Behind the Scenes

Where the ROM’s paintings live when not on display

From gilded paintings to woodblock wallpaper, the ROM’s collection rooms store a rich variety of European art dating as far back as the 17th century. The ROM’s European Paintings collection features some significant works, including a portrait of Marie de Medici attributed to Flemish artist Frans Pourbus the Younger, along with a seventeenth-century still life of musical instruments attributed to the Italian Baroque painter Evaristo Baschenis.

The ROM’s renowned European collections bear witness to the legacy of European style with objects prized for their beauty, rarity, and cultural importance. From the Middle Ages to the 20th century, Europe witnessed agricultural, social, economic, technological, and industrial innovation that would change how Europeans lived, worked, and viewed the world around them. Visit the Samuel European Galleries to experience European style through the ages.