#royal portraits

Rococo

Queen Marie Antoinette in 10 Portraits

Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France and Navarre before the French Revolution, is renowned for numerous portraits that depict her life.

Zuzanna Stańska 16 January 2025

The Rainbow Portrait Renaissance

Masterpiece Story: The Rainbow Portrait

Queen Elizabeth I is known throughout history as one of the most famous British Queens. Even without a husband, she successfully ruled England for 45...

Anna Ingram 11 December 2024

Herstory

Masterpiece Story: The Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi by Katharine Augusta Carl

Art and politics have been closely intertwined throughout global history. This article studies the case of The Empress Dowager Cixi of China by...

Iolanda Munck 11 December 2024

Long Read

Badass Queens from Classical History

A rollicking adventure through the lives of great leaders and queens from ancient times. Famous female leaders are a fascinating bunch. Here at...

Candy Bedworth, Guest Profile 9 December 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Phoenix Portrait of Elizabeth I

One of the most famous depictions of Elizabeth I is Nicholas Hilliard’s Phoenix Portrait, depicting the Queen with a pendant shaped like a mythical...

Guest Profile 5 December 2024

Baroque

10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Anthony van Dyck

Anthony van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque painter of remarkable skill, left an indelible mark on art history. His signature style of refined portraits and...

Jimena Aullet 24 October 2024

Ancient Egypt

Nefertiti as a Beauty Icon

Nefertiti is a beauty icon and one of the most powerful women who has inspired us throughout centuries. Responding to the rhythms of the age, she...

Marina Kochetkova 18 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters

To a 21st-century viewer, the portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées might seem homo-erotic. However, pictured with her sister, the Duchess of Villars,...

Anna Ingram 8 October 2024

Painting

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey: Unveiling the Life of England’s Nine-Day Queen

Paul Delaroche’s Execution of Lady Jane Grey is a mesmerizing piece that captures the essence and tragedy of one of England’s most ill-fated...

Sabrina Phillips 18 September 2024

Renaissance

Rebelious Princess – Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Princess of Éboli

“Who is this beauty with an eyepatch?” you may ask. Is she some sort of pirate queen? No, but you are not far from the truth. Ana de Mendoza de...

Joanna Kaszubowska 11 September 2024

European Art

Masterpiece Story: The Pineapple Picture

Known as the “pineapple picture,” this enigmatic 17th-century painting captures the royal reception of King Charles II. The British royal...

Maya M. Tola 3 September 2024

Fashion

Family Treasures – World’s Most Beautiful Tiaras

We all have family treasures, those mementos that matter to us so much because of their sentimental value and memories associated with them. Now,...

Joanna Kaszubowska 12 August 2024