Box
Turkey (c. 1640)
This spectacular inlaid wood box exemplifies the preeminence of Ottoman high art. Its bold design suggests that the box may have once served as a furnishing for the famed Topkapi Palace.  

Francesco Fontebasso (1707–69)
Abraham and the Three Angels
Venice, Italy ( c. 1750)
Francesco Fontebasso, one of the finest painters-draftsmen of eighteenth-century Venice, produced sparkling, delicate work in the best tradition of the Italian rococo. The beautiful and dramatic Abraham and the Three Angels depicts one of the most significant events in the Old Testament book of Genesis.

Man's Tunic
Peru, South Coast, Nasca Culture (A.D. 500–700)
Some of the most visually striking textiles in ancient Peru were created more than 1,500 years ago by the Nasca, the same people who created the mysterious Nasca lines. The tunic's most significant pattern, the three-pronged trident, may represent the Nasca underground canals or the clawed paw of a feline.

The Great Sage Agastya
Bihar, India (12th century)
Among all the tens of thousands of stone sculptures created over the course of half a millennium in medieval eastern India, this incomparable work of art survives as a unique masterpiece. It is the only known image of the revered Hindu sage Agastya, and its extraordinarily high artistic quality and exquisite detail rank it as an indisputable masterwork.

Pastimes and Pleasures in the Eastern Hills of Kyoto
Japan, Genna era (1615–1624)
This recently discovered screen, Pastimes and Pleasures in the Eastern Hills of Kyoto or Higashiyama yūraku-zu, depicts the Eastern Hills (Higashiyama) district of Kyoto. The restrained, elegant treatment and sparing use of gold indicate a painter who was a member of the leading Kano School, which produced works for the aristocracy.

Image at top:
Photograph by Peter Brenner, LACMA