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Image title: The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1624–25 Source: The Met Collection   “ Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. ” — Theodore Roosevelt Mapping the Stars on Canvas: Celestial Charts as Early Data Visualization   Introduction: Painting the Heavens Before the Telescope Since humanity first looked to the night sky, we have been mapping, interpreting, and mythologizing the stars. Read more…

Image title: Cherry Blossom Viewing at Itsukushima and Yoshino Medium: Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold leaf on paper Date: first half 17th century Source: The Met Collection   “ I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend. ” — Thomas Jefferson Ink Empire: The Visual Politics of Japanese Edo Tattoo Culture   Introduction: Beneath the Surface of the Floating Read more…

Image title: Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children Medium: Marble Date: ca. 1616–17 Source: The Met Collection   “ Think as a wise man but communicate in the language of the people. ” — William Butler Yeats The Clay Codes of Ur: Sculpting Language in Ancient Mesopotamia   Introduction: Words Carved from Earth Long before the digital age invited us to type effortlessly across screens, writing was a tactile, sculptural act—shaped, impressed, and pressed into Read more…

Image title: The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1624–25 Source: The Met Collection   “ The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself. ” — Anaïs Nin Beyond the Frame: Hidden Narratives in Mughal Empire Miniature Paintings   Introduction: Manuscripts of Power At first glance, the elaborately ornamented miniature paintings of the Mughal Empire appear to be courtly embellishments—lavish illustrations serving the aesthetic whims Read more…

Image title: Vase (vase chinois) (one of a pair) Medium: Hard-paste porcelain decorated in black enamel, platinum, two tones of gold; gilt metal; interior metal rod Date: 1791 Source: The Met Collection   “ Sports do not build character. They reveal it. ” — Heywood Broun Clay Archives: What Ancient Ceramics Reveal About Gender Roles   Introduction: Reading History in Clay Before the written word emerged, stories were etched, molded, and fired into clay. Across Read more…