The secret meaning of Vermeer’s art

The piece I’d never part with

Leigh Lawson has embraced acting and poetry with the same determination that sustained Marie Lloyd, the music-hall queen whose memorabilia he collects, as Carla Passino discovers

The Birth of Venus is part of our visual lexicon – we have all seen her, but what do we really know about this goddess? All the medieval fantasy and symbolism of 14th century Florence are wrapped up i

Two recent poetry collections

In 1494, the high castle walls that had dominated the Middle Ages came tumbling down in clouds of gunpowder smoke. It was the start of a new age