Art
The Meaning of the Ring, from Memento Mori to Marriage
Rings are one of the most personal and oldest human adornments, evolving in complexity with metalwork techniques and the gemstone trade.
Renaissance
Books
At the Morgan, a Master's Minuscule Manuscripts
The Morgan Library & Museum over the last few years has added some small wonders to its collections, and now for the first time a sampling of these miniature books is on public view. Opened last month, Miracles in Miniature: The Art of the Master of Claude de France celebrates one of the last greats
Books
Renaissance Art of the End Times Revealed in Rediscovered Apocalyptic Book
In 1533, hundreds of dragons were reported to darken the skies over Bohemia, following a 1506 sighting of a blinding bright comet slicing over the sky. Were these foreboding occurrences signs of the apocalypse, or just a lot of Renaissance hearsay?
Opinion
The Renaissance Lied to You Because Angels Don't Have Wings
Angels do not have wings, says a leading Catholic Church "angeologist." Cue gasps.
Art
Exposing the Secrets, Scandals, and Art of the Italian Renaissance
A time dominated by the likes of Raphael, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Botticelli, the Italian Renaissance was a stunning period for art. A new website from Oxford University Press’s Grove Art Online and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC gives an introduction to this world.
Opinion
Wait, Raphael Painted Porn at the Vatican?
I don't know how I missed this detail in Renaissance art class, but here's a first-hand account of visiting a sexy bathroom in the Papal apartment painted by one of the masters of the High Renaissance.