When the Hood Museum of Art opened in 1985 it inherited large holdings of European paintings that had been assembled since the founding of Dartmouth College. The museum has since added a number of important examples by major artists that illustrate key aspects of the history of European art. Collectively, these paintings represent a wide range of artistic periods, subjects, and styles; individually, they reflect criteria based on aesthetic merit and quality and include altarpieces, easel paintings, and some small devotional panels. The origins of the paintings extend geographically from northern Europe to central Italy and chronologically from the late fifteenth century to the early modern era. They depict portraits, mythological stories, biblical scenes, and landscapes. The provenance of these disparate objects varies from prominent collectors to less-well-known sources.