Ancient art - Finestre sull'Arte

Socrates' Mirror: Francesco Ruschi's Rediscovered Masterpiece

A young man intently observes his own reflection in a mirror. A young classmate of his carefully holds up the mirror, while behind them stands the solemn and austere figure of Socrates, wrapped in an imposing gray cloak and distinguished by a wavy, s...
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Inspiration from Europe: Three Exhibitions in Vicenza Explore Artistic Dialogues Between Italy and Germany, France, and Spain

“Ispirazione Europa: Artistic Dialogues Between the 19th and 20th Centuries” is launching in Vicenza —a new exhibition project sponsored by the City of Vicenza that aims to explore, through art, the formation and evolution of the European spirit fro...
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A Rediscovered Giambattista Tiepolo: A Previously Unseen "Saint Roch" Unveiled at the BIAF

A beam of intensely warm light, golden-yellow like the sun filtering through the fog of the Venetian lagoon, envelops the solitary figure of a pilgrim who has stopped atop a rocky outcrop: he has long, flowing hair that falls over his shoulders, his ...
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A "Madonna of Humility" by Zanino di Pietro Resurfaces: Giorgio Baratti Exhibits It at the BIAF

A Madonna of Humility of great interest—and previously unseen—is the one painted by Zanino di Pietro, which the Giorgio Baratti antique gallery is presenting at the 34th edition of the Florence International Antiques Biennale ( the asking price is 19...
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Annibale Carracci’s landscape, which caused quite a stir, was sold at the BIAF

Annibale Carracci’s *River Landscape with Boatmen* (Bologna, 1560–1609), perhaps the work that generated the most buzz during the 34th edition of the Florence International Antiques Biennale, which runs through October 4 at Palazzo Corsin...
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Thorvaldsen's "Victorious Venus" is on display again after years in storage and is being exhibited at a hotel

For years, it remained in the storeroomsof the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, hidden from public view. Now, Bertel Thorvaldsen’s (Copenhagen, 1770–1844) *Venus Victorious* is once again on display in Rome following restoration, though n...
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Women's bodies, a battleground for rape and violence: Can art break the culture of possession?

*Susanna and the Elders* is not simply a painting; it is more of an omen. Artemisia Gentileschi painted it for the first time in 1610, without knowing that shortly thereafter, at just 17 years old, she would be raped. On May 6, 1611, she was, in fact...
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Cosimo III as a Roman Emperor: Lorenzo Merlini’s Rediscovered Masterpiece at the BIAF

There was a visual contrast of great scenic and narrative impact that greeted anyone who, in the final years of the 17th century, crossed the threshold of the main hall of Villa Rondinelli-Vitelli in Fiesole: Awaiting visitors inside the hilltop resi...
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