Italian Medieval and Renaissance Paintings and Sculptures

On View: West Building, Main Floor

Gallery number

366 artworks on view.

This painting shows a man from the knees up, seated and facing slightly to the right. He has pale skin, short, curly dark hair, a thin moustache, and a goatee. His expression is neutral as he gazes at us. He wears a dark red garment with voluminous sleeves, with a shining, polished gray breastplate over it. Draped over his shoulder and around his back is a light green cloak, and his legs also have silvery armor. In his left hand, he holds a long wooden staff. His other hand is raised, his fingers curled. He is positioned near a stone column or wall on the left, with a background on the right depicting a distant landscape under a blue sky, with blue fields and structures in the distance.

Portrait of a Knight

Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo

c. 1525

Oil on canvas Accession ID 1952.5.74

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M23

This painting is a portrait of a person's upper body, including their head, shoulders, and a portion of the chest. The individual is facing slightly to the left, looking towards us out of the corner of their eye. They have light-blond, shoulder-length wavy hair and wear a black cap. The person has a fair complexion, light green eyes, a strong jaw, and thin lips in a neutral expression. They wear a brown mantle lined with gray fur over a white garment. The background is dark gray.

Portrait of a Young Man

Venetian 16th Century

c. 1505

Oil on panel Accession ID 1942.9.96

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M12

This painting depicts an elderly man with light skin, gray curly hair, and a gray beard, who looks off to the right. He wears a blue garment with a gold border around the neckline and a yellow cloth draped over it. In his right hand, he holds two large, gray keys, and in his left arm, he holds a book with a reddish cover. The background is a textured gold color.

Saint Peter

Marco Zoppo

c. 1468

Tempera on poplar panel Accession ID 1939.1.271

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M13

Shown from the lap up, a young woman sits facing us as she cradles a plump baby in her lap in this square painting. They both have pale, peachy skin and blond hair. They are softly lit from the upper left, and the background behind them is inky black. A sea-blue cloth drapes over the woman’s head and across her shoulders. Its top edge is rolled back slightly, revealing tendrils of long, wavy hair framing her face. A thin gold line creates a delicate halo around head. Her scarlet-red gown is gathered and belted high above the waist. A cobalt-blue mantle lined with pumpkin orange drapes down over her shoulders, the arm of her chair, and her lap. She tilts her head slightly to our left, and lowers her eyes to gaze at or toward the child. She holds his torso with her right hand, to our left, and rests her other hand across his ankles. The child wears a dove-gray tunic with rolled up sleeves. His short hair lies in flat swirls, and his chubby cheeks are tinged with pale pink. Clusters of short gold rays fan out from the top and sides of his head. He fingers the hem of his tunic with his left hand as he turns his upper body to his right, our left, to pluck a carnation with tan, spiky petals on a long, thin green stem with his other. This carnation and at least one other with a wine-red center is held in a wide, squat, cream-white vase decorated with fern-green scallops and leaves.

The Madonna of the Carnation

Bernardino Luini

c. 1515

Oil on panel Accession ID 1939.1.152

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M18

The sculpture is a decorative footed bowl with intricate carvings. The body of the bowl is adorned with detailed scrollwork and several human faces or mask-like details with open mouths on the bowl and stem. It is mostly off-white and pale yellow, with black and green accents highlighting swirling patterns. It stands on a circular base and features small lion heads near the center.

Cup on high foot with the royal arms of France crowned

French 16th Century

c. 1540/1560

Lead-glazed fine earthenware Accession ID 1942.9.351

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

This painting shows a woman seated outdoors, looking towards the right. She has a fair complexion, a round face, and dark brown hair styled back under a large gold headdress. She wears a pinkish-red gown with a green cloak or blanket around her skirts, and she holds a golden palm frond in one hand and points to an open book that rests on her knees with the other. She has a gold necklace or small collar around her neck and a halo of small golden dots around her head. The background on the left features a gray building in shadow, with a tall gray statue standing in a niche. The background on the right features green trees and distant blue buildings under a dark blue sky that is lighter at the horizon. The ground is covered with grass and small stones, and she sits on a flat gray surface.

Saint Lucretia

Dosso Dossi

c. 1520

Oil on panel Accession ID 1939.1.388

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

Procris' Prayer to Diana

Bernardino Luini

c. 1520/1522

Fresco Accession ID 1943.4.52

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M26

Shown from the hips up, a pale-skinned woman with a long, narrow face wears a richly decorated crimson-red dress in this vertical portrait painting. Her body angles to our left, and she looks in that direction with hooded brown eyes. She has a long nose, a pointed chin, and her pink lips are closed. Deep indentations at her temples and the hollows of her cheeks are shadowed. Her brown hair is parted down the middle and held back in a gold net. Large pearls hang from her ears, and a long strand of pearls doubled around her neck look white at her collar and gray down by her waist. The bodice of her dress is patterned with marigold orange and wine red, and translucent white lace covers her chest and flares up the sides of her neck. A heavy outer garment has black stripes decorated with gold leafy designs alternating with ruby-red stripes. The seams are studded with pearls down the front and along the split sleeves. A gray cuff lines the wrist of a bare, long-fingered hand, which rests across the other forearm. She wears a leather-brown glove on the other hand and clutches a white cloth in that fist. She sits on a pine-green cushion, and an apple-red curtain falls in gentle folds across the background.

Eleonora di Toledo

Agnolo Bronzino

c. 1560

Oil on panel Accession ID 1961.9.7

Not on view

The sculpture is a male bust with realistic facial details, short combed hair, and a calm expression. The material used is a brown earthy tone resembling terracotta or ceramic. The figure is dressed in a formal garment with smooth lines and gentle folds.

A Gentleman

Florentine 15th Century

c. 1485/1490

Terracotta Accession ID 1943.4.75

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M9

Portrait of a Young Lady

Anonymous Artist

c. 1500

Oil on panel transferred to hardboard Accession ID 1952.5.66

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M18

The painting shows a person sitting with their body slightly turned to the left and their head turned towards us. They have a fair complexion, with high cheekbones, a long nose, and thin pink lips in a neutral expression. They have short, light brown hair mostly covered by a dark hat with a white plume. The person wears a dark garment with puffed sleeves, a white collar, and a white strip on the chest. They rest their left hand on their knee while their right arm rests on a wooden surface next to them, their right hand holding a white cloth. In the bottom right corner, a small black book sits on a low wooden surface. In the background is a dark gray wall with decorative molding and paneling.

Ugolino Martelli

Florentine 16th Century

mid 16th century

Oil on panel Accession ID 1939.1.79

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M21

The sculpture depicts a central figure at the top, a nude male wearing a winged helmet, holding an object in one hand and with the other raised. Surrounding the base are seated figures with draped clothing, animal heads, and ornamental elements, crafted with intricate details. The sculpture appears to have a bronze appearance and a dark patina, giving it a classic look. It stands on a solid base, emphasizing its grandeur and complexity.

Andiron with Figure of Mars

Venetian 17th Century

c. 1600/1675

Bronze Accession ID 1961.9.100

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M24