Medieval Art

Medieval Art

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 2 December 2023

Medieval Art

How Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Was Inspired by the Late Medieval Tapestry

In Charles Perrault’s 17th-century literary world, knights, dragons, and spellbound princesses persisted centuries after the topic diminished. As...

Anna Ingram 2 December 2023

The Devonshire Hunting Tapestry: Boar and Bear Hunt (detail) Medieval Art

The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries

The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries consist of four large tapestries depicting scenes of hunting various animals. They were made between 1430 and 1450...

Anna Ingram 2 December 2023

Animals

Five Fun Facts About Gargoyles – Quirky Creatures of the Middle Ages and Beyond

Everybody loves gargoyles! I used to think I was alone in this, but I’ve come to learn that’s not at all true. In case any of you don’t know, a...

Alexandra Kiely 1 December 2023

WTF Art History

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 1 December 2023

Jean Bondol and Nicholas Bataille, The Apocalypse Tapestry, 1377-1382 Medieval Art

Biblical Tale in Threads: The Apocalypse Tapestry

Tapestry, a delicate medium, is perfect for an elusive apocalypse narrative. This narrative becomes substantiated through the Book of Revelation, in...

Anna Ingram 16 November 2023

Christine de Pizan presenting her book to Queen Isabeau, detail from The Queens Manuscript, 1410-1414 Review

Medieval Mystery: Cities of Women – A New Novel by Kathleen B. Jones

Cities of Women is a novel spread across the centuries where we seek the female artist who produced one the finest medieval illuminated manuscripts in the world for Christine de Pizan. 

Candy Bedworth 19 October 2023

Medieval Art

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 18 October 2023

Medieval Art

The Lewis Chessmen and Their Long-Lost Brother

The Lewis Chessmen are among the world’s most recognizable works of medieval art, right up there with the Unicorn Tapestries and the Book of...

Alexandra Kiely 15 October 2023

Herman, Paul, and Jean de Limbourg, The Belles Heures of Jean de France Medieval Art

5 Medieval Artists You Need to Know

Although most artwork is difficult to attribute to an artist in the medieval period, here are five medieval artists you should know. In this article,...

Anna Ingram 12 October 2023

Animals

The Medieval Bestiary – Cute, Quirky, and Weird Animals

Of all the medieval manuscripts, bestiaries are definitely the most fun. A medieval bestiary is a book about animals. It’s full of unusual...

Alexandra Kiely 4 October 2023

Winterfled Diptych: Mary Magdalene Raised by Angels WTF Art History

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 19 September 2023