The Bust of Nefertiti: Ancient Masterpiece or Genius Hoax?
On December 6, 1912, a team of excavators from the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, led by Ludwig Borchardt, unearthed a wonderful work of art. They...
Montaine Dumont 18 October 2024
#Portraits
Frans Hals in 10 Paintings
Frans Hals, the prominent Dutch Golden Age painter, left an enduring legacy through his exceptional mastery of portraiture. The way he captured the...
Nicole Ganbold 17 October 2024
Cecilia Beaux in 10 Paintings
American painter Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942) cannot be neatly pigeonholed into any artistic category. Rather, she sits at a curious intersection...
Natalia Iacobelli 17 October 2024
The True Star of Early Photography: Virginia Oldoini
Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoini – in short, Countess of Castiglione – was a real celebrity of her times. I imagine that...
Zuzanna Stańska 9 October 2024
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 8 October 2024
Pontormo: The Neglected Mannerist Painter
Pontormo was a Renaissance painter, admired by both Michelangelo and Raphael. His first apprenticeship was in Leonardo da Vinci's workshop. His work is treasured by The National Gallery and The Uffizi. His luminous work is truly magnificent, so why is he so neglected?
Guest Profile 7 October 2024
Masterpiece Story: Bacchus by Caravaggio
A youthful Bacchus, god of fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre is reclining in classical fashion with grapes and vine leaves in...
Zuzanna Stańska 30 September 2024
Rare Photographs by Edgar Degas
On August 19, 1839, the French government acquired the patent for the daguerreotype and made it the first publicly available photographic process. As...
Zuzanna Stańska 27 September 2024
Can You Beat This Beard? Bearded Men in Paintings
According to some fashion experts, beards reached their peak 10 years ago. However, this is not just some seasonal trend. Long, short, trimmed, or...
Magda Michalska 16 September 2024
Fascinating (and Creepy) Coffin Portraits of the Polish Nobility
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Poland was a much bigger and more important country than it is today, as it encompassed some parts of the territories...
Magda Michalska 16 September 2024
Franz Xaver Messerschmidt and His Bizarre Character Heads
The so-called character heads created by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt are not only a bizarre collection of sculptures but also a unique portrayal of...
Zuzanna Stańska 16 September 2024
Anthony van Dyck: A Master of Baroque Portraiture
Anthony van Dyck was a master of Baroque portraiture, captivating the art world with his skillful depictions of European aristocracy. As a prominent...
Jimena Aullet 12 September 2024
