We are now open on Sundays from 1–5 p.m.

New Sunday Hours!
We are now open on Sundays from 1–5 p.m.
The Allen presents changing exhibitions along with engaging guest speakers and public programs.
Learn MoreThe Allen's collection is particularly strong in 17th century Dutch and Flemish painting, Japanese prints, early modern art, African art, and more.
Learn MoreExplore the full range of museum programs through free events, guided and self-guided tours, and resources for professors and PreK-12 teachers.
Learn MoreResources
Find podcasts, activities, and information for all age groups.
Support for the museum continues our tradition of bringing art to the people.
Learn MoreJanuary 17 - July 20, 2025
In Southwest Ambulatory
January 17 - July 20, 2025
In Southwest Ambulatory
The early modern period (1500–1800) was marked by a tremendous newfound interest in the study of the natural world. European scholars encountered, examined, and circulated familiar and novel plants alike, documenting their origins and characteristics and displaying them in print and in the first museums created from their collections. This hands-on approach was mirrored by surgeons and doctors who studied the human body in anatomy theaters and sought to lay bare its secrets. Inherited systems of classification from ancient thinkers like Aristotle, Galen, Pliny, and Dioscorides gave way to a new emphasis on empirical learning and fresh debates on the natural order of things.
These developments made people reconsider not only the relationship between humans and plants but also the social hierarchies within European society. Empirical but lower-status practitioners like apothecaries, barber-surgeons, anatomists, and gardeners challenged the way that knowledge was produced and called into question previous academic authorities. In doing so, they gave themselves a place in the Scientific Revolution.
This exhibition, drawn from the Allen’s collection, showcases the innovation that characterized scientific and medical thought during the early modern period, both within the academy and the spaces of practitioners. Comparing these works offers opportunities to consider the myriad ways new knowledge was produced and displayed in this moment of change. It also makes one ask: whose contributions are seen as valid, and why?
Image: William Hogarth (English, 1697–1764), The Reward of Cruelty, plate 4 from the series The Four Stages of Cruelty, 1751. Etching and engraving. Annie A. Wager Bequest, 1975.232.
Associate Professor of History
Former Curator of Academic Programs
Assistant Curator of European and American Art
Visit - Tours
Enjoy the intimacy of one of the nation's best academic art museums. Free admission since 1917.
Newsletter
Sign up for our e-newsletter to get information about our free events and latest exhibitions.
Join & Support
Your support makes a difference. Become a museum member, donor, or volunteer.