May 2, 1519: on this day, exactly 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci died at 67 in Château du Clos Lucé, a castle in the city of Amboise, France. As one of the most popular and…
It is finally Easter! We celebrate the occasion with this incredibly lavish illuminated initial from a late 15th-century (or early 16th-century) Gradual made for the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome. The grand illumination,…
We continue the Easter Triduum by moving on to Good Friday. According to the Gospels, after being arrested the night before, Friday was easily the most tragic day for Jesus: he is taken to Pilate, the…
Maundy Thursday: for Christianity, this day marks the beginning of the so-called Paschal Triduum, the period of three days leading to Easter and thus recalling the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Maundy Thursday is, most…
In the past two weeks we have dedicated our Women’s Wednesdays to the women of the Iliad. Today, after introducing Hecuba and her daughter Polixena, it is the turn of Cassandra, Priam’s other daughter who…
As lovers of both history and art, we take deep grief in the recent burning of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. As many have already reported, the original medieval building began construction in 1163…
Feeling especially creative today? That might be the influence of World Art Day! April 15 is, in fact, the day that has been chosen to celebrate all fine arts worldwide: the date was chosen in…
Illumination from a Book of Hours, use of Rome, ms. Latin 1156B, f. 31r, 15th century, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des Manuscrits, Paris.