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Princeton University Art Museum Research

Books

"MetPublications is an online portal to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's comprehensive art publishing program... Each publication’s unique record includes links to artworks in The Met Collection that are featured in the book. These connections allow readers to discover recent scholarship and further resources on each object's Collection page. Publication records also include the title's description, table of contents, author bios, reviews, awards, information on any accompanying exhibitions, links to related essays on the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, links to related titles by author and subject, and links to facilitate access to physical copies of the publication, including library resources such as WATSONLINE and WorldCat.

MetPublications
These resources would be helpful to learn about techniques, time periods, and the art work of specific cultures. Two helpful search features are the Thematic category and Collection/Department.

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

Saint Maurice ca. 1520–25. Saint Maurice ca. 1520–25. Text description comes from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's description of the painting. "A commander of the Roman legion, Maurice was martyred near Agaunum (in present-day Switzerland) in A.D. 280 or 300 for refusing to slaughter Christians. He was from North Africa, and in the thirteenth century in Germany he began to be shown as Black, influenced by the reign of the Emperor Friedrich II (1194–1250). Friedrich's vast territories comprised a diverse community of individuals, and his court in Sicily included Black advisors, soldiers, and musicians. This representation of Maurice is not based on an actual African individual but instead on the life-size reliquary statue of the saint housed in the Neues Stift, Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg’s Dominican church in Halle.

The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History includes timelines to show continuity and breakthroughs, essays about art, artists, and art styles to better contextualize the item within history and art history. The site offers over 1,000 essays, a selection of more than 8,000 works, and chronologies from across time and the globe. While these pieces are not in Princeton's collection, it is likely that you will be able to find an item that is similar to your piece and could be useful to your assignment.

Visit the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History here.

The Met YouTube Channel

Metropolitan Museum of Art Video Playlists
In adidition to text resources, the Metropolitan Museum of Art also creates video content. Linked here is the playlist section of the page that includes lectures, talks, and video content like behind the scenes and exhibition content.