Famous History Paintings

Kings, emperors, allegories and great events, painted to be remembered.

46 paintings, with works by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Peter Paul Rubens, François Boucher and Anthony van Dyck. Most often they suit the staircase, hallway or entryway and apartment or dorm.

46 paintings

Queen Henrietta Maria, Anthony van Dyck, 1636, oil on canvas

Anthony van Dyck Queen Henrietta Maria, 1636 The Met

St. George on white horse, piercing green, gold dragon

Bernat Martorell Saint George and the Dragon, 1434–35 Art Institute of Chicago

King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Islamic, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Islamic King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535 Art Institute of Chicago

The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Basawan, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Basawan The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595 Art Institute of Chicago

Study for "William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River", Thomas Eakins, 1876–77, oil on canvas mounted on board

Thomas Eakins Study for "William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River", 1876–77 Art Institute of Chicago

Allegory of Autumn, François Boucher, 1753, oil on canvas

François Boucher Allegory of Autumn, 1753 The Met

Allegory of Lyric Poetry, François Boucher, 1753, oil on canvas

François Boucher Allegory of Lyric Poetry, 1753 The Met

Queen Charlotte, Thomas Gainsborough, 1768, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Queen Charlotte, 1768 The Met

The Triumph of Henry IV, Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1630, oil on wood

Peter Paul Rubens The Triumph of Henry IV, ca. 1630 The Met

Allegory of the Catholic Faith, Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1670–72, oil on canvas

Johannes Vermeer Allegory of the Catholic Faith, ca. 1670–72 The Met

Peter Paul Rubens Head of One of the Three Kings: Melchior, The Assyrian King, c. 1618 National Gallery of Art

Peter Paul Rubens Agrippina and Germanicus, c. 1614 National Gallery of Art

A bearded man, a young man, and five monks stand in a cream-white hall hung with a map and paintings in this horizontal painting. The people all have pale, peachy skin.

Eugène Delacroix Christopher Columbus and His Son at La Rábida, 1838 National Gallery of Art

A dark-haired, disembodied head of a haloed man with pale, peach skin floats against a red and yellow background in this vertical portrait.

Paul Gauguin Self-Portrait, 1889 National Gallery of Art

A long-haired, small white dog with tawny-brown ears and spots sits on a garnet-red cushion in this loosely painted vertical portrait. The dog looks just to our left with large, round, black eyes under perked eyebrows.

Édouard Manet A King Charles Spaniel, c. 1866 National Gallery of Art

Philip IV (1605–1665), King of Spain, Diego Velázquez, probably 1624, oil on canvas

Diego Velázquez Philip IV (1605–1665), King of Spain, probably 1624 The Met

This painting shows a man standing upright, his body slightly turned to the right.

Francisco de Goya Charles IV of Spain as Huntsman, c. 1799/1800 National Gallery of Art

Mariana of Austria (1634–1696), Queen of Spain, Diego Velázquez, 1640, oil on canvas

Diego Velázquez Mariana of Austria (1634–1696), Queen of Spain, 1640 The Met

A man with pale peach skin and dark hair wears a military uniform and stands in front of a desk in this vertical portrait painting. He nearly fills the composition so seems close to us, and he looks directly at us.

Jacques-Louis David The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, 1812 National Gallery of Art

The Coronation of the Virgin, Annibale Carracci, after 1595, oil on canvas

Annibale Carracci The Coronation of the Virgin, after 1595 The Met

Great-Grand-Father's Tale of the Revolution—A Portrait of Reverend Zachariah Greene, William Sidney Mount, 1852, oil on canvas

William Sidney Mount Great-Grand-Father's Tale of the Revolution—A Portrait of Reverend Zachariah Greene, 1852 The Met

Horatio Gates, Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1793–94, oil on canvas

Gilbert Stuart Horatio Gates, ca. 1793–94 The Met

We look onto the side of a rowboat crowded with nine men trying to save a pale, nude young man who flails in the water in front of us as a shark approaches, mouth agape, from our right in this horizontal painting.

John Singleton Copley Watson and the Shark, 1778 National Gallery of Art

Study for the Ceiling of the Marquand Music Room, Frederic Leighton, ca. 1886, oil and gold on canvas

Frederic Leighton Study for the Ceiling of the Marquand Music Room, ca. 1886 The Met

Mount Starr King, Yosemite, Albert Bierstadt, 1866, oil on canvas on panel-back stretcher

Albert Bierstadt Mount Starr King, Yosemite, 1866 Cleveland Museum of Art

The Muse: History, Camille Corot, ca. 1865, oil on canvas

Camille Corot The Muse: History, ca. 1865 The Met

The Coronation of the Virgin, Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1632–33, oil on wood

Peter Paul Rubens The Coronation of the Virgin, ca. 1632–33 The Met

Allegorical Figure Representing Fortitude, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760, fresco, transferred to canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Allegorical Figure Representing Fortitude, 1760 The Met

Allegorical Figure Representing Prudence, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760, fresco, transferred to canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Allegorical Figure Representing Prudence, 1760 The Met

Allegorical Figure Representing Temperance, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760, fresco, transferred to canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Allegorical Figure Representing Temperance, 1760 The Met

Allegorical Figure Representing a Virtue, Possibly Patriotism, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760, fresco, transferred to canvas

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Allegorical Figure Representing a Virtue, Possibly Patriotism, 1760 The Met

The Coronation of the Virgin, Niccolò di Buonaccorso, ca. 1380, tempera on wood, gold ground

Niccolò di Buonaccorso The Coronation of the Virgin, ca. 1380 The Met

Coronation of the Virgin, Giovanni di Paolo, ca. 1455, tempera on wood, gold ground

Giovanni di Paolo Coronation of the Virgin, ca. 1455 The Met

We look up through an opening surrounded by a stone ledge, with clusters of people and clouds swirling into a blue sky up and away from us in this vertical, rectangular painting.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Wealth and Benefits of the Spanish Monarchy under Charles III, 1762 National Gallery of Art

Johannes Vermeer Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664 National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of a cherub with small wings hovering in the sky amidst swirling clouds. The sky is a soft blue with streaks of darker blue tones and a section of gray on the right.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Study for a Ceiling with the Personification of Counsel, before c. 1762 National Gallery of Art

A young woman draws on an oval surface with white chalk while three winged, baby-like putti gather nearby, all on a bank of pale pink clouds in this horizontal painting.

François Boucher Allegory of Painting, 1765 National Gallery of Art

A woman wearing flowing, pastel-colored robes and two, winged, child-like putti gather on a bank of clouds among musical instruments and sheet music in this horizontal painting. The people all have pale, pink-tinged skin.

François Boucher Allegory of Music, 1764 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the hips up, a nude woman stands between a table in front of her and a clothed man behind her, against a deep landscape in this vertical painting. The man rests one hand on her shoulder and holds up a mirror with the other.

Titian Allegory of Love, c. 1520/1540 National Gallery of Art

A woman with pale skin, wearing a shimmering, azure-blue gown, stands next to a child with a pale pink complexion, wearing a flame-red suit in this vertical portrait painting.

Anthony van Dyck Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson, 1633 National Gallery of Art

A bearded man with copper-blond hair and flushed, peachy skin stands on a stone-gray pedestal and gestures toward a group of five more men gathered before him in this square painting. Some of the men are light-skinned, others are tan.

Peter Paul Rubens Decius Mus Addressing the Legions, probably 1616 National Gallery of Art

A woman wearing a breastplate and helmet over a toga stands to our left on a platform, gesturing with one arm extended to a group of about a dozen soldiers gathered around her in this horizontal painting.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Queen Zenobia Addressing Her Soldiers, 1725/1730 National Gallery of Art

Two women and a man in front of a column and arch nearly fill this vertical, oval painting. The two women have pale skin with round faces, wide-set eyes, and full pink lips.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Scene from Ancient History, c. 1750 National Gallery of Art

A baby-like winged putto flies above and drops a stream of white flowers onto a woman who sits leaning against a cut tree trunk this vertical landscape painting.

Lorenzo Lotto Allegory of Chastity, c. 1505 National Gallery of Art

Set on a strip of land under a cloud-filled sky and in front of a stormy sea, a nude, light-skinned satyr reclines to our right as a nude, pale-skinned, blond child crouches over some objects on the dirt ground to our left in this vertical…

Lorenzo Lotto Allegory of Virtue and Vice, 1505 National Gallery of Art

The painting features a scene showing men in a boat landing on a shore. The horizon is low, with larger sailing ships seen in the distance on the right, floating on the dark green water.

Edward Hicks The Landing of Columbus, c. 1837 National Gallery of Art

Famous History Paintings

Rooms these paintings suit

Styles