Renaissance

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters

To a 21st-century viewer, the portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées might seem homo-erotic. However, pictured with her sister, the Duchess of Villars,...

Anna Ingram 9 June 2025

Erotica

Looking for Hot Renaissance Boys? Well, Here They Are!

Look no further! If you are in need of the sight of some muscular bodies this year, don’t bother going to the beach, but book yourself a ticket to...

Magda Michalska 20 May 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Merode Altarpiece by Robert Campin

The Merode Altarpiece is one of the most famous works by Robert Campin and his workshop. It serves as a link between the medieval tradition and...

Alexandra Kiely 27 April 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico

Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico is a masterpiece that can be viewed both as medieval and Renaissance. How so? Keep on reading...

Alexandra Kiely 27 April 2025

Renaissance

Titian Revisited: Grand Old Man of the Renaissance or Dirty Old Man?

Titian’s sensuous interpretation of classical myths of love, temptation, and punishment came together for the first time in nearly 500 years, at...

Guest Author 25 April 2025

Medieval Art

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 14 April 2025

Renaissance

Mona Lisa’s Illnesses

Everyone has heard about the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece at the Louvre in Paris. But you have probably never heard about… her...

Camilla de Laurentis 7 April 2025

François Clouet (School), Portrait of Louise de Lorraine, ca. 1575, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Louise de Lorraine by François Clouet (School)

Portrait of Louise de Lorraine is a French Renaissance painting that exudes the artistic ideas of its time and captures the queen’s personal and...

James W Singer 6 April 2025

Renaissance

Masterpiece Story: The Calumny of Apelles by Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli‘s final painting with a mythological subject is based on a lost painting by an ancient Greek painter Apelles. He ventured to...

Magda Michalska 6 April 2025

Petrus Christus, A Goldsmith in His Studio Art History 101

Northern Renaissance in 10 Artworks

The Northern Renaissance took place in Europe north of the Alps, primarily in regions like the Netherlands, Germany, France, and England. Artists...

Anna Ingram 31 March 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Phoenix Portrait of Elizabeth I

One of the most famous depictions of Elizabeth I is Nicholas Hilliard’s Phoenix Portrait, depicting the Queen with a pendant shaped like a mythical...

Guest Author 24 March 2025

Painting

Susanna Horenbout: Forgotten Female Artist at the Tudor Court

The Horenbouts were a family of Flemish painters who came to England in the 1520s. The most famous, Gerard (father) and Lucas (son), were employed as...

Guest Author 10 March 2025