Artemis is a late Hellenistic Greek marble sculpture of the huntress, running in a flowing garment, now lacking arms, legs, and head, and about three-quarters life-sized. The llama is a remarkable hollow male figure of smooth thin gold, and about two inches tall, and was made by the Inca before the Spanish conquest in 1532. This narrative is just one example of constructing imaginary histories about works of art and their public lives outside museums. In this article, the author explores the use of fictional narrative in working with art objects and introduces themes that can be developed by art novices in making meaning of these art objects' histories. The author also suggests ways in which teachers can use this narrative potential in art lessons, language arts and social studies applications of art study. (Contains 2 figures and 4 endnotes.)