Browse Items (202 total)

This painting depicts a group of people listening to a reading of Voltaire’s L’Orphelin de la Chine, a play published in 1755. This gathering is a meeting of a salon, a private group of individuals who would meet to read and discuss various works.…

In the 17th century, the Enlightenment burst forth on the stage of European Intellectual life. It was a movement that stood out from the Renaissance by its focus on breaking free of the past, looking for more reasoned answers to questions, both new…

No exploration of maritime history in the early modern period would be complete without a look at the largest driver of maritime trade during the later part of this period, the trade in human slaves. The history of African slavery in the Americas…

St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is a magnificent building, a titanic Latin cross of ornately-carved white limestone capped by a lead dome which soars 280 feet (not counting its lantern or its cross) over the streets of London (Britannica). The Baroque…

Foreign art objects also piqued the interest of European clientele, and this painting depicts a Chinese porcelain vase in addition to other fruits and items acquired through trade. The painting highlights the assortment of items on the table by…

This work of art by painter Jan van Eyck demonstrates the artistic innovations which occurred in the Low Countries during the Renaissance. By examining this work, which is one of many paintings on an altarpiece by van Eyck, one can see a greater…

Francois Boucher, a notable rococo painter of the 18th century, developed a keen interest for ‘the Orient,’ and produced a variety of paintings depicting Chinese subject matter, architecture, and themes. Being an armchair traveler, he based his…

This painting by Rembrandt highlights the emerging class of city elites in the Netherlands during the early modern period, and the social mobility which characterized the economic climate of the Netherlands at this time. The main subject of the…

The painting above depicts the event that influenced Plato's conception of democracy, the execution of his master Socrates.
As Socrates did not write anything down (or if he did, we no longer have it), most of our knowledge of him comes from his…

Prior to the Enlightenment, the artistic style of Rococo dominated the art scene. However, during the Enlightenment it was constantly criticized for its excess embellishments. This led rise to Neoclassism where there was more of an emphasis on…

In the 18th century a growing national interest in the health and safety of the poor and infirm led to the creation of a number of voluntary hospitals, charity hospitals set up by the upper class for the impoverished. One of the most famous was the…