The longstanding commitment of Princeton’s Department of Art and Archaeology to the study of art of the Middle Ages is supported in the Museum by examples of architectural sculpture; stained glass windows, among them an example from Chartres Cathedral; ivories; Limoges enamels; metalwork; and distinguished examples of German, Flemish, and Spanish polychrome wooden sculptures.

The collection of old master paintings ranges from Italian gold ground panels by Guido da Siena, Francesco Traini, and Fra Angelico to 19th-century art, with particular strength in the Mannerist era. The important group of Dutch Mannerist paintings includes works by Hendrik Goltzius and Abraham Bloemaert. The Baroque is represented by Pietro da Cortona and Giovanni Battista Gaulli, while rococo masters include François Boucher and Jean-Siméon Chardin. The age of Enlightenment can be studied in paintings by Angelika Kauffmann, the studio of Jacques-Louis David, and Francisco de Goya.

Among the 19th-century holdings are works by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, and Claude Monet. The art of the early 20th century includes paintings by Odilon Redon and the Russian master Ilya Repin, whose works are rare outside his homeland.

The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, Inc., has placed on loan a magnificent collection of Post-Impressionist art, including masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, and Chaim Soutine.