-
25,500 BCE
Global Prehistory
Apollo 11 Stones
Namibia
c. 25,500 - 25,300 B.C.E.
Charcoal on stone -
15,000 BCE
Global Prehistory
Great Hall of the Bulls Cave paintings
Lascaux, France. 15,000-13,000 B.C.E. Rock painting -
14,000 BCE
Global Prehistory
Camelid sacrum
Tequixquiac, Mexico, 14,000–7000 B.C.E., Bone -
6000 BCE
Global Prehistory
Running Horned Woman
Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria
6000 - 4000 B.C.E
Pigment on rock -
5000 BCE
Ancient Greece
Plaque of the Ergastines
Parthenon (Phidias)
5th Century B.C.E.
Marble -
5000 BCE
Ancient Greece
Helios, horses, and Dionysus (Heracles?)
East Pediment Sculpture, Parthenon (Phidias?)
5th Century B.C.E.
Marble -
4200 BCE
Global Prehistory
Beaker with ibex motif
Susa, Iran
4200--3500 B.C.E.
Painted terra-cotta -
4000 BCE
Global Prehistory
Anthropomorphic stele
Arabian Peninsula
4th millennium B.C.E
Sandstone -
3500 BCE
Sumerian
White Temple and its ziggurat
Uruk (modern Warka, Iraq)
Sumerian
c.3500-3000 B.C.E.
Mud brick -
3300 BCE
Global Prehistory
Jade Cong
Liangzhu, China, 3300-2200 B.C.E., Carved jade -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egypt
Palette of Narmer
Predynastic Egypt
c.3000-2920 B.C.E.
Greywacke -
2700 BCE
Sumerian
Statues of votive figures
From the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar, Iraq)
Sumerian
c.2700 B.C.E.
Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone -
2620 BCE
Old Kingdom Egypt
Seated scribe
Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty
c.2620-2500 B.C.E.
Painted limestone -
2600 BCE
Sumerian
Standard of Ur from the Royal Tombs at Ur
Modern Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq
Sumerian
c.2600-2400 B.C.E.
Wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone -
2550 BCE
Old Kingdom Egypt
Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx
Giza, Egypt
Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty
c.2550-2490 B.C.E.
Cut limestone -
2500 BCE
Neolithic
Stonehenge
Wiltshire, UK
Neolithic Europe
c.2500-1600 B.C.E
Sandstone -
2490 BCE
Old Kingdom Egypt
King Menkaura and queen
Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty
c.2490-2472 B.C.E.
Greywacke -
2000 BCE
Imperial Roman
House of the Vettii
Pompeii, Italy
Imperial Roman
c. 2nd Century B.C.E.
Cut stone and fresco -
1792 BCE
Ancient Near Eastern Art (Mesopotamian Art)
The Code of Hammurabi
Babylon (Modern Iran)
Susian
c.1792-1750 B.C.E.
Basalt -
1500 BCE
Global Prehistory
Ambum Stone
Enga Province, Papua New Guinea
1500 B.C.E
Greywacke -
1473 BCE
New Kingdom
Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut
And kneeling sculpture
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty
Near Luxor, Egypt
c.1473-1458 B.C.E.
Sandstone, partially covered into a rock cliff, and red granite -
1353 BCE
New Kingdom
Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters
New Kingdom (Amarna), 18th Dynasty
c.1353-1335 B.C.E.
Limestone -
1351 BCE
The David Vases
Yuan Dynasty, China
1351 C.E.
White porcelain with cobalt-blue underglaze -
1323 BCE
New Kingdom
Tutankhamun’s tomb, innermost coffin
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty
c.1323 B.C.E.
Gold with inlay of enamel and semiprecious stones -
1250 BCE
New Kingdom
Temple of Amun-Re and Hypostyle Hall
New Kingdom, 18th & 19th Dynasties
Karnak, near Luxor, Egypt
Temple: c.1550 B.C.E.
Hall: c.1250 B.C.E.
Cut sandstone and mud brick -
1200 BCE
Global Prehistory
Tlatilco female figurine
Central Mexico
1200 - 900 B.C.E
Ceramic -
1000 BCE
Hellenistic
Laocoön and His Sons
Hellenistic Greek
Hagesander, Athenodoros and Polydorus of Rhodes
1st Century B.C.E.
Marble -
1000 BCE
Imperial Roman
Augustus of Prima Porta
Imperial Roman
Early 1st Century C.E.
Marble -
930 BCE
Lakshmana Temple
Khajuraho, India. Hindu, Chandella Dynasty
c. 930-950 C.E. Sandstone -
720 BCE
Assyrian
Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II
Dur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad, Iraq)
Neo-Assyrian c.720-705 B.C.E.
Alabaster -
641 BCE
Jowo Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple
Lhasa, Tibet. Yarlung Dynasty.
Believed to have been brought to Tibet in 641 C.E.
Gilt metals with semiprecious stones, pearls, and paint; various offerings -
600 BCE
Ancient Greece
Athenian Agora
Archaic through Hellenistic Greek
600 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.
Plan -
530 BCE
Archaic Greek
Peplos Kore from the Acropolis
Archaic Greek
c.530 B.C.E.
Marble, painted details -
520 BCE
Persian
Audience Hall (apadana) of Darius and Xerxes
Persepolis, Iran
Persian
c.520-465 B.C.E.
Limestone -
520 BCE
Etruscan Art
Sarcophagus of the Spouses
Etruscan. c.520 B.C.E.
Terracotta -
510 BCE
Etruscan Art
Temple of Minerva (Veii, near Rome, Italy)
Etruscan. c.510-500 B.C.E.
Original temple of wood, mud brick, or tufa (volcanic rock) -
510 BCE
Etruscan Art
Sculpture of Apollo, Veii
Master sculptor Vulca
Etruscan. c.510-500 B.C.E.
Terracotta -
493 BCE
Longmen caves
Luoyang, China. Tang Dynasty.
493-1127 C.E.
Limestone -
480 BCE
Ancient Greece
Kritios boy
c.480 B.C.E.
Marble -
480 BCE
Etruscan Art
Tomb of the Triclinium
Tarquinia, Italy. Etruscan.
c.480-470 B.C.E. Tufa and fresco -
460 BCE
Classical Greece
Niobides Krater
Anonymous vase painter of Classical Greece known as the Niobid Painter.
c.460-450 B.C.E.
Clay, red figure technique -
450 BCE
Ancient Greece
Doryphoros (Spear bearer)
Polykleitos
Original 450-440 B.C.E.
Roman copy (marble) of the Greek original (bronze) -
447 BCE
Ancient Greece
Parthenon
Iktinos and Kallikrates
c.447-410 B.C.E.
Marble -
447 BCE
Ancient Greece
Acropolis
Iktinos and Kallikrates
c.447-410 B.C.E.
Marble -
427 BCE
Ancient Greece
Temple of Athena Nike
Kallikrates
c.427-424 B.C.E.
Marble -
427 BCE
Ancient Greece
Victory (Nike) adjusting her sandal
Temple of Athena Nike (Acropolis)
c.427-424 B.C.E.
Marble -
410 BCE
Ancient Greece
Grave Stele of Hegeso
Attributed to Kallimachos
c.410 B.C.E.
Marble and paint -
400 BCE
Imperial Roman
Petra, Jordan: Treasury and Great Temple
Nabataean Ptolemaic and Roman
c. 400 B.C.E - 100 C.E.
Cut rock -
400 BCE
Buddha
Bamiyan, Afghanistan
Gandharan
c. 400-800 C.E.
(destroyed in 2001)
Cut rock with plaster and polychrome paint -
350 BCE
Ancient Greece
Aphrodite of Knidos
Praxiteles
c.350 B.C.E.
Marble -
300 BCE
Great Stupa at Sanchi
Madhya Pradesh, India
Buddhist; Maurya, late Sunga Dynasty
c. 300 B.C.E.-100 C.E. Stone masonry, sandstone on dome -
221 BCE
Terra cotta warriors from mausoleum of the first Qin emperor of China
Qin Dynasty.
c. 221-209 B.C.E.
Painted terra cotta -
190 BCE
Hellenistic
Winged Victory of Samothrace
Hellenistic Greek
c.190 B.C.E.
Marble -
180 BCE
Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
Han Dynasty, China
c. 180 B.C.E.
Painted silk -
175 BCE
Hellenistic
Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon
Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Hellenistic Greek.
c.175 B.C.E.
Marble -
175 BCE
Hellenistic
Frieze of Athena from the Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon
Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Hellenistic Greek.
c.175 B.C.E.
Marble -
118 BCE
Imperial Roman
Pantheon
Imperial Roman. 118-125 C.E.
Concrete with stone facing. -
113 BCE
Imperial Roman
Column of Trajan
Completed 113 C.E.
Marble -
106 BCE
Imperial Roman
Forum of Trajan
Rome, Italy. Apollodorus of Damascus. Forum and markets.
c.106-112 C.E.
Brick and concrete. -
100 BCE
Hellenistic
Seated Boxer
Hellenistic Greek
C.100 B.C.E.
Bronze -
100 BCE
Republican Roman
Alexander mosaic from the House of Faun, Pompeii
Republican Roman c.100 B.C.E.
Mosaic -
75 BCE
Republican Roman
Head of a Roman patrician
Republican Roman
c.75-50 B.C.E.
Marble -
70 BCE
Imperial Roman
Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater)
Rome, Italy. Imperial Roman.
70-80 C.E.Stone and concrete. -
250
Late Imperial Rome
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
Late Imperial Roman. c.250 C.E.
Marble. -
500
Gold and jade crown
Three Kingdoms Period
Silla Kingdom, Korea
Fifth to sixth century C.E.
Metalwork -
530
Archaic Greek
Anavysos Kouros
Archaic Greek
c.530 B.C.E.
Marble with remnants of paint -
631
The Kaaba
Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic. Pre-Islamic monument
Rededicated by Muhammad in 631-632 C.E. Multiple renovations
Granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and silver-wrapped thread -
691
Dome of the Rock
Jerusalem. Islamic. Umayyad.
691-692 C.E., with multiple renovations
Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with glazed ceramic tile, mosaics, and gilt aluminum and bronze dome. -
700
Great Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh)
Isfahan, Iran. Islamic, Persian: Seljuk, Il-Khanid, Timurid and Safavid Dynasties
c. 700 C.E.; additions and restorations in the 14th, 18th & 20th centuries C.E.
Stone, brick, wood, plaster, and glazed ceramic tile -
700
Nan Madol
Pohnpei, Micronesia
Saudeleur Dynasty
c. 700-1600 C.E.
Basalt boulders and prismatic columns -
743
Todai-ji
Nara, Japan
743 C.E.; rebuilt c. 1700
Wood with ceramic-tile roofing -
749
Great Buddha (Daibutsu) from Todai-ji
Bronze
Located in the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden)
Represent Vairocana Buddha
53 feet tall
Completed in 749 and dedicated in 753 C.E.
Almost bankrupted Nara
Severely damaged & repaired several times -
750
Borobudur Temple
Central Java, Indonesia
Sailendra Dynasty
c. 750-842 C.E.
Volcanic-stone masonry -
785
Great Mosque
Córdoba, Spain. Umayyad
c. 785-786 C.E.
Stone masonry -
800
Angkor, the temple of Angkor Wat, and the city of Angkor Thom, Cambodia
Hindu, Angkor Dynasty
c. 800-1400 C.E. Stone masonry, sandstone -
800
Folio from a Qur’an
Arab, North Africa or Near East
Abbasid. c. eighth to ninth century C.E.
Ink, color, and gold on parchment -
800
Churning of the Ocean of Milk
Angkor Wat
Hindu, Angkor Dynasty
c. 800-1400 C.E.
Sandstone -
800
Jayavarman VII as Buddha
Angkor Thom
Hindu, Angkor Dynasty
c. 800-1400 C.E. Stone masonry, sandstone -
968
Pyxis of al-Mughira
Umayyad
c. 968 C.E.
Ivory -
1000
Global Prehistory
Terra cotta fragment
Solomon Islands, Reef Islands
1000 B.C.E
Terra cotta -
1000
Conical tower and circular wall of Great Zimbabwe
Southeastern Zimbabwe
Shona peoples
c. 1000-1400 C.E.
Coursed granite blocks -
1000
Travelers among Mountains and Streams
Fan Kuan
c. 1000 C.E.
Ink and colors on silk -
1100
Moai on platform (ahu)
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
c. 1100-1600 C.E.
Volcanic tuff figures on basalt base -
1200
Great Mosque of Djenné
Mali
Founded c. 1200 C.E.; rebuilt 1906-1907
Adobe -
1200
Nio guardian statues
from Todai-ji
Various artists including sculptors Unkei and Keikei, as well as the Kei School
c. 1200 C.E.
Wood -
1250
Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
Kamakura Period, Japan
c. 1250-1300 C.E.
Handscroll (ink and color on paper) -
1275
New Kingdom
Last judgment of Hu-Nefer, from his tomb
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty
c.1275 B.C.E.
Painted papyrus scroll -
1320
Basin (Baptistère de St. Louis)
Muhammad ibn al-Zain
c. 1320-1340 C.E.
Brass inlaid with gold and silver -
1330
Bahram Gur Fights the Karg, folio from the Great Il-Khanid Shahnama
Islamic
Persian, Il-Khanid
c. 1330-1340 C.E.
Ink and opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper -
1354
Alhambra
Granada, Spain. Nasrid Dynasty
1354-1391 C.E.
Whitewashed adobe stucco, wood, tile, paint, and gilding -
1432
Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece)
Workshop of Robert Campin
1427-1432 C.E. Oil on wood
Northern Renaissance -
1434
The Arnolfini Portrait
Jan van Eyck
c. 1434 C.E.
Oil on wood
Northern Renaissance -
1460
David
Donatello
c. 1440-1460 C.E.
Bronze
High renaissance. -
1465
Madonna and Child with Two Angels
Fra Filippo Lippi
c. 1465 C.E.
Tempera on wood
Florentine Renaissance -
1480
Ryoan-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Muromachi Period, Japan
c. 1480 C.E.; current design most likely dates to the 18th century
Rock garden -
1498
Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci
c. 1494-1498 C.E. Oil and tempera -
1500
Forbidden City
Beijing, China. Ming Dynasty.
15th century C.E. and later
Stone masonry, marble, brick, wood, and ceramic tile -
1500
Portrait of Sin Sukju (1417-1475)
Imperial Bureau of Painting
c. 15th century C.E.
Hanging scroll (ink and color on silk) -
1500
The Palace of Tranquility and Longevity
Beijing, China. Ming Dynasty.
15th century C.E. and later
Stone masonry, marble, brick, wood, and ceramic tile -
1504
Adam and Eve
Albrecht Dürer
1504 C.E.
Engraving
Northern Renaissance -
1511
School of Athens
School of Athens
Raphael
c. 1509-1511 C.E. Fresco
High Renaissance -
1516
Isenheim altarpiece
Matthias Grünewald
c. 1512-1516 C.E.
Oil on wood
Northern Renaissance -
1522
The Court of Gayumars, folio from Shah Tahmasp’s
Shahnama
Sultan Muhammad
c. 1522-1525 C.E.
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper -
1528
Entombment of Christ
Jacopo da Pontormo
1525-1528 C.E.
Oil on wood
Manerism -
1538
Venus of Urbino
Titian
c. 1538 C.E. Oil on canvas
The Late Renaissance -
1539
The Ardabil Carpet
Maqsud of Kashan
1539-1540 C.E.
Silk and wool -
1541
Sistine Chapel ceiling
Vatican City, Italy
Michelangelo
Ceiling frescoes: c. 1508-1512 C.E.
Altar frescoes: c. 1536-1541 C.E.
Fresco -
1541
The Last Judgment
Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel, 1536-1541 C.E.
Fresco
Late Renaissance -
1541
Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza
Viceroyalty of New Spain
c. 1541-1542 C.E.
Ink and color on paper -
1565
Hunters in the Snow
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
1565 C.E. Oil on wood
Northern Renascence -
1568
Mosque of Selim II
Edirne, Turkey
Sinan (architect)
1568-1575 C.E.
Brick and stone -
Il Gesù
Rome, Italy; Giacomo da Vignola (architect); Giacomo della Porta, facade (architect); Church: 16th Century C.E.; Facade: 1568-1584 C.E.
Brick, marble, stucco -
Wall plaque, from Oba’s palace
Edo peoples, Benin (Nigeria)
16th century C.E.
Cast brass -
Calling of Saint Matthew
Caravaggio
c. 1597-1601 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Southern Baroque -
Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
Bichitr
c. 1620 C.E.
Watercolor, gold, and ink on paper -
Henry IV Receives the Portrait of Marie de’ Medici
from the Marie de’ Medici Cycle
Peter Paul Rubens
1621-1625 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Southern & Northern Aristocratic Baroque -
Taj Mahal
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Masons, marble workers, mosaicists, and decorators working under the supervision of Ustad Ahmad Lahori, architect of the emperor. 1632-1653 C.E.
Stone masonry and marble with inlay of precious and semiprecious stones; gardens -
Self-Portrait with Saskia
Rembrandt van Rijn
1636 C.E.
Etching
Northern Bourgeois Baroque -
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
c. 1647-1652 C.E.
Marble
Southern Baroque -
Las Meninas
Diego Velázquez
c. 1656 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Southern & Northern Aristocratic Baroque Art -
Woman Holding a Balance
Johannes Vermeer
c. 1664 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Northern Bourgeois Baroque -
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and hunting scene
Circle of the González Family c. 1697-1701 C.E.
Tempera and resin on wood, shell inlay -
The Virgin of Guadalupe (Virgen de Guadalupe)
Miguel González
c. 1698 C.E.
Based on original Virgin of Guadalupe Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico City
16th Century C.E.
Oil on canvas on wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl -
Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool)
Ashanti peoples (south central Ghana)
c. 1700 C.E.
Gold over wood and cast-gold attachments -
Angel with Arquebus, Asiel Timor Dei
Master of Calamarca (La Paz School)
c. 17th Century C.E.
Oil on canvas -
White and Red Plum Blossoms
Ogata Korin
c. 1710-1716 C.E.
Ink, watercolor, and gold leaf on paper -
Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo
Attributed to Juan Rodríguez Juárez c. 1715 C.E.
Oil on canvas -
Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Miguel Cabrera
c. 1750 C.E.
Oil on canvas -
Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul
Kuba peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
c. 1760-1780 C.E.
Wood -
The Swing
Jean-Honoré Fragonard
1767 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Rococo -
Self-Portrait
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
1790 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Rococo -
Self-Portrait
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
1790 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Romanticism -
‘Ahu ‘ula (feather cape)
Hawaiian
Late 18th century C.E.
Feathers and fiber -
Staff god
Rarotonga, Cook Islands, central Polynesia
Late 18th to early 19th century C.E.
Wood, tapa, fiber, and feathers -
Female deity
Nukuoro, Micronesia
c. 18th to 19th century C.E.
Wood -
Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as the Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai
1830-1833 C.E.
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper -
Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On)
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1840 C.E.
Oil on canvas
Romanticism -
The Stone Breakers
Gustave Courbet
1849 C.E. (destroyed in 1945)
Oil on canvas
Realism & Photography -
Hiapo (tapa)
Niue
c. 1850-1900 C.E.
Tapa or bark cloth, freehand painting -
The Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel (El Valle de México desde el Cerro de Santa Isabel)
Jose María Velasco 1882 C.E.
Oil on canvas -
Tamati Waka Nene
Gottfried Lindauer
Maori (Nga-ti-toa tribe)
Auckland National Art Gallery
1890 C.E.
Oil on canvas
40.1’’ x 33.1’’ -
The Burghers of Calais
Auguste Rodin
1884-1895 C.E.
Bronze
Realism & Photography -
Female (Pwo) mask
Chokwe peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Late 19th to 20th century C.E.
Wood, fiber, pigment, and metal -
Bundu mask
Sande Society, Mende peoples (West African forests of Sierra Leone and Liberia)
19th to 20th century C.E.
Wood, cloth, and fiber -
Aka elephant mask
Bamileke (Cameroon, western grassfields region)
c. 19th to 20th century C.E.
Wood, woven raffia, cloth, and beads -
Reliquary figure (byeri)
Fang peoples (southern Cameroon)
c. 19th to 20th century C.E.
Wood -
Lukasa (memory board)
Mbudye Society, Luba peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
c. 19th to 20th century C.E.
Wood, beads, and metal -
Power figure (Nkisi n’kondi)
Kongo peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
c. late 19th century C.E.
1066 - 1067 CE
Wood and metal -
Navigation chart
Marshall Islands, Micronesia
19th to early 20th century C.E.
Wood and fiber -
Ikenga (shrine figure)
Ikenga (shrine figure)
Igbo peoples (Nigeria)
c. 19th to 20th century C.E.
Wood -
Buk (mask)
Mid to late 19th Century
Torres Strait (islander People)
Maubiag Island
25 in
Turtle shell, wood, fiber, feathers, and shell -
Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga)
Olowe of Ise (Yoruba peoples)
c. 1910-1914 C.E.
Wood and pigment -
Presentation of Fijian mats and tapa cloths to Queen Elizabeth II
Fiji, Polynesia. 1953 C.E.
Multimedia performance (costume; cosmetics, including scent; chant; movement; and pandanus fiber/hibiscus fiber mats), photographic documentation -
Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan
Artist unknown
Based on an oil painting by Liu Chunhua
c. 1969 C.E.
Color lithograph -
Portrait mask (Mblo)
Baule peoples (Côte d’Ivoire)
Early 20th century C.E.
Wood and pigment -
Malagan display and mask
New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea
c. 20th century C.E.
Wood, pigment, fiber, and shell -
Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja)
Hindu
India (Tamil Nadu)
Chola Dynasty
c. 11th century C.E.
Cast bronze