Eras

Ten periods of European art history, from the Gothic era to Post-Impressionism.

Crucifixion
Madonna with the Child
Death of the Virgin

Gothic

c. 1200–1400

The age of gold grounds and divine light. Byzantine icons, Gothic altarpieces, and the revolutionary naturalism of Giotto and Duccio.

1,234 paintings →

Pietà
Virgin and Child
Christ Crowned with Thorns

Early Renaissance

c. 1400–1490

The dawn of a new art. Masaccio's perspective, Van Eyck's oil technique, and the first steps toward naturalism.

4,429 paintings →

Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Charger
Lucrezia di Lippo di Iacopo Guidi
Domenico da Gambassi

High Renaissance

c. 1490–1530

The pinnacle of classical harmony. Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo achieving perfection of form and composition.

6,994 paintings →

The Battle of Zama
Francesco de' Medici
Portrait of Don Juan of Austria

Mannerism

c. 1530–1600

Elegance pushed to extremes. Elongated figures, acid colors, and a deliberate departure from Renaissance balance.

1,827 paintings →

Allegory of Venus and Cupid
Portrait of a Noblewoman Dressed in Mourning
The Vision of Saint Francis

Baroque

c. 1600–1700

Drama, grandeur, and emotional intensity. From Caravaggio's chiaroscuro to Vermeer's quiet interiors.

5,635 paintings →

Annunciation to the Shepherds
The Madonna with the Seven Founders of the Servite Order
Theodosius Repulsed from the Church by Saint Ambrose

Rococo

c. 1700–1770

Playful elegance and aristocratic refinement. Watteau's fêtes galantes, Boucher's pastorals, and Tiepolo's luminous ceilings.

3,160 paintings →

Portrait of the Artist's Father, Ismael Mengs
View on the River Roseau, Dominica
Manuel Godoy

Neoclassicism

c. 1770–1820

A return to classical order. Moral seriousness, heroic virtue, and the art of revolution.

3,240 paintings →

The Fountain at Grottaferrata
Dante's Bark
Shipwreck

Romanticism

c. 1820–1850

Emotion over reason. Sublime landscapes, heroic struggles, and the power of individual feeling.

4,475 paintings →

Michel Monet with a Pompon
Wind Effect, Row of Poplars
Rouen Cathedral

Impressionism

c. 1860–1890

Light captured in motion. Monet's shimmering water, Renoir's dappled gardens, and the birth of modern painting.

4,398 paintings →

Rocks and Trees (Rochers et arbres)
Bathers (Baigneurs)
Fruit on a Table (Fruits sur la table)

Post-Impressionism

c. 1886–1910

Beyond the fleeting moment. Van Gogh's ecstatic color, Cézanne's structural geometry, and Gauguin's Tahitian visions.

4,658 paintings →