Leonardo da vinci – lady with an ermine

Painting wildlife is beset with difficulties not often experienced with other genres. This style of painting can be divided into many categories. One of the problems of painting wildlife is that anima

A personal approach to the Renaissance

Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua, bargained, cajoled and went behind her family’s back to get what she desired. Meet 16th-century Italy’s most formidable collector

The form of St Mary Magdalene started life ...

The piece I’d never part with

An ocean of prejudice met the American heiresses who came to Britain at the dawn of the 20th century, but there was more to them than their wealth. Some earned their own titles, one flew helicopters and another made history as Britain’s first female MP