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Bolognese architect and architectural theoretician, best known for his architectural treatise, ‘The Seven Books on Architecture’, the first treatise to combine illustrations and text. Although very few buildings by him survive, his designs were no...

1828

An allegory is the description of a subject in the guise of another subject. An allegorical painting might include figures emblematic of different emotional states of mind – for example envy or love – or personifying other abstract concepts, such...

Arcadia was a mythical rural realm ruled by the god Pan. It was first written about by the Greek poet Theocritus in his 'Idylls' of the 3rd century BC. He described it as inhabited by shepherds, nymphs and satyrs. This imaginary region, which was...

The Laocoön was a life-size, classical sculpture group which was excavated in Rome in 1506, an event said to have been witnessed by Michelangelo. The group was installed in the Belvedere of the Vatican where it remains to this day.The story of Lao...

Saint Sebastian was a Christian martyr who became a popular medieval and Renaissance saint. He served as a Roman soldier in about 300, was discovered to be a Christian and sentenced to death by the Emperor Diocletian. He survived the arrows, which...

Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi (1386 - 1466), known as Donatello, was one of the greatest Florentine sculptors, and a leading figure of the early Renaissance. He was extremely versatile, working in stone, metal, wood, terracotta and bronze. He...