Rogier van der Weyden’s Saint George and the Dragon combines chivalric drama, delicate detail, and luminous realism, transforming a legendary battle into an intimate vision of faith, courage, and triumph.
Hellenistic Golden Hairnets
The Hellenistic gold hairnet from the Benaki Museum showcases exquisite craftsmanship, centred on Athena’s medallion and intricate filigree, reflecting aristocratic luxury and the refined artistry of ancient Greek jewellery.
Simon Bening’s February
Simon Bening’s February miniature depicts a lavish manor feast, where aristocrats, musicians, and servants gather around firelight and rich furnishings, revealing the social ritual, luxury, and domestic life of late medieval nobility.
La Belle Nani by Paolo Veronese
Paolo Veronese’s La Belle Nani presents an elegant Venetian woman whose identity remains uncertain, embodying Renaissance ideals of beauty, virtue, fashion, and aristocratic status in a richly symbolic portrait.
The Princess from the Land of Porcelain by James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Whistler’s Princess from the Land of Porcelain reimagines Western portraiture through Japanese and Chinese aesthetics, portraying Christina Spartali in exotic costume amid porcelain-inspired decor, blending beauty, fantasy, and cross-cultural artistic influence.
Love of Virtue by François Lemoyne
A highlight of the Versailles “Drawings for Versailles, 20 years of Acquisitions” exhibition is François Lemoyne’s preparatory head study for The Love of Virtue, revealing the delicate transition from late Baroque grandeur to early Rococo refinement in royal artistic production.
Simon Bening’s January
Books of Hours were popular medieval prayer books designed for lay devotion, structured around daily prayers and richly illustrated calendars marking saints’ days, “red letter days,” and feast days in gold and red for spiritual reflection and timekeeping.
Santa Maria foris portas at Castelseprio
I have long been fascinated by Castelseprio’s Santa Maria foris portas frescoes, their rare early medieval Byzantine-Hellenistic style, especially the Nativity, which evokes profound awe and a lasting sense of wonder.
David with the Head of Goliath by Andrea del Castagno
Andrea del Castagno’s David with the Head of Goliath (c. 1450–55) presents a Florentine civic hero triumphing over evil, symbolizing republican strength, determination, and Renaissance ideals of virtù.
Theseus and Antiope
The Theseus and Antiope pediment sculpture from Eretria (late 6th century BC) captures a pivotal Archaic moment of abduction, blending emerging naturalism with restrained emotional tension in early Greek monumental sculpture.