EXCOMMUNICATING A FRIAR
On this day in 1497, the Borgia Pope, Alexander VI, excommunicated the Dominican friar, Girolamo Savonarola. But who was he, what did he do, and why is it important?
A Jigsaw of Symbolism
A lot of what we know about the Arnolfini Portrait is speculation. Symbols read and pieced together with things we do know so that we can create a potential understanding of it. But what are they trying to say?
THE SAINT OF HELL
Sigismondo Malatesta is, to date, the only man canonised to Hell. But could his reputation and his ensuing punishment come as the result of other people’s vicious hatred and malicious gossip rather than being rooted in fact?
Michelangelo: Fact vs Fiction
Given the sheer volume of surviving documents written by, to, and about Michelangelo, it’s a wonder that we have so many myths relating to the Renaissance Master. Time to see what’s fact, what’s fiction, and what has been exaggerated.
Raphael: Homage or Theft?
Considered one of the greatest artists of all time, Raphael is clearly highly influenced by other artists. But where do you draw the line? Where is the line between inspiration, quotation and plagiarism? And was Michelangelo's reaction justified?
The Tigress of Forlí
Meet the woman who stormed the Castel Sant’Angelo without spilling any blood while heavily pregnant, wrote a book on alchemy, trained and led numerous armies, and even managed to turn her captor, Cesare Borgia, into her lover.
