Gerriann Brower
The Well-Dressed Duke: Renaissance Menswear
Clothes made the man, from his velvet doublet, brocaded codpiece to his armor.
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Italian Art for Travelers
Your passport to culture, history, and art
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Gerriann Brower
Jan 239 min read
Renaissance Hair
Renaissance hair served dual functions. Hair beautified the individual and indicated well-being and character. The length and style of hair
Gerriann Brower
Dec 19, 202310 min read
Two Michelangelo Masterpieces: Pieta and David
Michelangelo’s fame was well founded after completing two early masterpieces, the Pietà and the David. Both speak to his creative genius.
Gerriann Brower
Sep 11, 20234 min read
The Last Masterpiece: A Book Review
The author presents readers with parallel stories of two young women from different countries, each playing a role in Nazi looted art.
Gerriann Brower
Apr 22, 202317 min read
Michelangelo and Titian: Endings
Michelangelo and Titian, the two sixteenth century powerhouse competitive artists, decided to create their own memorial as the end of their
Gerriann Brower
Jan 18, 202312 min read
Made in Florence: Renaissance Clothing
The merchant and banking classes gained their fortunes largely from the textile trade and in turn became patrons of art. Artists paid homage
Gerriann Brower
Nov 23, 202213 min read
Botticelli and Renaissance Florence
Sandro Botticelli was a go-getter and lived in time when Florence had no lack of talent and innovators. Competition was intense for commissi
Gerriann Brower
Oct 30, 202213 min read
Florence's Ponte Vecchio
The story of the Ponte Vecchio is one of perseverance and love for Florence. Still standing after almost 700 years, it has withstood World W
Gerriann Brower
Feb 10, 202216 min read
That's Amore!
Meet three couples, real and mythical, and their romantic stories: Federico and Battista’s arranged marriage, Apollo’s longing for Daphne, a
Gerriann Brower
Nov 1, 202111 min read
How a Banker Lost His Head
The Bargello Museum gave me the creeps. Why ? It could be because banker Lorenzo Tornabuoni lost his head in the courtyard. Find out where h
Gerriann Brower
Mar 31, 202116 min read
Art History Mysteries
Four mysteries: one is a painting with no clear meaning, an unexplained self-portrait, Botticelli's muse, and a da Vinci painting that might
Gerriann Brower
Dec 17, 202018 min read
King David
How did artists represent the Old Testament King David? As giant slayer? Lustful king? Composer of Psalms? Let’s look at some depictions
Gerriann Brower
Nov 19, 202018 min read
From Caesar to Mona Lisa
How would you like to be remembered? That selfie you took on vacation, a wedding photo, or image from a family gathering? We consciously...
Gerriann Brower
Sep 24, 202012 min read
Mary's Miracles
A boy from Lombardy wanders into a river and falls in. His parents are desperate to locate him. Later he is found by his family standing...
Gerriann Brower
Aug 18, 202017 min read
Painting Italian Style
If you visit Italy you can’t miss the frescoes. Fresco paintings decorate castles, Roman villas, public buildings, and of course,...
Gerriann Brower
May 11, 202011 min read
Plague and Pandemics
What does Covid-19 and plague in Italy have in common? A lot it turns out, including disagreements about what to do or not do, and what reme
Gerriann Brower
Mar 26, 202010 min read
Artemisia: Rule Breaker
The hidden history of women artists continues with Artemisia Gentileschi, the most studied and famous of the sixteenth and seventeenth...
Gerriann Brower
Jun 29, 20178 min read
Sixty Tons of Bronze: The Gates of Paradise
Lorenzo Ghiberti sculpted sixty-ton bronze doors for Florence’s Baptistery. Ghiberti’s masterpiece is the equal to Michelangelo in techniqu
Gerriann Brower
May 30, 20179 min read
Big Data 1400s Style
Big Data 1400s Style A Florentine Snapshot It’s 1424 in Florence, the wealthy commercial urban center of Tuscany. Giovanni Bianco (a...
Gerriann Brower
Feb 12, 20177 min read
Big Tom
There were a few artists that stretched the limits of tradition and broke boundaries. Their innovations were not immediately taken up by oth
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