Ravenna’s Byzantine Treasures: Mosaics in San Vitale
The early medieval church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, is most famous for its spectacular mosaics. In a city full of rich, Byzantine-style...
Alexandra Kiely 5 December 2022
#royal portraits
Modern Muse: Arpita Shah’s Feminist Take on Mughal Portraiture
Staging an intervention in art history, and specifically in Indian miniature portraiture, Arpita Shah replaces male Mughal emperors with inspiring...
Guest Profile 28 November 2022
Most Beautiful Dresses: Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo by Agnolo Bronzino
The best-known image of Eleanor of Toledo is also one of the most beautiful dresses in art history. Don’t be too distracted by the beauty of the...
Vithória Konzen Dill 17 November 2022
Fashion Icons in Art
Art and fashion are often intertwined, and isn’t fashion a form of art after all? Not only can visual arts represent the fashion icons that marked...
Vithória Konzen Dill 14 November 2022
Badass Queens from Classical History
A rollicking adventure through the lives of great leaders and queens from ancient times. Famous female leaders are a fascinating bunch. Here at...
Candy Bedworth, Guest Profile 14 November 2022
5 Best Works by Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez is the most important figure of the Spanish Baroque period and one of Europe’s most significant old masters. He was born in...
Anna Ingram 7 November 2022
Joanna of Castile: Story of a Misunderstood Queen in Portraits
Joanna of Castile, also known as Joanna the Mad, was never expected to inherit the throne of Castile and Aragon in the 16th century. Due to her...
Anna Ingram 31 October 2022
Queen Elizabeth I – Portraits of the Last Tudor
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) was the only surviving child of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife Anne Boleyn. Being a girl was hard...
Sarah Mills 21 October 2022
In Memory of Queen Elizabeth II, 1926–2022
Royal portraiture is a centuries old tradition, but it might be called the forerunner of the posed selfie – an artfully curated image which is...
Candy Bedworth 8 September 2022
The Portrait of Rome’s Decline: Bust of Decius
The turmoil of Rome’s decline in the 3rd century enclosed the 21-month reign of Decius. His tenure as emperor was not exceptionally short for the...
Guest Profile 20 August 2022
Gian Gastone de’ Medici: The Forgotten Queer Legacy of the Last Medici
The Medici Family. For most, these three words conjure up images of Cosimo de’ Medici, Lorenzo de’ Medici, or the many artists and artworks...
Guest Profile 30 June 2022
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Amazing Women in Her Portraits
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and women in her portraits should be a reference for every art-lover. The French painter – also known as Madame Le Brun...
Pola Otterstein 18 June 2022
