Explore the diverse breathtaking moments From urban streets to remote landscapes across the globe

Portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria with long hair by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1864, one of the two so-called "intimate" portraits of the empress; although its existence was kept secret from the general public, it was the emperor's favorite portrait and was kept in front of his desk

ARTIFACT

Portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria with long hair by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1864, one of the two so-called "intimate" portraits of the empress; although its existence was kept secret from the general public, it was the emperor's favorite portrait and was kept in front of his desk

ARTIFACT / Photography

"Secret" portrait of Queen Victoria painted as a gift for Prince Albert's birthday by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, in 1843

ARTIFACT

"Secret" portrait of Queen Victoria painted as a gift for Prince Albert's birthday by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, in 1843

ARTIFACT / Photography

The six segments of this bracelet feature miniature portraits of three Mughal emperors and their consorts. Indian artists adopted the technique of painting portrait miniatures on ivory with watercolors from British artists living and working in India during the 19th century. Walters

ARTIFACT

The six segments of this bracelet feature miniature portraits of three Mughal emperors and their consorts. Indian artists adopted the technique of painting portrait miniatures on ivory with watercolors from British artists living and working in India during the 19th century. Walters

ARTIFACT / Photography

"La Concubine" by Jean Denis Attiret. Believed to depict Step Empress Nara , who was almost entirely erased from history by the Qianlong Emperor after cutting her hair. Oil on paper. China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Reign, 1750. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole, France

ARTIFACT

"La Concubine" by Jean Denis Attiret. Believed to depict Step Empress Nara , who was almost entirely erased from history by the Qianlong Emperor after cutting her hair. Oil on paper. China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Reign, 1750. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole, France

ARTIFACT / Photography

The painting depicts a young man. It is a so-called Fayum portrait—a unique type of portrait created in Egypt during the Roman period, roughly from the 1st to the 3rd century CE. These portraits were painted on wooden panels using the encaustic technique .

ARTIFACT

The painting depicts a young man. It is a so-called Fayum portrait—a unique type of portrait created in Egypt during the Roman period, roughly from the 1st to the 3rd century CE. These portraits were painted on wooden panels using the encaustic technique .

ARTIFACT / Photography

Emily Eden’s Portrait of Prince Partaap Singh Bahadur

ARTIFACT

Emily Eden’s Portrait of Prince Partaap Singh Bahadur

ARTIFACT / Photography

2nd century CE Roman pipe burial from Wales. Within the tomb was a lead canister containing cremated bones and a piece of linen bearing traces of frankincense. Pipe burials are thought to have allowed relatives to pour blood or wine into the container to nourish the soul of the deceased

ARTIFACT

2nd century CE Roman pipe burial from Wales. Within the tomb was a lead canister containing cremated bones and a piece of linen bearing traces of frankincense. Pipe burials are thought to have allowed relatives to pour blood or wine into the container to nourish the soul of the deceased

ARTIFACT / Photography

Augustus of Prima Porta, 20 BC. At over 6ft high, this statue was a complex statement of the ideas and merits he wanted to convey. It depicts the emperor addressing his soldiers, wearing a cuirass and a cloak. Augustus was both the first Roman Emperor and the one who ruled longest...

ARTIFACT

Augustus of Prima Porta, 20 BC. At over 6ft high, this statue was a complex statement of the ideas and merits he wanted to convey. It depicts the emperor addressing his soldiers, wearing a cuirass and a cloak. Augustus was both the first Roman Emperor and the one who ruled longest...

ARTIFACT / Photography

Waffle-maker made of wrought iron, engraved with various motifs, such as the sun surrounded by natural and human figures, and portraits of emperors alternating with two-handled amphora, 16th-17th century

ARTIFACT

Waffle-maker made of wrought iron, engraved with various motifs, such as the sun surrounded by natural and human figures, and portraits of emperors alternating with two-handled amphora, 16th-17th century

ARTIFACT / Photography

Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

ARTIFACT

Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

ARTIFACT / Photography

Among the treasures discovered in King Tut’s tomb is an elaborate pectoral with a central scarab carved from a canary-yellow material called Libyan Desert glass. Found in the sand dunes of Egypt’s western desert, the glass was formed about 29 million years ago by a meteorite strike

ARTIFACT

Among the treasures discovered in King Tut’s tomb is an elaborate pectoral with a central scarab carved from a canary-yellow material called Libyan Desert glass. Found in the sand dunes of Egypt’s western desert, the glass was formed about 29 million years ago by a meteorite strike

ARTIFACT / Photography

Relief on a Roman tombstone showing a scene from the work of the deceased, who was a butcher. The man is at work, pieces of meat are hanging in front of him, and the wife is writing something on a wax tablet. The woman has a hairstyle typical of the reign of Emperor Hadrian .

ARTIFACT

Relief on a Roman tombstone showing a scene from the work of the deceased, who was a butcher. The man is at work, pieces of meat are hanging in front of him, and the wife is writing something on a wax tablet. The woman has a hairstyle typical of the reign of Emperor Hadrian .

ARTIFACT / Photography

Detail of one long side of Hagia Triada Sarcophagus, a Minoan limestone sarcophagus from c. 1400 BC, 54" long, excavated from a tomb at Hagia Triada, Crete. Coated in plaster and painted in fresco on all faces, It is the only limestone sarcophagus of its era discovered to date...

ARTIFACT

Detail of one long side of Hagia Triada Sarcophagus, a Minoan limestone sarcophagus from c. 1400 BC, 54" long, excavated from a tomb at Hagia Triada, Crete. Coated in plaster and painted in fresco on all faces, It is the only limestone sarcophagus of its era discovered to date...

ARTIFACT / Photography

One of the two Obelisks carved to stand at the sides of the portal of the Temple of Luxor by Ramesses II, c. 1250 BC. The western piece, 75 ft high, was "gifted" by Egypt to France in the 1830s and stands at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The other one remains in Luxor...

ARTIFACT

One of the two Obelisks carved to stand at the sides of the portal of the Temple of Luxor by Ramesses II, c. 1250 BC. The western piece, 75 ft high, was "gifted" by Egypt to France in the 1830s and stands at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The other one remains in Luxor...

ARTIFACT / Photography

Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

ARTIFACT

Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

ARTIFACT / Photography

Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

ARTIFACT

Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

ARTIFACT / Photography

Enameled Hookah set with diamonds in floral designs. Gold chains with pearls and carved emerald beads inlaid with diamonds hang from the cover. Presented to Edward VII, Prince of Wales, during his tour of India in 1875-76 by Ranbir Singh, Maharaja of Kashmir

ARTIFACT

Enameled Hookah set with diamonds in floral designs. Gold chains with pearls and carved emerald beads inlaid with diamonds hang from the cover. Presented to Edward VII, Prince of Wales, during his tour of India in 1875-76 by Ranbir Singh, Maharaja of Kashmir

ARTIFACT / Photography

Portrait of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife in formal dress, detail of the wife with stylus and open diptych from Italy, Campania, Pompeii, 55-79 AD

ARTIFACT

Portrait of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife in formal dress, detail of the wife with stylus and open diptych from Italy, Campania, Pompeii, 55-79 AD

ARTIFACT / Photography

Amethyst Intaglio from Ancient Rome, c.25 BCE: this ringstone measures just 2cm tall, and it's engraved with a portrait of the Greek orator, Demosthenes; the artist's name, Dioskourides, is also inscribed along the right side

ARTIFACT

Amethyst Intaglio from Ancient Rome, c.25 BCE: this ringstone measures just 2cm tall, and it's engraved with a portrait of the Greek orator, Demosthenes; the artist's name, Dioskourides, is also inscribed along the right side

ARTIFACT / Photography