Provenance

The stories of how artworks arrived at The Met.

Nude stone Cycladic figure with it's arms crossed against a grey background.

Who Were the Early Cycladic Figures?

Discover the fascinating history behind these enigmatic objects.
The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease

Recent Repatriations to Cambodia and Thailand

Met director and chief executive officer Max Hollein provides an update on the recent restitution of sculptures from the collection
View of The Met Fifth Avenue Petrie Court

Updates on The Met Collection and Cultural Property

Met director Max Hollein provides an update on The Met’s work on cultural heritage and, more broadly, The Met’s engagements across the globe.
View of The Met Fifth Avenue Great Hall

Reflections on The Met Collection and Cultural Property

Met director Max Hollein reflects on current discussions about cultural property, provides background on The Met collection, and previews several important initiatives.
A pair of black men with feathers decorating their heads and body next to a cup covered with a lid

The Linsky Project: Reinterpreting Porcelain Figures

New interpretive labels help visitors navigate the role of the decorative arts in negotiating race, labor, colonialism, and global commerce.
Photo of the American Wing gallery at The Metropolitan museum of art: an indoor courtyard with sky lights with the facade of a bank vault on one wall with people roaming around the courtyard.

How We Collect: Research, Transparency, and Collaboration

Learn about The Met's collecting practices and provenance research.

The Mantuan Roundel

Learn more about an extremely rare bronze relief attributed to Gian Marco Cavalli. Created around 1500, it is one of the largest and most technically sophisticated examples of a bronze roundel from the early Renaissance.

Travails of the Traveling Hats: From the Congo to The Met

Discover the journey of 47 caps and headdresses from Central Africa’s Congo River basin to The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. 

Limestone Assyrian relief with a low-relief carving of two men bearing gifts

Keeping Culture Alive

Two scholars consider the displacement of Assyrian people and their art

An Enigmatic Eros in Flight: A Masterpiece of Greek Vase Painting

Discover the mythological scenes of an exceptional drinking cup made in Athens and currently on loan to The Met.

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