5 Facts about the Counter-Reformation in Art You Need to Know
The Counter-Reformation was the Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation spreading through Europe during the Renaissance.
Anna Ingram 22 January 2026
Mannerism
Masterpiece Story: Madonna with the Long Neck by Parmigianino
Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck is a masterpiece of Italian Mannerism that presents an unusual interpretation of traditional depictions...
James W Singer 18 January 2026
Masterpiece Story: An Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Agnolo Bronzino
An Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Agnolo Bronzino from the National Gallery in London is one of the most mysterious masterpieces of Mannerism. It...
Joanna Kaszubowska 17 November 2025
Bronzino in 10 Paintings
Bronzino was of the generation of artists who had to find a way of following the perfection of the High Renaissance. They pushed the conventions of...
Catriona Miller, 17 November 2025
Dressed in Power: Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo by Agnolo Bronzino
The best-known image of Eleanor of Toledo also features one of the most beautiful dresses in art history. Don’t be too distracted by the beauty of...
Vithória Konzen Dill 17 November 2025
Elegance and Drama: All You Need to Know About Mannerism
Young artists who left workshops in the years following the activity of Michelangelo and Raphael must have had a very hard time: how could one create...
Magda Michalska 17 November 2025
The Mannerist Splendor: Meet Four Powerful Women of Bronzino
Agnolo di Cosimo (1503–1572), known as Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter. He lived and worked in Florence and became the court painter of...
Joanna Kaszubowska 17 November 2025
Chilling Beauty: Exploring Europe’s Bone Churches
From the ancient period through the 18th century, European Catholics and Orthodox Christians displayed and maintained bones of the deceased to honor...
Julia Bourbois 26 June 2025
Parmigianino: Capturing Everyday Early Modern Life Through Drawings
Francesco Mazzola, known as Parmigianino, produced many drawings that captured normal scenes of everyday life during the early modern period. These...
Nina Relf 24 April 2025
Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Elizabeth I
The portrait of Elizabeth I is attributed to the workshop of Nicholas Hilliard and showcases the queen in her sixties. Similar to other images of...
Anna Ingram 24 March 2025
Queen Elizabeth I – Portraits of the Last Tudor
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) was the only surviving child of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife Anne Boleyn. Being a girl was hard...
Sarah Mills 24 March 2025
Masterpiece Story: Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa is a sculpture that is commonly overlooked. In fact, it could be the most regularly overlooked...
James Wray 17 January 2025
