I have recently been reading in some depth about the life of the Renaissance painter and mathematician Pierro Della Francesca, and in particular have been fascinated by Larry Witham’s book called Piero’s Light. One painting of Piero has really captured my imagination, as it has done for many others...
When you are next planning a trip to the wonderful city of Naples, you must pay a visit to the extraordinary Museo di Capodimonte, one of Itay’s finest museums, which sits in the hilltop haven of Capodimonte. When Charles III of Bourbon became king, he gathered all the artworks...
Nikola Božidarević, Dubrovnik’s most famous painter only ever signed himself twice on his preserved paintings – as Nicolas Rhagusinus and Nicolo Raguseo – so his true identity was only discovered some two centuries after his death. His father Božidar Vlatković was himself a skilled painter with his own workshop in Dubrovnik and no...
One painting that has long fascinated me and to which I return to view often is The Chess Players by Paris Bordone (1550-1555, Oil on canvas, 1.1 x 1.8m). There are several aspects about this work which fascinate me and I will try to explain this fascination in...
I have previously posted a piece about the painting by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel of the story of the drunkenness of Noah, but there is another image of this story on the Ducal Palace in Venice which deserves a mention. Filippo Calendario, a local stonecutter, building contractor and...
I have recently been reading The Venetian Painters of the Renaissance by Bernhard Berenson published in 1894 and I thought I would share his thoughts on Tiepolo with a comparison to Longhi, Canale, Guardi and Veronese. I hope you find these words interesting and that they encourage you to revisit...
Sebastiano del Piombo (c.1485-1547) was a Venetian painter who completed his early artistic training in the company of his contemporaries. Titian and Jacopo Palma di Vecchio. A fortunate encounter with Agostino Chigi, resulted in a trip to Rome to assist him in the decoration of the Farnesina villa. Chigi...
The fresco The School of Athens by Raphael (c1509-11) is one of my favourite works by Raphael, so I decided to share a little about this work here, and as an aside I am currently doing an embroidery of this wonderful work. This fresco is the most famous of...
One of my favourite late Renaissance composers is Claudio Monteverdi who really defined the transition from the Renaissance style to the Baroque. Although his early madrigals show the wonderful chromatic style of the Renaissance, Monteverdi not only was able to embrace the simplified style of the Baroque but was...
I thought I would share with you another one of my favourite, perhaps not so well known paintings – The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine by Parmigianino. Parmigianino (Girolamo Mazzola, 1503-40) was a Renaissance painter much admired for both his landscapes and his Mannerist religious paintings. This painting (c.1530 –...
Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.
My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.
