Art historian with an interest in visual messages
This article focuses on those who created the portrait miniatures from the mid 1520s until 1603 and how, thanks to the talents of the artists employed at the Tudor court, we are able to identify some aristocratic sitters of the 16th century. Links to images and articles are in bold italics. Portraits of the aspiring… Continue reading Illuminators of the Tudor Court
As Epiphany approaches, we remember how the Holy Family were visited by three wise men from the East. However they, having foreseen the arrival of the new King of the Jews, had gone to King Herod thinking they would find the infant Christ there. Herod had no knowledge of the birth of a new king,… Continue reading The Adoration of the Kings
And she [Mary] brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Lo, the angel of the Lord… Continue reading The Adoration of the Shepherds
It is only a couple of days to Christmas Eve and two thousand years ago Joseph and Mary were probably heading to Bethlehem to be counted for the census called by Caesar August. Their arrival in Bethlehem is not one that is usually recorded visually, but there are a few marginal images hidden in some… Continue reading Mary & Joseph arrive in Bethlehem
The narrative explores the early lives of Mary’s parents, St Anne and St Joachim, as depicted in historical manuscripts and religious art. Despite their absence in the canonical Bible, their story, including themes of barrenness and divine promise, is significant in Christian tradition, and recognized in Islam, illustrating their cultural impact across faiths.
Melanie V Taylor 