From 14th Century To 15th Century

During the 14th and 15th centuries, artists in Europe began to break away from the traditional Gothic style. They began to experiment with new techniques and styles, resulting in a period of great creativity and innovation in the arts. Some of the most famous artworks from this period include the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the sculptures of Donatello.

Box with Romance Scenes

    This coffret illustrated with scenes from Arthurian and other courtly literature of the Middle Ages is one of the most imposing examples to survive.
    The lid represents the assault on the metaphorical fortress, Castle of Love, with a tournament and knights catapulting roses.
    The left end depicts Tristan and Isolde spied upon by King Mark, and a hunter killing a unicorn trapped by a virgin.
    The right end shows a knight rescuing a lady from the Wildman (Wodehouse), and Galahad receiving the key to the castle of maidens.
    At the back are Lancelot and the lion, Lancelot crossing the sword bridge, Gawain asleep on the magic bed, and the maidens welcoming their deliverer.
    The newly discovered front panel (1988.16), lost since before 1800, is a poignant depiction of the love tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe (two scenes at right) and Aristotle teaching Alexander the Great and Phyllis riding on the back of Aristotle (two scenes at left).

Virgin and Child Enthroned

    The Virgin Mary is shown with a crown and blue halo designating her as Queen of Heaven.
    She is seated on a low throne (the biblical Throne of Solomon) set within an elaborate architectural construction (the Porch of Judgment).
    The painting exemplifies the heights attained under Charles IV (1316 - 1378), Holy Roman Emperor from 1355.
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    The Virgin Mary is shown with a crown and blue halo designating her as Queen of Heaven.
    She is seated on a low throne (the biblical Throne of Solomon) set within an elaborate architectural construction (the Porch of Judgment).
    The painting exemplifies the heights attained under Charles IV (1316 - 1378), Holy Roman Emperor from 1355.

Aquamanile in the Form of a Ram

    Scarborough, on England's northeast coast, is still celebrated in song today for the annual fair it once hosted for merchants.
    The event was inaugurated by royal charter in 1253, around the time that one of the potteries created this jug in the form of a ram.
    Water would be added through the spout at the handle and poured out through the animal's mouth.
    Like the examples in copper alloy in this gallery, the ram was used for handwashing.

The Annunciation

    The Annunciation is shown in a private chamber.
    The painting is influenced by early Netherlandish painting.
    The painting shows the event as a legal transaction.

Spoon

    Bronze utensils are common burial objects.
    While they are similar in form, with narrow, pointed bowls and curved handles, the utensils on view here (22.141.20, .21, .22) were beaten from flat metal and not produced from molds, thus each is unique.
    Some of the spoons have a rounder, smaller bowl while others have been embellished with swallow-tail ends and incised designs.

"Bizhan Slaughters the Wild Boars of Irman", Folio from a Shahnama (Book of Kings)

    The colophon folio informs us that the manuscript was produced in the city of Shiraz, ordered by the Injuid dynasty vizier Hasan Qavam al-Daula va al-Din in 741/1341.
    This early painting depicts the hero Bizhan riding the Armenian territories of a terrorizing band of wild boars.

The Journey of the Magi

    This scene, by the leading painter of fifteenth-century Siena, shows the three magi journeying to Bethlehem to worship Christ.
    It is a fragment from a small altarpiece showing the Adoration of the Magi.
    Originally, the star was shown above the tiled roof of the stable.
    The fur-lined hat worn by the magus in pink was inspired by the visit to Siena in 1432 of King Sigismund of Hungary.
    The picture may date about 1433 - 35.

The Crucifixion