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Susanna and the Elders, by Artemisia Gentileschi in 1610. Source: Public domain

Artemisia Gentileschi Used Art To Avenge Her Rape

Since the 1970s, the work of Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi has seen a surge in popularity due to her unique perspective as a female artist of the 17th century. Artemisia Gentileschi...
Representational image of a medieval troubadour. Source: artemstepanov / Adobe Stock

The Chivalrous Melodies and Colorful Lives of the Medieval Troubadours

From the 11th to 14th centuries, medieval Europe was home to a class of poet-musicians known as troubadours. They started out in Occitania in the 11th century before spreading across much of the...
Turkish artist Garip Ay producing ebru water art. Source: YouTube Screenshot / Great Big Story)

The Ancient Turkish Art of Painting on Water (Video)

We’ve all heard of watercolor painting but what about painting on water? Few artworks are as unique as those produced by the Turkish artist Garip Ay who masterfully resurrects the ancient technique...
Stone masterpiece pays tribute to Yelang Civilization. Source: imphilip / Adobe Stock.

Stone Masterpiece Pays Tribute to Ancient Yelang Civilization (Video)

In the heart of what many deemed a barren wasteland, artist Song Peilun perceived an extraordinary canvas brimming with potential. Over the span of two decades, Peilun has masterfully crafted a...
Portrait of Anne of Cleves by court artist Hans Holbein the Younger. Source: Public domain

Court Artist Tried to Warn Henry VIII Not to Marry Anne of Cleves

The German aristocrat Anne of Cleves was the fourth of Henry VIII’s six wives , marrying the king on January 6, 1540. Before Anne ever set foot on English soil, Henry dispatched his court artist, the...
Screen shot from the film ‘Enigma of Kaspar Hauser’ (1974).

The Mysterious and Tragic Life of Kaspar Hauser

He came from nowhere and became one of the greatest mysteries of 19th century Germany. On May 26th, 1828 he appeared in the streets of Nuremberg. For the next five years he was a source of...
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (around 1657-59) before its most recent restoration (left) and after (right). © Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, SKD, Photo: Wolfgang Kreische

Mysterious Cupid Found Hidden in 17th Century Vermeer Masterpiece

After three years of painstaking work, an added layer of paint that obscured an image of Cupid on a famous painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer has been fully removed . Only now can Vermeer’...
A facial reconstruction of the Renaissance painter Raphael. Source: Tor Vergata University

Remains of Famous Renaissance Artist Raphael Finally Identified

The Italian Renaissance artist Raffaello Sanzio, more famously known as Raphael, died in 1520 AD. In 1833, an anonymous skeleton was exhumed from its grave in Rome's Pantheon that was suspected of...
Damaged 19th century sculpture of Paolina Bonaparte by Antonio Canova      Source: Gypsotheca Antonio Canova Museum (Inset, Carabinieri Treviso)

Tourist Damages A Valuable Italian Sculpture And Just Walks Away

CCTV in an Italian museum has captured the moment a tourist snapped two toes off a 200-year-old sculpture’s model. This horrendous act of vandalism followed by sheer negligence of all adult...
A psychic’s claim to be the daughter of Salvador Dalí has been disproven. Source: korionov / Adobe Stock.

DNA Test Disproves Woman’s Claim to be Salvador Dalí’s Daughter

A long-running legal case involving Salvador Dalí, one of the 20th century’s greatest painters, may have finally come to an end. A woman who had filed a paternity suit against the estate of the...
Left: artist Matt Loughrey’s reconstruction of the bust of King Henry VII of England. (Courtesy of Matt Loughrey / My Colorful Past).     Right: Henry Tudor, painted on 29 October 1505 AD by Herman Rinck, an agent for the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. (National Portrait Gallery / Public domain)

Look History in the Eye! King Henry VII Reconstructed from Death Mask

An Irish artist has brought King Henry VII of England back to life in a high-tech historical photography project. Looking deeply into the photo-realistic eyes of the famous English king, the observer...
Leonardo da Vinci portrait and anatomical sketches.   Source: klss777 / Adobe Stock

Secretum: Leonardo Da Vinci and the Anatomy of the Soul

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was born in the middle of the Humanism movement – a search for the lost wisdom of the classical age that broke with the rigid schemes of the Middle Ages. It provided an...
Detail of a self-portrait of Raphael, aged approximately 23.

Did Iconic Renaissance Artist Raphael Die From Too Much Sex?

Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (known more commonly as Raphael) was a painter and architect who lived in Italy between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, during a period known as the High...
Self portrait of Guda, a 12th century nun and female scribe.

Blue Pigment Found on Medieval Teeth Reveals Secret Existence of Female Scribes

The analysis of human teeth has become increasingly important in modern archaeology. A recent discovery of a set of teeth in a German monastery is revolutionizing our understanding of women in...
A portrait of Michelangelo flanked by his sculpture ‘Madonna of Bruges’ and a detail of the Redeemed from his painting of ‘The Last Judgement.’

Michelangelo: A Mixture of True Talent Meeting Great Luck and Perseverance

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, better known as Michelangelo, is one of the most famous figures of the Italian Renaissance period (between the 14th and 16th centuries AD). The Renaissance...
The Veiled Virgin.

Unrivalled Classical Art: Giovanni Strazza's Exquisite Veiled Virgin

The Veiled Virgin is the name of a piece of marble sculpture created by Giovanni Strazza, an Italian sculptor. As its name indicates, this sculpture is a bust of the Blessed Virgin Mary wearing a...
No Average Artists: Who Was Deemed Good Enough to Create Sculptures of Alexander the Great?

No Average Artists: Who Was Deemed Good Enough to Create Sculptures of Alexander the Great?

If Alexander the Great was alive now, he would probably be the most often photographed leader in the world. However, in his time, photography didn't exist. During the 4th century BC, a remarkable...
Gone Without a Trace? Searching for the Tomb of the Famous Artist Diego Velazquez

Gone Without a Trace? Searching for the Tomb of the Famous Artist Diego Velazquez

Diego Velázquez was a standout artist amongst iconic Spanish painters and his artwork is famous around the world. As a painter in the court of King Phillip IV of Spain, Velázquez is best known for...
‘La femme Préhistorique’ (The prehistoric woman) (1895) by James Tissot Reproductions of some Lascaux artworks in Lascaux II.

Creating Prehistoric Culture: Were the First Artists Women?

The first researchers of Paleolithic caves and sites related to the earliest humans called the people who left paintings and other pieces of early art “men.” Due to this decision, people created an...
Plaster face of an older Amarna-era woman

The Unique Sculptures of Thutmose…and a Secret Love for One of His Muses?

When leaving his workshop in Amarna, the sculptor Thutmose may have wanted to forget something very painful. A story which may have been carved in his heart perhaps? He decided not to take some of...
Mona Lisa Meets War Machines: Details on the Driven Life and Lesser-Known Talents of Leonardo da Vinci

Mona Lisa Meets War Machines: Details on the Driven Life and Lesser-Known Talents of Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, known more commonly as Leonardo da Vinci, is arguably one of the most well-known figures of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo’s primary claim to fame is in the field...
Leonardo da Vinci inventions

Five da Vinci inventions that could have revolutionized the history of technology

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous artists in history. His genius, however, was not just in his art; Leonardo was also a brilliant inventor in the fields of civil engineering, chemistry,...