II" (Funérailles de l'empereur Ferdinand II) Stefano della Bella · 1637
  62. Female figure (Saint Catherine?) kneeling on the ground at center pleading to a male figure (Maximus?) who wears a crown and is seated on a throne at right; at left a figure with raised sword about to strike the woman; a group of figures looking on in the background Domenico Campagnola · 1517
  63. Finches and bamboo Emperor Huizong · early 12th century
  64. Fish Market Joachim Beuckelaer · 1568
  65. Flower Garden and Bungalow, Bermuda Winslow Homer · 1899
  66. Fur Traders Descending the Missouri George Caleb Bingham · 1845
  67. Hawking Party Unknown maker · ca. 1500–1530
  68. Haystacks: Autumn Jean-François Millet · ca. 1874
  69. Heart of the Andes Frederic Edwin Church · 1859
  70. Heroic Landscape with Rainbow Joseph Anton Koch · 1824
  71. Horsewoman Théodore Géricault · 1820 or later
  72. Hunting of Birds with a Hawk and a Bow (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries) Unknown maker · ca. 1515–35
  73. Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary) Paul Gauguin · 1891
  74. Irises Vincent van Gogh · 1890
  75. Jason, from 'Game of Mythology' (Jeu de la Mythologie) Stefano della Bella · 1644
  76. Judith, looking towards the right, seated nude atop the dead body of Holofernes, with a sword in her right hand and the head of Holofernes in her left hand Barthel Beham · 1525
  77. Knight, Death and the Devil Albrecht Dürer · 1513
  78. Landscape Edgar Degas · ca. 1877–79
  79. Landscape containing fifteen silhouettes Anonymous, German, 18th century · 1793–1800
  80. Landscape with a Battle between Two Rams Jan Miel · ca. 1640
  81. Landscape with Ducks Charles-François Daubigny · 1872
  82. Landscape with Stars Henri-Edmond Cross (Henri-Edmond Delacroix) · ca. 1905–1908
  83. Leatherstocking's Rescue John Quidor · 1832
  84. Lucas van Uffel (died 1637) Anthony van Dyck · ca. 1622
  85. Madame Georges Charpentier (Marguerite-Louise Lemonnier, 1848–1904) and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe (1872–1945) and Paul-Emile-Charles (1875–1895) Auguste Renoir · 1878
  86. Male Terminal Figure; Head with Beard and Turban on a Three-; Quarter Strapwork Pedestal Jean Mignon · ca. 1543–45
  87. Man in Prayer Rogier van der Weyden · ca. 1440
  88. Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga (1784–1792) Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) · 1787–88
  89. Maria Scotorv Regin et Franciae Dotaria, from "Heads of the Kings of England, and of several Famous Persons" George Vertue · 1735
  90. Marie Antoinette in a Park Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun · ca. 1780–81
  91. Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog Jean Honoré Fragonard · ca. 1769
  92. Michael Angelo and Emma Clara Peale Rembrandt Peale · ca. 1826
  93. Midshipman Augustus Brine John Singleton Copley · 1782
  94. Molly Wales Fobes Rufus Hathaway · 1790
  95. Mountain Scenery with Streams and Pavilions in the Style of Fan Kuan Wang Jian · 1667
  96. Mountain Valley with a Plateau Hercules Segers · ca. 1625–30
  97. Musk Cat Uto Gyoshi · mid- to late 16th century
  98. Nocturne John La Farge · ca. 1885
  99. Nocturne (Nocturne: The Thames at Battersea) James McNeill Whistler · 1878
  100. Northeaster Winslow Homer · 1895; reworked by 1901
  101. Ocean Life James M. Sommerville · Date not stated
  102. Old Plum Kano Sansetsu · 1646
  103. Orpheus Charming the Nymphs, Dryads, and Animals Charles Joseph Natoire · 1757
  104. Otto, Count of Nassau and his Wife Adelheid van Vianen Bernard van Orley · 1530–35
  105. Panel with a Candelabrum Containing a Female Satyr Seated on a Helmet Heinrich Aldegrever · 1549
  106. Panel with Biblical vignettes Unknown maker · 1667
  107. Petronella Elias (1648–1667) with a Basket of Fruit Ferdinand Bol · 1657
  108. Phebe Warner Coverlet Sarah Furman Warner Williams · ca. 1803
  109. Plate 10: a horse lying down, a cow and two goats, two seated shepherds, a waterfall and a mountain in the background, from "Roman landscapes and ruins" (Paysages et ruines de Rome) Stefano della Bella · ca. 1643–48
  110. Plate 35: Philip of Spain as Neptune, riding in a chariot drawn by two sea horses; from Guillielmus Becanus's 'Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi, Hispaniarum Infantis...' Pieter de Jode II · 1636
  111. Plate 3: a gale in the forest, two horsemen wrapped in their cloaks, the wind blowing, from "Roman landscapes and ruins" (Paysages et ruines de Rome) Stefano della Bella · ca. 1643–48
  112. Plate 6: cows crossing a valley to left, a group of trees to left, a horseman and other cows in the background, from "Roman landscapes and ruins" (Paysages et ruines de Rome) Stefano della Bella · ca. 1643–48
  113. Plums John William Hill · 1870
  114. Portrait of a "Mamelouk" Horace Vernet · 1810
  115. Portrait of a Bearded Man with a Ruff Frans Hals · 1625
  116. Portrait of a Boy Louis Léopold Boilly · ca. 1805
  117. Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon Wallerant Vaillant · Date not stated
  118. Portrait of a Man Dieric Bouts · ca. 1470
  119. Portrait of a Man Arnold Boonen · ca. 1720
  120. Portrait of a Man Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino) · ca. 1520–25
  121. Portrait of a Man Spanish (Andalusian) Painter · Date not stated
  122. Portrait of a Man Abraham de Vries · 1643
  123. Portrait of a Man, Said to be Christopher Columbus (born about 1446, died 1506) Sebastiano del Piombo (Sebastiano Luciani) · 1519
  124. Portrait of a Woman Ferdinand Bol · 1642
  125. Portrait of a Woman British Painter · ca. 1600
  126. Portrait of a Woman Quinten Massys · ca. 1520
  127. Portrait of a Woman Jan van Ravesteyn · 1635
  128. Portrait of a Woman in a Rose Dress French Painter · Date not stated
  129. Portrait of a Woman of the Slosgin Family of Cologne Barthel Bruyn the Younger · 1557
  130. Portrait of a Woman, possibly Ginevra d'Antonio Lupari Gozzadini Maestro delle Storie del Pane · 1494?
  131. Portrait of a Young Boy Paulus Moreelse · Date not stated
  132. Portrait of a Young Man Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano) · 1530s
  133. Portrait of Alvise Contarini(?); (verso) A Tethered Roebuck Jacometto (Jacometto Veneziano) · ca. 1485–95
  134. Portrait of the consort of Maria Theresa, queen of Hungary and Bohemia, on horseback Anonymous, French, 18th century · 18th century
  135. Portrait of Yun Dongseom (1710–1795) Unidentified artist · ca. 1790–1805
  136. Queen Henrietta Maria Anthony van Dyck · 1636
  137. Queen Victoria Thomas Sully · 1838
  138. Reverse copy of The Martyrdom of St Paul from The Matyrdom of the Twelve Apostles Lucas Cranach the Elder · Date not stated
  139. Safavid Courtiers Leading Georgian Captives Unknown maker · mid-16th century
  140. Saint Anthony the Abbot in the Wilderness Sano di Pietro (Ansano di Pietro di Mencio) · ca. 1440
  141. Saint Eustace Albrecht Dürer · ca. 1501
  142. Saint Eustace Albrecht Dürer · ca. 1501
  143. Saint George on Horseback Hans Burgkmair · 1508/1518
  144. Saint Jean Gualbert trampling a monster with two human heads and a serpentine body, from "Frontispiece and four scenes from the life of Saint John Gualbert" (Frontispice et quatre vignettes pour une vie de Saint Jean Gualbert) Stefano della Bella · 1640
  145. Saint John the Evangelist holding a goblet with a snake emerging from it, from "Christ, the Virgin, and Thirteen Apostles" Anonymous, 17th century · 1600–40
  146. Sampler Unknown maker · 18th century
  147. Sampler Unknown maker · 1809
  148. Scene with a Warning Against Venereal Disease in a Circle at Center Theodor de Bry · 1580–1600
  149. Seasons and Elements (Air) (set of four) Charles Le Brun · ca. 1683
  150. Seasons and Elements (Spring) (set of four) Charles Le Brun · ca. 1683
  151. Seated Giant Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) · by 1818 (possibly 1814–18)
  152. Self-Portrait Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) · 1660
  153. Self-Portrait Egon Schiele · 1911
  154. Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler) Vincent van Gogh · 1887
  155. Silk Animal Carpet Unknown maker · second half 16th century
  156. Spring Blossoms, Montclair, New Jersey George Inness · ca. 1891
  157. St. William of Aquitaine in armor bearing a standard in his right hand and resting his left hand on a shield, a landscape beyond Martinus Martini · ca. 1581–1610
  158. Stage Fort across Gloucester Harbor Fitz Henry Lane (formerly Fitz Hugh Lane) · 1862
  159. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses Paul Cézanne · ca. 1890
  160. Still Life with Cake Raphaelle Peale · 1818
  161. Still Life with Flowers and Fruit Henri Fantin-Latour · 1866
  162. Still Life with Flowers, a Snail and Insects Joris Hoefnagel · 1589
  163. Studies of a Gentian, Moth, Birds, Cats, Interlacing Motif, and Greek Frets (recto); Ornamental Studies with Figures (verso) Giorgio di Giovanni ("Giorgio da Siena") · 1530–40
  164. Sunset on the Sea John Frederick Kensett · 1872
  165. Ten Kings of Hell Jin Chushi · before 1195
  166. The Adoration of the Magi Giotto di Bondone · possibly ca. 1320
  167. The Adoration of the Magi Unknown maker · late 14th century
  168. The Ameya Robert Frederick Blum · by 1893
  169. The Ark Lodewijk Tieling (active ca. 1695-1700) · ca. 1700
  170. The Coronation of the Virgin Niccolò di Buonaccorso · ca. 1380
  171. The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John Hendrick ter Brugghen · ca. 1624–25
  172. The Falls of Niagara Edward Hicks · ca. 1825
  173. The Feast of Herod and the Beheading of the Baptist Giovanni Baronzio · ca. 1330–35
  174. The Fifth Day (Dies V): The Creation of the Kingdom of Animals, from "The Creation of the World" Jan Muller · 1589
  175. The Flower Girl Charles Cromwell Ingham · 1846
  176. The Genius of Castiglione Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto) · ca. 1645–47 (published 1648)
  177. The Gulf Stream Winslow Homer · 1899; reworked by 1906
  178. The Harvesters Pieter Bruegel the Elder · 1565
  179. The Heights over Foilhummerum Bay, Valentia, the William Corey Heading Seawards, Laying the Shore-end of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable, July 7th, 1866 Robert Charles Dudley · 1865–66
  180. The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) · 1648
  181. The Horse Fair Rosa Bonheur · 1852–55
  182. The House of Bijapur Kamal Muhammad · ca. 1680
  183. The Jabach Family Charles Le Brun · ca. 1660
  184. The Judgment of Paris: he is sitting at left with Venus, Juno and Pallas Athena, a winged victory above. In the upper section the Sun in his chariot preceeded by Castor and Pollux on horseback, at lower right two river gods and a naiad above whom Jupiter, an eagle, Ganymede, Diana and another goddess Marcantonio Raimondi · ca. 1510–20
  185. The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Three: Ji'nan to Mount Tai Wang Hui · datable to 1698
  186. The Lake of Zug Joseph Mallord William Turner · 1843
  187. The Love Song Sir Edward Burne-Jones · 1868–77
  188. The Meditation on the Passion Vittore Carpaccio · ca. 1490
  189. The Meeting of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, with the Four Elements Unknown maker · ca. 1700
  190. The Nymph of Fontainebleau French (Fontainebleau) Painter · Date not stated
  191. The Penitence of Saint Jerome Joachim Patinir · ca. 1515
  192. The Red Bridge Julian Alden Weir · 1895
  193. The Repast of the Lion Henri Rousseau (le Douanier) · ca. 1907
  194. The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak Albert Bierstadt · 1863
  195. The Stag-Hunt Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1506
  196. The Strange Thing Little Kiosai Saw in the River John La Farge · 1897
  197. The Titan's Goblet Thomas Cole · 1833
  198. The Toilers of the Sea Albert Pinkham Ryder · ca. 1880–85
  199. The Tree of Life Unknown maker · first half 17th century
  200. The Trees, Early Afternoon, France William A. Harper · ca. 1905
  201. The Trout Pool Worthington Whittredge · 1870
  202. The Unicorn Purifies Water (from the Unicorn Tapestries) Unknown maker · 1495–1505
  203. The winged archangel Saint Michael holding a sword and standing on the head of the devil, who descends into hell, an oval composition Anonymous, 17th century · 1600–40
  204. Thickets with Large Leaves, Flowers, Animals,... Unknown maker · ca. 1540–50
  205. Tree with roots laid bare alongside a stream, a hilly landscape and a man walking behind quadrupeds beyond Karel Dujardin · 1659
  206. Vanitas Still Life Herman Henstenburgh · n.d.
  207. Vase of Flowers and Conch Shell Anne Vallayer-Coster · 1780
  208. View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm, The Oxbow Thomas Cole · 1836
  209. View from the Citadel Ramparts in Copenhagen by Moonlight Martinus Rørbye · 1839
  210. View from the Other Side of Fuji from the Minobu River (Minobugawa ura Fuji), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) Katsushika Hokusai · ca. 1830–32
  211. View of Toledo El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) · ca. 1599–1600
  212. View on the Catskill, Early Autumn Thomas Cole · 1836–37
  213. View on the Columbia, Cascades Carleton E. Watkins · 1867
  214. Whalers Joseph Mallord William Turner · ca. 1845
  215. Winter Scene in Moonlight Henry Farrer · 1869