Cartomania

With a strength of character that belied her fragile looks, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun pushed the boundaries of royal portraiture and, after the French Revolution, challenged the loss of female influence via every frill and fold in her work

This autumn, the V&A unveils a captivating exhibition dedicated to Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated French queen whose brief yet eventful life continues to bewitch audiences and fuel the creative imagination. Marie-Claire Chappet traces her enduring influence on culture and fashion

Chartarumludentist Anthony Wilkins [FT458:63] may wish to visit China. While living there in 2005 I found so many discarded playing cards on the ground that I was able to assemble a unique deck of 52

BY 1890 we were seeing developments in the “Friend” in the form of illustrations. While pictorial content was rare in the magazine pre-1890, we see it become commonplace throughout this year, livening

The ‘Mona Lisa of manuscripts’, finally on view

Does a newly found Nicholas Hilliard miniature portray Shakespeare’s patron the Earl of Southampton?