This online meeting brings together colleagues from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, to present their latest catalogues of early Netherlandish painting. Although both projects cover comparable subject matter, they represent two entirely different approaches: one is published as an innovative online resource, while the other is a traditional print volume.

The meeting is divided into two parts: an initial introduction of the publications by the speakers, followed by a moderated discussion on cataloging with an expanded panel of experts.

Collection Catalogues: Print vs. Pixel

The session begins with Sophie Scully, Associate Conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who will discuss the creation and launch of the museum’s new online catalogue. Anna-Claire Stinebring, Assistant Curator of European Paintings, will then offer insight into the project’s future and current priorities. To conclude the first half, Stephan Kemperdick, Curator at the Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, will present their scholarly catalogue, highlighting the specific methodology and obstacles his team navigated during its production.

Early Netherlandish Paintings at The Met

In spring 2025, The Met published ‘Early Netherlandish Paintings at The Met‘ on the museum’s website. Started in 2014, it is the first fully online collection cataloguing project of European paintings undertaken by The Met. The online hub provides access to 162 works created before 1600, housed primarily within European Paintings. The 106 new catalogue entries are primarily written by Maryan Ainsworth, Curator Emerita in European Paintings, and are accompanied by 90 new technical notes, authored by Sophie Scully. The in-depth and comprehensive essays are richly illustrated with high-resolution, zoomable technical documentation and comparative illustrations.

Netherlandish and French Painting 1400–1480

Published in August 2024, Netherlandish and French Painting 1400–1480 is the first ever scholarly catalogue of the Gemäldegalerie’s holdings of paintings by artists who were active before 1480. Authored by Katrin Dyballa and Stephan Kemperdick, the catalogue discusses 69 individual paintings in 52 entries. All of the entries on the artworks in question are based on art-historical and technological research methods and were produced in the framework of an interdisciplinary collaboration. The catalogue consists of 608 pages and is lavishly illustrated with 639 images of which 497 are in color.

Panel Discussion

For the second half of the program, speakers are joined by Maryan Ainsworth and Jennifer Meagher, Senior Collections Cataloguer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in a panel discussion moderated by Ellis Dullaart, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Old Master Painting, RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History.

Panelists will examine the intersection of online cataloguing and traditional print publishing. Drawing on recent experience, they will address the unique strengths, inherent limitations, and practical challenges of both formats, while exploring the potential for hybrid models that bridge the two. In addition, Dullaart will also discuss the RKD’s role in digital publications—including catalogues raisonnés—in collaboration with museums.

Questions from the audience are encouraged. There will be ample time to ask questions to the panelists or you can send your questions in advance to events@codart.nl.

CODART Members and Associate Members are invited to register free of charge.

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Event Details

Date: Thursday, 16 April 2026
Time: 15:00 – 17:00 (CEST) | 9:00 – 11:00 am (EDT)
Online: Zoom (no account required)
Fee: free of charge for CODART members

Program

15:00 – Opening and introductions
15:10 – Sophie Scully and Anna-Claire Stinebring
15:30 – Stephan Kemperdick
15:50 – 5-minute break
15:55 – Introduction of the panel by Ellis Dullaart
16:05 – Panel discussion
16:35 – Q&A
16:55 – Closing words
17:00 – End of session

If you have any questions about this event, please contact events@codart.nl.