The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of the world’s most renowned cultural institutions. The Met boasts a collection of more than 1.5 million art objects and artifacts, ranging from jewelry and textiles to paintings and sculpture. Over the years, the Met has uploaded photographs pulled from this iconic collection to its online database, and now over 492,000 high-resolution images can be browsed and downloaded for free.
The database features easily searchable categories, along with filters such as dates, media, and geographic locations that allow for specific results. Each image includes a descriptive text distilling the relevance and history of the object. Whether it be black-figure pottery from Ancient Greece, woodblock prints from Japan, or even baseball cards from the U.S., the Met’s sprawling collection is on full display through these lavish images.
The vast majority of the Met’s uploaded imagery is also in the public domain, thanks to the museum’s Open Access policy adopted in 2017. Images marked with an “OA” or the “public domain” icon are available for free, non-commercial use, allowing you to enjoy the images wherever and whenever you choose.
As big as the Met is, there’s only so much gallery space available to see in-person. By visiting the Met’s online database, you can discover everything that the collection has to offer on your own time.
The Met’s online database features more than 492,000 high-resolution images from their renowned collection.
Group of Women on the Engawa of a Country House, in the time of the Cherry Blossoming, Utamaro II, ca. 1806 (Edo Period). Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914. Courtesy of the Met.
Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora, attributed to the Euphiletos Painter, ca. 530 BCE. Rogers Fund, 1914. Courtesy of the Met.
Many of the uploaded images are Open Access, meaning they can be downloaded for free.
Plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants, 1550–1680 (Nigeria, Court of Benin). Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1965. Courtesy of the Met.
Trade cards from “White Border” series (T206), issued 1909-11 to promote sixteen brands of cigarettes and loose tobacco distributed by the American Tobacco Company. Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick. Courtesy of the Met.
The Met’s collection is as sprawling as it is inspiring, featuring everything from jewelry, textiles, and clothing to paintings, prints, and sculptures.
Wheat Field with Cypresses, Vincent van Gogh, 1889. Purchase, The Annenberg Foundation Gift, 1993. Courtesy of the Met.
Dress, 1790s (American). Purchase, The Coby Foundation Ltd. Gift, 1998. Courtesy of the Met.
Mummy Mask, A.D. 60–70 (From Egypt; Possibly from Middle Egypt, Meir). Rogers Fund, 1919. Courtesy of the Met.
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All images via the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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