Ravenna’s Byzantine Treasures: Mosaics in San Vitale
The early medieval church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, is most famous for its spectacular mosaics. In a city full of rich, Byzantine-style...
Alexandra Kiely 1 May 2023
Medieval Art
QUIZ: Guess the Catholic Saint
Camilla de Laurentis 27 April 2023
The Unicorn Tapestries – Allegory of Christ, or a Happy Husband?
The Unicorn Tapestries are a set of medieval tapestries depicting a hunt for a unicorn, a popular motif at the time. They’re probably the most...
Alexandra Kiely 9 April 2023
Harry Potter and the Lady of the Unicorn Tapestries
The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries were made towards the end of the 15th century and are one of the most well-known sets of medieval tapestries. You...
Anna Ingram 9 April 2023
Holy Week in Art: Easter Explained in Paintings
To celebrate the Christian festival of Easter, here is the story of Holy Week and Easter explained in paintings. Palm Sunday Stained glass...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 6 April 2023
Saint Joseph As Baby Daddy: An Illustrated Medieval Guide
Let’s forget the traditional Nativity scene that we all know for a moment: Virgin Mary kneeling before baby Christ, Joseph standing right behind...
Ela Bobek 28 March 2023
Ende: The First Documented Spanish Female Manuscript Illuminator
She is an enigma, an ancient, foggy artist from northern Spain in the Middle Ages. We learn nothing about Ende’s identity, life, or whether she...
Wen Gu 28 March 2023
Masterpiece Story: Saint George and the Dragon
There is a skirmish between the hero and the villain. Fabrics whip about, horse hoofs trample, and a dying scream erupts as Saint George slaughters...
James W Singer 28 March 2023
The Best of Discarding Images
During the Middle Ages, illuminated manuscripts were first used in the Roman Catholic Church for liturgical services and prayers. The popularity of...
Anna Ingram 27 March 2023
Ancient Treasures from the North: Viking Art
Vikings and their culture have interested us since the days of the Viking expansion. There are numerous TV shows about them and sports teams named...
Rachel Witte 14 March 2023
Why Is She So Hairy? Iconography of Mary Magdalene
Whenever I come across Gothic or early Renaissance representations of Mary Magdalene I always ask myself this question – why is she so hairy? Keep...
Magda Michalska 30 January 2023
The Unbelievable Story of Killer Rabbits in Medieval Manuscripts
If you’ve ever watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you probably remember the scene when the vicious killer bunny (which, as we remember,...
Zuzanna Stańska 22 January 2023
