Discover the Renaissance Origins and Mystical Evolution of Tarot Cards
An exhibition at London’s Warburg Institute traces tarot decks’ evolution from the 1450s through the present
Expert Rediscovers Painting by Renaissance Master Lavinia Fontana, One of the First Professional Female Artists
The artwork had been hiding in plain sight in the archives of a provincial museum in France, where it will eventually go on permanent display
Ancient Greek and Roman Statues Were Not Only Beautiful, but Also Smelled Nice, Too
New research suggests that sculptures were perfumed with sweet-smelling fragrances such as rose and beeswax
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Sketches Are Coming to America
A new exhibition opening next month at the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, Virginia, explores the Italian Renaissance master’s preparations for his famous ceiling frescoes
Experts Say They’ve Found a Portrait of a Mysterious Businessman Hidden Beneath a Titian Masterpiece
When the Renaissance artist painted his famous “Ecce Homo” around 1570, he covered up a portrait of an “an unknown professional man” standing at a desk
See the Miniature Portrait of Mary Magdalene That Raphael Painted When He Was Only 20
Created around 1503, the painting—which just sold at auction for $3.1 million—depicts the saint after the crucifixion of Jesus, when she entered a period of repentance
A Five-Pound Hunk of the World’s Oldest Known Synthesized Pigment Was Found in Nero’s Palace
The discovery might illuminate the link between the blue pigment’s ancient Egyptian roots and its rediscovery by Renaissance artists centuries later
How to Use Renaissance Paintings to Improve the Farming of Tomorrow
An arboreal archaeologist roots around the Italian countryside and in centuries-old frescoes for a cornucopia of fruits long forgotten—but still viable to grow and consume
The Fool Has Appeared in Art for Centuries. What Do These Portrayals of the Complex Character Say About Us?
A new exhibition at the Louvre takes visitors on a visual journey, exploring how the figure of the fool evolved between the Middle Ages and the 19th century
See the Sprawling Secret Passageway Built for Florence’s Elite 450 Years Ago
The 2,500-foot-long Vasari Corridor impressed guests of the Medicis and other leaders that followed (including Benito Mussolini). Now, it’s reopening to the public
See How Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael Entered and Exited Each Other’s Worlds
A new exhibition in London examines the relationship between the three Italian Renaissance artists, who came together in Florence in 1504
This Peculiar Painting From the Experimental Mannerist Movement Is Back on Display After a Stunning Ten-Year Restoration
Parmigianino painted St. Jerome asleep on the ground in his 16th-century altarpiece—a choice that’s still puzzling experts five centuries later
A Rare First-Edition Copy of Machiavelli’s Notorious Political Treatise ‘The Prince’ Heads to Auction
This copy of the 16th-century text is owned by a private collector. Until recently, historians weren’t aware that it existed
See the Breathtaking 14th-Century Sienese Artworks That Helped Set the Italian Renaissance in Motion
This brief chapter of art history is often overlooked. Now, an exhibition in New York City makes a strong argument for the integral role played by four artists in the city of Siena
Discover the Mysteries of Italy’s Park of Monsters, a 16th-Century Garden Filled With Strange, Colossal Stone Creatures
The Sacro Bosco’s meaning is the subject of debate, with scholars alternatively describing the sprawling complex as a memorial, an allegorical site or a tribute to ancient civilizations
![Medieval women’s lives were “more vibrant than people expect,” says lead curator Eleanor Jackson, “and [visitors] will be surprised by the sheer variety of roles” that they occupied in the fields of politics, religion and the arts.](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/2NPqh-qxttl7xzrvlDT0LrJKmMs=/450x300/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/5a/f9/5af9fe6d-db74-4a76-9c5a-6be01eb636d1/lead-image.jpg)
These Rare Artifacts Tell Medieval Women’s Stories in Their Own Words
A new exhibition at the British Library explores the public, private and spiritual lives of such figures as Joan of Arc, Christine de Pizan and Hildegard of Bingen
Meet the Italian ‘Fruit Detective’ Who Investigates Centuries-Old Paintings for Clues About Produce That Has Disappeared From the Kitchen Table
Renaissance paintings, medieval archives, cloistered orchards—how one Italian scientist is uncovering secrets that could help combat a growing agricultural crisis
This Painting Was Thought to Be a Botticelli Copy. Now, Researchers Say It Was Made in His Studio
A new analysis suggests that the piece was created by several artists working in the Italian Renaissance painter’s studio—and that Botticelli himself may have worked on important details
Archaeologists Say They’ve Solved the Mystery of a Lead Coffin Discovered Beneath Notre-Dame
New research suggests the sarcophagus’ occupant, previously known only as “the horseman,” is Joachim du Bellay, a French Renaissance poet who died in 1560
An 11-Year-Old Boy Rescued a Mysterious Artwork From the Dump. It Turned Out to Be a 500-Year-Old Renaissance Print
Experts have confirmed that the image of “Knight, Death and the Devil” is a real master engraving by the renowned German artist Albrecht Dürer
Page 1 of 9