#Miniature Painting

Asian Art

Artistic Patronage of Akbar the Great

Abu’l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, later known as Akbar the Great, was born into uncertain circumstances in 1542, during a period of exile for...

Maya M. Tola 5 May 2025

Rosalba Carriera, The Allegory of Music, 1712 Bavarian National Museum, Munich, Germany. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Rococo

Rosalba Carriera: The Accomplished Pastellist

Do you know the great Rococo portraitist Rosalba Carriera? She was one of the most famous painters of the early 18th century. Carriera became known...

Maia Heguiaphal 26 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

Ende, Prologue, On the Church, Gerona Beatus, Miniature, ca. 975 CE Women Artists

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 3 March 2025

Gerrit Dou, Dog at Rest, 1650, oil on oak panel, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Dog at Rest by Gerrit Dou

Gerrit Dou’s Dog at Rest is a masterpiece of Dutch genre painting, perfect for both dog enthusiasts and art...

James W Singer 23 February 2025

Art State of Mind

True Tips for a Happier Life from the Miniatures of Reza Abbasi

Everyone wants to be happy and each of us has a different idea of happiness. For some, it is finishing college and getting a new job. For others, it...

Rute Ferreira 20 January 2025

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 16 January 2025

Medieval Art

Here Be Medieval Dragons

Dragons are everywhere in popular culture. People make movies about them, collect stuffed animals of them, and dress up as them for Halloween. They...

Alexandra Kiely 16 January 2025

Medieval Art

Medieval Take on Comic Books—Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

The Middle Ages have a very sketchy reputation. On one hand, we know that a lot of amazing art was created during that time. On the other hand,...

Joanna Kaszubowska 9 January 2025

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 24 December 2024

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 2 September 2024

Medieval Art

Nun, Scientist, Artist, Saint: Meet Hildegard von Bingen

Saint Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), also known as the Sybil of the Rhine, is one of the most renowned figures from the European Middle Ages. She...

Iolanda Munck 18 July 2024