Crowning Glory—The World’s 12 Most Beautiful Tiaras
We all have family treasures. Those mementos that matter to us so much because of their sentimental value and the memories associated with them. Now,...
Joanna Kaszubowska 27 August 2026
#royal portraits
Masterpiece Story: The Phoenix Portrait of Elizabeth I
One of the most famous depictions of Elizabeth I is Nicholas Hilliard’s Phoenix Portrait, depicting the Queen with a pendant shaped like a mythical...
Guest Author 23 August 2026
10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Anthony van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque painter of remarkable skill, left an indelible mark on art history. His signature style of refined portraits and...
Jimena Aullet 17 August 2026
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 2 August 2026
Masterpiece Story: The Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi by Katharine Augusta Carl
Art and politics have been closely intertwined throughout global history. This article studies the case of The Empress Dowager Cixi of China by...
Iolanda Munck 22 June 2026
Dressed in Power: Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo by Agnolo Bronzino
The best-known image of Eleanor of Toledo also features one of the most beautiful dresses in art history. Don’t be too distracted by the beauty of...
Vithória Konzen Dill 18 June 2026
Under Royal Protection: 4 Female Court Painters to Know
Throughout history, art has always played an important role in royal propaganda across Europe. Royal families were in a race to employ the best...
Gokce Dyson 3 June 2026
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Female Icon of 18th-Century Paris
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard was one of the most prominent women artists of the end of the 18th century in Paris. Despite misogynistic policies for...
Jimena Escoto 14 May 2026
Masterpiece Story: Queen Mother Idia of Benin
Africa is a beautiful continent filled with sweeping landscapes and mighty rivers. Its history is filled with great kingdoms and large empires. Its...
James W Singer 10 May 2026
Rotten Royals: 5 Very Bad Kings from History
Portraits of five regal bad boys. We scratch at the paint on the canvas to find the tyranny, treachery and devilish debauchery behind paintings of rotten royals.
Candy Bedworth 16 April 2026
Masterpiece Story: The Rainbow Portrait
Queen Elizabeth I is known throughout history as one of the most famous British Queens. Even without a husband, she successfully ruled England for 45...
Anna Ingram 3 April 2026
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 Author 26 March 2026
