Chapter 1
Visionary structures and their architects
Chapter 2
Masterpieces and their hidden mysteries
Chapter 3
Extreme and unusual museum experiences
Chapter 4
Curators, heists, and behind-the-scenes secrets
YOUR GOAL
Master of Great museums of the world
Ch 2 · Masterpieces and their hidden mysteries
schopenhauer Girl Reading a Letter
Behind the letter that she reads in morning light, A hidden painting of a Cupid was kept out of sight.
schopenhauer Thousands of exquisite brass plaques and sculptures looted from the Kingdom of Benin are at the center of global repatriation debates.
schopenhauer Thousands of unique, life-sized clay soldiers were buried to protect China's first emperor in the afterlife.
BETA
schopenhauer Decode the stone's ancient carvings to discover how historians unlocked Egypt's greatest secrets.
Fun Fact
Terracotta colors: When the Terracotta Army was first excavated, the clay soldiers were brightly painted in purple, teal, and red, but the ancient paint peeled off in seconds when hit by dry air.
Glossary
pentimento (noun)
A visible trace of an earlier painting, drawing, or design on a canvas that has been covered by subsequent layers of paint. Infrared scans of Jan van Eyck's 1434 oil painting revealed hidden changes to his subjects' positions.
A visible trace of an earlier painting, drawing, or design on a canvas that has been covered by subsequent layers of paint. Infrared scans of Jan van Eyck's 1434 oil painting revealed hidden changes to his subjects' positions.
Quiz
Which French scholar officially cracked the code of the Rosetta Stone's hieroglyphs in 1822?
Quiz
What unique feature makes each of the 8,000 Terracotta Army soldiers in Xi'an, China, distinct?
Quiz
Which museum in New York City houses Vincent van Gogh's original painting "The Starry Night"?
Quiz
In what year was the Mona Lisa stolen from the Louvre, catapulting it to global fame?
Quiz
Where was Vincent van Gogh staying when he painted his famous masterpiece, "The Starry Night", in 1889?
Quiz
From which modern-day country's royal palace were the Benin Bronzes looted by British forces in 1897?
Quiz
Which Italian museum employee stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre by hiding it in a closet overnight?
Quiz
What ancient language on the Rosetta Stone allowed scholars to finally decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs?