The holdings of the Walters are outstanding not only for their quality, but for their range and diversity, spanning some 55 centuries from ancient Egyptian art to late 19th-century European paintings and decorative objects. The museum houses the highest artistic achievements from nearly every corner of the world. Among its thousands of treasures are masterpieces of Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Islamic, Medieval, Renaissance, and 18th- and 19th-century European and American art, an outstanding group of East Asian bronzes and Asian ceramics, as well as one of the world’s finest manuscript and rare book collections.