‘Bernini VS Borromini’ could be the main headline on today’s newspaper – a lawsuit, stirring debate, or even political elections. It has stirred debate alright and, very much like contemporary election campaigns, low blows and scorn were not...

Chinese culture has always been an object of European fascination – in art history, we see it in paintings, ornaments, architecture, fashion, and porcelain. Ever heard of Dutch Delftware? That’s right, these peculiar blue and white tiles and...

Apart from fulfilling commissions for churches and noblemen’s mansions, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo painted genre scenes depicting poor children in their daily tasks. Those paintings, mostly acquired by a foreign clientele, reflect the bitter reality of poverty and exclusion...

Elisabetta Sirani (1638–1665) was born in Bologna, a progressive city with a liberal attitude towards educating women. She was a pioneering female artist who established an academy for other women aspiring to become painters. Sirani was only 27...

Swans are normally characterized as graceful birds. They are magnificent and majestic. However, Jan Asselijn displays another side of these elegant birds. In Threatened Swan, we witness the fierce, protective, and powerful nature of motherhood. Yet, we are...

Rembrandt painted his wife Saskia van Uylenburgh as Flora, goddess of spring and flowers, three times during their relatively short but meaningful marriage. He created the first portrait shortly after the wedding. It shows his beloved wife in...

Three Ladies Adorning a Term of Hymen is a huge triple portrait of the Montgomery sisters by Sir Joshua Reynolds. It thematizes aristocratic marriage and uses classical elements to allegorize the portrait. Exactly this type of marriage is...