#northern renaissance

Herstory

Margaret of Austria: The Public Image of a Renaissance Stateswoman

Instagram and other social media have long since taken over our inherent need to be seen and acknowledged by our surroundings. But this deliberate...

Kero Fichter 6 March 2025

Museum Stories

How Dutch Still Life Made Its Way Home After WWII

What happens to artworks and cultural treasures as a nation prepares for war? In the case of Jan van Huysum’s Vase of Flowers, the Dutch still...

Natalia Iacobelli 28 February 2025

Animals

7 Images of Dürer’s Animals That Are Better Than Trip to a Zoo

Albrecht Dürer’s keen interest in nature was a typical manifestation of Renaissance curiosity. Animals were not generally considered to be...

Zuzanna Stańska 12 February 2025

European Art

Did Pieter Bruegel Play Dice? The Story of Seemingly Insignificant Detail

Pieter Bruegel The Elder was a prominent Flemish painter of the 16th century, famed for his vivid, often humorous depictions of peasant life and...

Guest Profile 27 January 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger

The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger is one of those paintings that we know so well we tend to forget to look closer. It’s like the Mona...

Joanna Kaszubowska 27 January 2025

Dürer Magic Square Bizarre

The Mystery of Dürer’s Magic Square

Many very strange symbols appear in Albrecht Dürer’s famous engraving Melencolia I. Among them is a magic constant 34, a well-known and enigmatic...

Zuzanna Stańska 27 January 2025

European Art

Winter Through Pieter Bruegel’s Eyes

Nature is ever-present in Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s work. As seasons change, the painter captures nature’s subtle details. Among them,...

Javier Abel Miguel 13 January 2025

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Peasant Wedding, 1567 Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Peasant Wedding by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (the Museum of Art History) is located in Vienna, Austria. It is the largest art gallery in the country, housing the...

Anastasia Manioudaki 8 December 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Aeneas Taken by the Sibyl to the Underworld by Jacob van Swanenburgh

Aeneas Taken by the Sibyl to the Underworld is one of only 11 known surviving works by Jacob van Swanenburgh. It is a rare gem of late Renaissance...

James W Singer 27 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Pieter Bruegel’s Children’s Games Explained

Children’s Games is one of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s most famous paintings. Just like in other works of his, it is debatable whether it was just...

Irina Diana Calu 23 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms by Pieter Aertsen

Pieter Aertsen’s Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms is an interesting painting as it provides a wonderful glimpse into the varied...

James W Singer 16 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Harvesters by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Harvesters is a masterpiece of the Northern Renaissance. It is a visual contemplation Pieter Bruegel the Elder presented on human’s place...

James W Singer 15 October 2024