Renaissance

Portrait of St Matthew from a gospel book, Gunda Gunde monastery, northeast Ethiopia, early 16th century. Walters Art Museum.

The Ethiopians Who Changed Rome

A community of Ethiopian monk-scholars in Renaissance Rome brought their learning, language and liturgy into the heart of the Roman Church.

Map of the Moluccas, by Petrus Plancius, Amsterdam, 1617. State Library of New South Wales. Public Domain.

‘Spice’ by Roger Crowley review

In Spice: The 16th-Century Contest that Shaped the Modern World, Roger Crowley explains how Spain and Portugal turned up the heat in the age of imperialism.

Sabbatai Sevi, engraving from a 17th-century etching, from Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia, 1910-13. Public Domain.

Sabbatai Sevi: The Lost Messiah

In the 17th century news spread that the Jewish messiah had finally arrived. Within a year he had converted to Islam. Who was he, and what had happened?

The great conjunction in Pisces. Titlepage from Leonhard Reinmann’s Practica uber die grossen und manigfeltigen Coniunction der Planeten (1524). Science History Images/Alamy Stock Photo.

Bad Omens: When the Astrologers Got it Wrong

Europe panicked when astrologers predicted a huge flood in 1524. When it failed to appear, astrology had to defend itself.

Detail from the azulejo panel ‘Great Vista of Lisbon’, showing the convento do Louriçal, convento do Beato and convento de Santos-o-Novo, c.1700. Museo Nacional do Azulejo. Photograph Carlos Monteiro/© DGPC

Convents as a Refuge in Early Modern Lisbon

Lisbon’s convents were not just religious houses, but safe havens for the noblewomen of Portugal offering refuge from abusive husbands, unhappy marriages and a city swarming with ‘dogs and devils’.

A lecture on the nervous system, by C. Bethmont, c.1860. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

A History of Phantom Pain

For centuries, scientists and philosophers used phantom limbs to unravel the secrets of the human mind. While we know phantom pain exists, we still don’t know why.

Ceiling of the Choir in St Maria del Popolo, Rome, by the deaf artist Bernardino di Betto, 15th century. Bridgeman Images.

Deaf Expression in Renaissance Art

Seen to be less capable because of their deafness, deaf artists in the Renaissance used their art as a powerful means of expression.

Violent Ends

Early modern methods of execution were carefully calculated to inflict shame upon the condemned.

Saving Face

The Renaissance face provided clues about the wealth and health of its owner. Those who had been disfigured were often mistreated, but to alter one’s appearance carried a stigma of its own.