Blog
In our newsletter, we have a section called ‘prometheus search terms’, in which we list the top 10 terms from the previous month or the top 10 terms with a specific initial letter (from A to Z) along with the number of searches.
In October 2025, the top 10 were
caspar david friedrich (275) * einhorn (233) * gerhard hoehme (144) * victim (111) * laokoon (106) * gabriele münter (105) * hannah höch (98) * nam june paik (96) * kreuzigung (96) * auguste rodin (96)
and the top 10 h-terms
hannah höch (98) * hilma af klint (78) * herakles (77) * heilige ursula (65) * helios (48) * hiroshi sugimoto (43) * haussmann (40) * hieronymus bosch (39) * hans baluschek (33) * hexen (33).
In nine steps, you can request guest access to test prometheus free of charge for 1 week.
1. Register “Try for free for one week”
2. Enter your login details: Login name
3. Enter your login details: Email
4. Enter your login details: Password
5. Enter your login details: Confirm password
6. Enter your personal information: First name
7. Enter your personal information: Surname
8. Enter your personal information: Research interest
9. Click on the button “Register”.
You will receive access after activation by the office.
Every week, the top image bar on the prometheus homepage changes, giving a first visual impression of the image series of the week. The themes are usually inspired by current exhibitions, such as this week’s ‘Germaine Krull: Chien Fou. Author and Photographer’ at the Museum Folkwang in Essen. We often take an aspect of the exhibition or the artist’s work for the short presentation.
If you are logged in to prometheus, you can also click directly on the corresponding image collection to find more images on the topic. The eight thumbnails are also clickable. The corresponding data record in the image archive will be displayed directly.
The 135 image databases currently integrated include approximately 20 databases that store their data as objects and link all associated images to the respective data records. For these image databases, we also store the object ID and link the images within prometheus to objects. In the advanced search, there is a filter on the left-hand side that allows you to display only these objects in the search results list: ‘Filter by objects’.
Our example:
When searching for ‘Leonardo + Mona Lisa’, 58 of 3,956,992 data records are currently displayed. If you filter this result by objects, there are only seven data records left.
Nicholas of Myra is one of the most famous saints of the Eastern Churches and the Latin Church. His feast day, 6 December, is celebrated throughout Christendom and is associated with numerous customs. Accordingly, there are numerous images of Saint Nicholas in the image archive.
Our rating scale for images ranges from one star for ‘unusable’ to three stars for “usable” to five stars for ‘very good’. You can use the star rating system to evaluate the quality of the images. Criteria include resolution, colour fidelity, image cropping and alignment, and moiré effects. These ratings automatically influence the ranking when displaying the relevant search results.
With the image viewer at the second magnification level of the images, the respective image can be enlarged and reduced again continuously. The higher the zoom level, the smaller the visible area, but the more detailed the display and thus perfect for evaluating the image.
Many of you have personal access to prometheus, which allows you to create image collections, rate and comment on images, select favourites, and upload your own images to your personal image database. This access is time-limited and is managed by your institution’s administration. Four weeks before it expires, you will receive a notification by email and, if you wish, you can apply to your contact person for an extension.
For several months now, we have been offering three different ways to access the image archive.
1. If you are using your PC within a network of the currently 173 licensed institutions, you can use the campus access.
2. Many of you have personal access with a login name or email address and password, in which case you can log in directly.
3. Some of the licensed institutions now also offer eduGAIN access.
We have compiled further information for you in a blog post and in the help section.
We offer two different search options: simple search and advanced search.
We are rapidly approaching the milestone of 4 million images. This time, we have integrated five of the 17 museum databases of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC:
(1) The “Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery” houses exceptional collections of Asian art. A total of 4,720 records have been integrated into prometheus.
(2) The “National Museum of African Art” is dedicated to the collection, exhibition, conservation, and study of African art. It contains 111 records.
(3) The “National Museum of the American Indian” is dedicated to promoting knowledge and understanding of the lives, languages, literature, history, and art of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. There are 180 records available for your research.
(4) The “National Portrait Gallery” focuses on portraits of American artists, politicians, scientists, and other individuals who have contributed to the history, development, and culture of the country. It contains 15,445 records.
(5) The “Smithsonian American Art Museum” has a wide range of American art from all regions and art movements in the United States. 13,626 records are available in prometheus.
