European Art
Among the many treasures in the BMA’s magnificent collection of 15th- through 19th-century European art is the unparalleled masterpiece Rinaldo and Armida (1629) by Sir Anthony van Dyck. Commissioned by King Charles I of England, it is considered one of the world’s finest paintings by the artist. It is joined by other masterworks of northern European and French art such as Frans Hals’ portrait Dorothea Berck (1644), Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting of his son Titus (1660), Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin’s portrayal of a lovely maiden tossing a ball in The Game of Knucklebones (c. 1734), and French court portraitist Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s exotic Princess Anna Alexandrovna Galitzin (c. 1797). Medieval and Renaissance works include a 14th-century Burgundian Virgin and Child carved of limestone and Titian’s sublime Portrait of a Gentleman (1561).
Much of this European art collection was formed by generous Baltimoreans, notably Mary Frick Jacobs, George A. Lucas, and Jacob Epstein. An exceptional collection of 19th-century French art includes a large cast of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (1904-17 cast, after 1880 original), more than 140 bronzes by animal sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye, and paintings by Barbizon artists such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Impressionist Camille Pissarro. Installed in opulent galleries designed by the great neoclassical architect John Russell Pope, these works are accompanied by a fine selection of decorative arts, including jeweled snuffboxes, porcelain, and silver. Several galleries feature intimate focus exhibitions showcasing the BMA’s exceptional collection of works on paper from the 15th through the 19th century.
Interactive Features
Explore the BMA’s renowned European art collection by clicking on one of the links below. Learn the fascinating histories behind the works and the artists who created them!
- Dorothea Berck, Wife of Joseph Coymans, Frans Hals
- Emilia Pia da Montefeltro, Raphael
- Entry into the Ark, Jacopo Bassano
- In Praise of the Prince of Fenyang
- Kitchen Interior in a Ruined Palace, Hubert Robert
- Melencholia I, Albrecht Dürer
- Princess Anna Alexandrovna Galitzin, Elisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun
- Rinaldo and Armida, Anthony van Dyck
- The Game of Knucklebones, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
- Venus and Adonis, Cornelis Corneliszoon van Haarlem
- View of Rhenen, Jan van Goyen
