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Claude Monet’s 1876 portrait reflects a time when Japanese culture fascinated Europe’s most style-conscious circles. The model, interestingly, is Monet’s wife, Camille.

With its wood paneling and subdued lighting, the Temple Room evokes ancient Japanese shrines atop mist-enshrouded mountains. The statues, which date from as early as the seventh century, depict prominent figures from Buddhist texts.

Having secured some of Sargent’s most important portraiture in the early-20th century, the MFA went one step further and commissioned the artist to paint murals and bas-reliefs on its central rotunda and colonnade.

The self-taught, Boston-born Copley made a name for himself by painting the most affluent and influential Bostonians of his day, from pre-Revolutionary figures like John Hancock to early American presidents.

This extremely rare chest ornament is nearly 4,000 years old. A vulture is depicted with a cobra on its left wing, ready to strike. This juxtaposition symbolized the union of Upper and Lower Egypt.

This assortment of artifacts belonging to a 6th-century BC Nubian king was recovered in 1920 at Nuri in present-day Sudan during a MFA/ Harvard joint expedition.

The MFA boasts some of Vincent van Gogh’s most important work, including this 1888 oil, which was painted during his stay in Arles, France.

Famed for his midnight ride, Revere (see Paul Revere (1735–1818)) was also known for his masterful silverwork. The breadth of his ability is apparent in the museum’s 200-piece collection, including this Sons of Liberty bowl.

This endearing image (1883) of a couple dancing is among Renoir’s most beloved works. It exemplifies the artist’s knack for taking a timeless situation and modernizing it by dressing his subjects in the latest fashions.

Acquired in 1919 from a small Spanish church, this medieval fresco had an amazingly complex journey to Boston, which involved waterproofing it with lime and Parmesan for safe transport.