Art Objects
Story Behinf the Painting – Ep. 10 – Portinari Altar by Hugo van der Goes
In the heart of the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, amidst the sun-drenched frescoes and elegant tempera panels of the Italian masters, sits a…
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Stories, guides and ideas about museums, heritage and the future of culture.
Art Objects
Story Behind The Painting – Ep. 9 – Hours of Mary of Burgundy
Imagine holding a device in the late 1470s that could transport you from a quiet, candlelit room into the soaring, silver-lit nave of a…
Art Objects
Story Behind The Painting – Ep. 8 – Camera degli Sposi by Andrea Mantegna
In the grand tapestry of the Italian Renaissance, few rooms hold as much mystery, power, and technical wizardry as the Camera degli Sposi (Room…
Art Objects
Story Behind The Painting – Ep. 7 – Tobias and the Angel by Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo
In the bustling streets of 15th-century Florence, graduation didn’t involve a cap and gown. Instead, for the sons of wealthy merchants and bankers, the…
Art Objects
Story Behind the Painting – EP. 6 – Melun Diptych by Jean Fouquet’s
If you stumbled across the right panel of the Melun Diptych without context, you might assume it was a modern CGI render, a surrealist…
Art Objects
Story Behind the Painting – EP. 5 – St. Nicholas Saves the Ship by Fra Angelico
When we think of St. Nicholas today, the image that usually springs to mind is a jolly, white-bearded man in a red suit delivering…
Art Objects
Story Behind the Painting – EP. 4 -The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello
Imagine a 15th-century masterpiece that feels less like a static image and more like an action movie—horses rearing, lances breaking, and soldiers thrown backward…
Art Objects
Story Behind the Painting – EP. 3 – The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck’s
In the mid-15th century, the city of Bruges was the commercial beating heart of Northern Europe. It was a place where Russian furs, Venetian…
Art Objects
Story Behind the Painting – EP. 2 – Mérode Altarpiece by Robert Campin
In the modern world, we “flex” our success through designer clothes, high-end smartphones, or luxury travel. In the 15th century, however, the ultimate status…
Art Objects
Story Behind the Painting – EP. 1 – The Night Revels of Han Xizai by Gu Hongzhong
In our modern era of 24-hour news cycles and social media leaks, we often think of “paparazzi culture” as a contemporary phenomenon. However, long…
