Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.