Breeze Barrington is a writer and historian, specialising in 17th-century artistic culture.
Caravaggio and Bernini are the headliners – but the Rijksmuseum’s show reveals the range of artists who adopted the baroque style
The National Gallery is raising funds to purchase Orazio Gentileschi’s biblical scene – once a prized possession of Queen Henrietta Maria
What prompted Botticelli to become a follower of Savonarola? Jordan Tannahill’s arresting play casts historical accuracy aside in the quest for answers
A biography of one of the country’s earliest professional woman painters is a fitting if belated tribute
How to succeed as a woman painter in 17th-century England? A supportive husband, royal patronage and mentorship from Van Dyck certainly helped
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of the great English court painter, long known only as the ‘Curtain Master’
The rediscovery of classical art in Europe transformed depictions of the naked body
The marital portrait of George Villiers and Katherine Manners has no parallel in English or Flemish painting
