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#northern renaissance

Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (detail), 1434, The National Gallery, London, England. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck

The Arnolfini Portrait is as enigmatic as it is iconic. Painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434, it spawns a lot of speculation – over half a millennium...

Vithória Konzen Dill 18 October 2026

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 18 October 2026

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 4 October 2026

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 2 October 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald

Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald is a polyptych about pain and passion. It’s a complex piece consisting of several parts and sections,...

Magda Michalska 2 October 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Melun Diptych by Jean Fouquet

Gazing at this 15th-century masterpiece, you might mistake it for a contemporary creation. Vivid bursts of deep blue and red cherubs compose the...

Rachel Witte 2 October 2026

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 Author 9 September 2026

Renaissance

Most Famous Winter in Art History: Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel

In the Bruegel Room in Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, 12 paintings hang in the space. They cover the final 10 year period of the life of Pieter...

Wendy Gray 9 September 2026

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 9 September 2026

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 9 September 2026

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 9 September 2026

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 23 August 2026

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