Art History

The 1.8- by 2.6-inch sketch by Michelangelo and an accompanying letter from his descendant, Cosimo Buonarroti

This Tiny Scribble by Michelangelo Just Sold for Over $200,000

The sketch was found attached to the back of a work by one of the Renaissance artist's associates

Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum holds an estimated 8,000 terra-cotta soldiers.

What You Need to Know About China's Terra-Cotta Warriors and the First Qin Emperor

The thousands of clay soldiers guarding Qin Shi Huang's tomb are enduring representations of the ruler’s legacy

Fernando Sánchez Castillo's reimagining of Velázquez's Expulsion of the Moriscos

This Artist Used A.I. to Recreate a Velázquez Painting Lost in a Fire 300 Years Ago

Fernando Sánchez Castillo employed historical resources and image-generation technologies to reimagine "Expulsion of the Moriscos"

The symmetrical rock was found near Still Bay, a town located about 200 miles east of Cape Town.

Is This Stingray-Shaped Rock the Oldest Known Animal Art?

While they urge caution, researchers think an artist may have traced a stingray in the sand some 130,000 years ago

Reconstruction illustrating sliding cover as it opens, featuring Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of Giovanna de' Rossi (left) and Portrait Cover With an Allegory of Chastity (right), circa 1505

Why Were So Many Renaissance Portraits Multisided?

A new exhibition at the Met is the first to examine the tradition of covered 15th- and 16th-century portraits, which were designed to be interactive and often portable

Attributed to artist Pierre Eugène du Simitiére, the drawing depicts the Continental Army’s North Carolina Brigade marching through Philadelphia on August 25, 1777.

Rare Eyewitness Sketch of American Revolutionaries Found Hanging in a Collector's Bedroom

The drawing, which the owner recently donated to a museum, depicts the North Carolina Brigade passing through Philadelphia in 1777

The Horse Fair by French artist Rosa Bonheur hangs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. 

Five Museums Unveil Audio Guides Celebrating Lesser-Known Women Artists

The project—titled Museums Without Men—debuted in the U.S. and the U.K. during Women's History Month

Hans Holbein the Younger's 1539 portrait of Anne of Cleves before (left) and after (right) conservation

See the Portrait That Made Henry VIII Fall in Love With Anne of Cleves, Newly Restored to Its Former Glory

The Louvre cleaned and conserved Hans Holbein's 1539 likeness of the Tudor queen, revealing its vibrant colors and previously hidden details

The statue was discovered in two pieces, one much older than the other, near Burghley House in Lincolnshire.

Construction Worker Stumbles Upon Mysterious Roman Statue Hidden Beneath a Parking Lot in England

Found near a lavish historic estate, the nearly 2,000-year-old artifact has baffled researchers

An illuminated manuscript illustration of Marie de France, a 12th-century poet

How Medieval Women Expressed Their 'Forbidden' Emotions

Upper-class women used letters and embroidery to reflect on their inner lives

Artist Françoise Gilot was a talented painter, but her work never achieved widespread recognition in France.

Françoise Gilot's Artistic Career Persisted Long After She Left Picasso. Now, She's Getting an Exhibition in Paris

At the Picasso Museum, the talented painter's artistic legacy is finally getting the recognition it deserves

The mural, now known as Entrée du port, depicts buildings, ship banners and masts piercing a sky.

This Cézanne Mural Was Hidden in the Walls of the Artist's Family Home

Workers found fragments of a naval scene while renovating the mansion in the south of France

L’ami intime (The Intimate Friend), René Magritte, 1958

Magritte Masterpiece Featuring a Floating Baguette Goes to Auction

"L'ami intime" could fetch $63 million at an upcoming sale celebrating 100 years of Surrealism

The museum offered an experience called "Van Gogh's Palette," allowing visitors to immerse themselves in one of the artist's paintings.

Musée d'Orsay Breaks Attendance Records With Interactive Vincent van Gogh Exhibition

The show exploring the artist's final works featured an interactive recreation of the painter trained on hundreds of his letters

Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper in Milan, Italy

Ken Burns Turns His Lens to Leonardo da Vinci

An upcoming two-part documentary will be the filmmaker's first foray into a non-American subject matter

Long before it was imbued with symbolic meaning in the zodiac and beyond, the dragon was an ambiguous silhouette adorning art forms.

Why Is the Year of the Dragon Considered So Lucky?

The only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon has long been associated with prosperity and imperial power

The 1898 silent film Something Good‑Negro Kiss is often described as the earliest known on-screen depiction of Black intimacy. 

See Long-Lost Artifacts From Early Black Cinema

Now open in Detroit, "Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971" showcases nearly 200 rare props, posters, photographs and more

J.M.W. Turner created the sketch of Hampton Court Castle around 1796.

Forgotten J.M.W. Turner Watercolor Discovered in an Attic

The painter, renowned for his atmospheric landscapes, created the sketch of Hampton Court Castle in England when he was about 21

Measuring 40 by 50 inches, The Schoolmistress (circa 1784) had belonged to physician Earl Leroy Wood. Officials returned it to his son, Francis Wood, on January 11.

Stolen by Mobsters 54 Years Ago, This 18th-Century Painting Was Just Returned to Its Rightful Owners

Authorities presented "The Schoolmistress" to 96-year-old Francis Wood, the owner’s son, last month

During the Little Ice Age, which spanned roughly 1250 to 1860, average global temperatures dropped by as much as 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

These Paintings Reveal How the Dutch Adapted to Extreme Weather During the Little Ice Age

Artists like Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Hendrick Avercamp documented locals' resilience in the face of freezing winters and food shortages

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