The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is a living encyclopedia of world art. Cultures from every part of the world—from Florence to Thebes, from Pennsylvania to Papua, New Guinea—from the ancient world to the present, and in every medium, are represented, frequently at the highest levels of quality. This book presents over 250 of the finest masterpieces in the Metropolitan's collection, drawn from more than three million works in eighteen different curatorial departments. Some of these splendid objects, such as the Temple of Dendur, Botticelli's Annunciation, Rembrandt's Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, and Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware, are very famous; others, including a rare Chinese scroll, a drawing by Michelangelo, and an ornate Turkish sword, are less well known. All are remarkable and unique. The works have been arranged in a generally chronological order by culture, beginning with ancient Egypt and ending with the twentieth century in Europe and America. Each reproduction is accompanied by a text that includes pertinent information about the work.
Introduction
Philippe de Montebello
The Ancient World
Egypt
The Ancient Near East
Greece and Rome
The Middle Ages
Medieval Europe
The Islamic World
The Renaissance
Southern Europe
Northern Europe
The Seventeenth Century in Europe
Asia
India and Southeast Asia
China
Japan
1700–1900 in Europe and the United States
Europe
The United States of America
Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Africa
Oceania
Precolumbian America
The Twentieth Century
Index