Joseph Wright of Derby, The Corinthian maid Dibutades tracing the outline of her lover’s face, 1782-4, oil on canvas.

The Corinthian Maid tells an ancient Greek tale of the daughter of a potter (spot the kiln glowing out back) whose beloved is set to set out on a journey (probably perilous, since he needs his spears and dog at his side). She’s tracing the sleeping man’s silhouette onto the wall, an image her father will use to make a ceramic keepsake, so she’ll have it to hold onto while her lover’s away. 

Prometheus making man from clay, Roman sarcophagus relief, ca. 150 AD

Prometheus and Epimetheus were Titans who were spared imprisonment in Tartarus because they had not fought with their fellow Titans during the war with the Olympians. They were given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man out of mud, and Athena breathed life into his clay figure. Prometheus had assigned Epimetheus the task of giving the creatures of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur, wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man Epimetheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. So Prometheus decided to make man stand upright as the gods did and to give them fire.

Claude Mellan, The veil of Veronica, 1649, engraving.

The Veil of Veronica, or Sudarium (Latin for sweat-cloth), often called simply "The Veronica" and known in Italian as theVolto Santo or Holy Face is a Catholic relic of a piece of cloth, which, according to legend, bears the likeness of the face of Jesus not made by human hand. Claude Mellan was a French engraver and painter, and this work is impressive because it was created from a single spiralling line that starts at the tip of Christ's nose.

Hall of the Bulls (left wall), Lascaux, Dordogne, France, ca.15,000–13,000 BCE

The beautiful paintings on cave walls found near Lascaux, France represent the earliest surviving examples of the artistic expression of early people. Using the natural rock contours that suggest the volume of the animals, these 'primitive' people of the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) painted evocative and startlingly accurate representations of the animals that were such an important part of their lives. Cows, bulls, horses, bison, and deer are among the animals seen on the subterranean walls of these caves.

Dynamic figure (running with boomerangs), Kakadu National Park, 25,000-10,000 BP.

The art sites of Ubirr, Burrunguy (Nourlangie Rock) and Nanguluwur are internationally recognised as outstanding examples of Aboriginal rock art. These sites are found in rocky outcrops that have afforded shelter to Aboriginal inhabitants for thousands of years. The painting in these rock shelters were done for various reasons, e.g. hunting, religion. Nanguluwur is a small art site, near Nourlangie, which displays several rock art styles. These include hand stencils, dynamic figures in large head-dresses carrying spears and boomerangs, representations of Namandi spirits and mythical figures. 

Wandjina figures from near the Barnett River, Kimberley region, Western Australia

The Wandjina represents the creator spirit for the Aboriginal people of the Kimberley region. These striking figures, some dating back thousands of years, are found throughout the Kimberley in rock art sites. The Aboriginal people treat these sites with respect and caution, indeed often approaching Wandjina sites with a wariness bordering on fear. The Aboriginals tend not to stay at the sites for long, for they believe that the Wandjina are present at the sites, and you don’t want to anger them by overstaying your welcome.

Kouros. Archaic Greek from Anavysos, c. 530 BC, marble.

Kouros (youth) sculptures were abundantly produced during the Archaic era (700-480 BCE), continuing a long line of small votive statues made of bronze. Around 600 BCE the first monumental figure sculptures appear in Greece and they depict youths, almost always standing in the nude, and were either votive or commemorative in nature. The Kroisos Kouros is a marble kouros from Anavyssos in Attica which functioned as a grave marker for a fallen young warrior named Kroîsos (Κροῖσος). The free-standing sculpture strides forward with the "archaic smile" playing slightly on his face.

‘Kritian Boy’. Classical Greek, found on the Acropolis in Athens, c. 480 BC, marble, 86cm in height, (Athens: Acropolis Museum)

The Kritios boy belongs to the Late Archaic period and is considered the precursor to the later classical sculptures of athletes. The Kritios or Kritian boy was thus named because it is believed to be the creation of Krito, the teacher of Myron, from around 480 BCE. The statue is made of marble and is considerably smaller than life-size. It is the first statue that we have that uses contrapposto and Kenneth Clark called it "the first beautiful nude in art" It is possible, even likely, that earlier Bronze statues had used the technique, but if they did, they have not survived and Susan Woodford has speculated that the statue is a copy of a Bronze original.

View of the temple of Athena Parthenos (The Parthenon) on the Acropolis in Athens.  Icthinus and Kallikrates (architects), Phidias (sculptor), 447-432 BC, view from the north east.

The Parthenon in Athens is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous buildings in the world. The Parthenon has stood atop the Acropolis of Athens for nearly 2,500 years and was built to give thanks to Athena, the city's patron goddess, for the salvation of Athens and Greece in the Persian Wars. The building was officially called the Temple of Athena the Virgin; "Parthenon" comes from the Greek word parthenos, "virgin." Throughout its long life, the Parthenon has functioned most importantly as a Greek temple, but has also been a treasury, a fortress, a church, and a mosque. Today, it is one of the most recognizable icons and popular tourist attractions in the world.

Johann Zoffany, The tribuna of the Uffizi, c.1772-78, oil.

In the summer of 1772 Zoffany set off for Florence with £300, letters of introduction and a commission from the Queen to paint highlights of the Grand Duke of Tuscany’s collection shown within the Tribuna of the Uffizi Palace. Zoffany shows a group of connoisseurs and members of the nobility admiring works of art in the Tribuna. The Tribuna had been built by Francesco de' Medici in 1585-9 to a design by Bernardo Buontalenti as a showcase for the most precious items in the Medici collection. Although Zoffany has depicted the architectural features of the Tribuna with a fair degree of accuracy, he has rearranged the works of art and in some cases altered their scale. In fact, he has also incorporated a number of paintings from that part of the Medici collection housed in the Palazzo Pitti, as well as including several additional pieces of sculpture.

Belvedere Torso, 1st century BC, marble.

Belvedere Torso, Hellenistic sculpture fragment of a male nude in the Vatican Museum; the work is signed by the Athenian sculptor Apollonius the son of Nestor and was long thought to be a 1st-century-bc original. It is now believed that Apollonius copied a 2nd-century original. The dynamic pose of the torso influenced the development of the energetic figure style of Michelangelo and was subsequently much studied by artists of the Mannerist or Late Renaissance and Baroque periods. Legend has it that Pope Julius II requested that Michelangelo complete the statue fragment with arms, legs and a face. He respectfully declined, stating that it was too beautiful to be altered, and instead used it as the inspiration for several of the figures in the Sistine Chapel, including, but not limited to, the Sibyls and Prophets bordering the ceiling.

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, Barrière de la Villette, Paris, 1785-9.

The Rotunda de la Villette is a monument designed by architect Claude Nicolas Ledoux as the Propylaea of Paris, and produced between 1784 and 1788 , to equip the Wall of the Farmers-General offices necessary for the perception of grant , tax payable on goods entering Paris. These offices were located at the passages, called barriers. The rotunda of the Villette was saved several times during the demolition of the wall, which was part of the alterations of Paris led by Baron Haussmann in the context of the extension of Paris until the enclosure Thiers in 1860 ; burned during the Commune of 1871, it was restored, while its two neighbors, the gate of La Villette and Pantin barrier were demolished ; she was spared again during the construction of the metro line 2 in 1900 - 1903 , the route bypasses the tormented by three turns from flush southwest façade. The Rotunda de la Villette is thus one of the four propylaea Paris still visible today.

 Christian symbol. (Chi Rho monogram with alpha and omega). 3rd century AD.

The Chi Rho is one of the earliest forms of christogram, and is used by some Christians. It is formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters chi and rho (ΧΡ) of the Greek word "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" = Christ in such a way to produce the monogram. Although not technically a Christian cross, the Chi-Rho invokes the crucifixion of Jesus, as well as symbolizing his status as the Christ. It was used very early by persecuted Christians in the catacombs, when Constantine I was struggling to become emperor. He used the symbol at the front of his armies and was victorious. Jesus refers to himself: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:13).

Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus. 359 AD. Marble. Rome.

Junius Bassus wаs аn important figure, а senator whо wаs іn charge оf the government оf the capital аs praefectus urbi when he died аt the age оf 42 іn 359. Hіs father hаd been Praetorian prefect, running the administration оf а large part оf the Western Empire. Bassus served under Constantius II, son оf Constantine I. Bassus, аs the inscription оn the sarcophagus tells us, converted tо Christianity shortly before hіs death - perhaps оn hіs deathbed. The Sarcophagus оf Junius Bassus іs а marble Early Christian sarcophagus used fоr the burial оf Junius Bassus, whо died іn 359. Іt has been described аs "probably the single mоst famous piece оf early Christian relief sculpture." The sarcophagus wаs originally placed іn оr under Old St. Peter's Basilica, wаs rediscovered іn 1597, аnd іs nоw below the modern basilica іn the Museo Storico del Tesoro della Basilica di San Pietro іn the Vatican. The base іs approximately 4 x 8 x 4 feet. 

Christ the lawgiver. 375-400 AD. Mosaic. Rome: Sta. Costanza.

 Christ in Majesty (or Christ in Glory, Latin Majestas Domini) is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership changes over time and according to the context. The image develops from Early Christian art, which directly borrowed the formulae of depictions of the enthroned Roman Emperor. Another way of depicting Christ in this period was in a symbolic way with the figure of the Good Shepherd. It relates to the comparison in the New Testament between Christ and the shepherd who looks after his flock.  When the artist came to represent Christ, of course there was not pictorial tradition in Jewish art for the artist to draw on. So instead the artist has looked to Roman pastoral imagery that deals with the pleasures of the countryside. He is youthful, dressed in a short tunic with very distinctive laced boots of a shepherd.