Cleaning Up the Dirty Middle Ages

:: in November 27, 2023 :: in Blog :: 1 comment

One of the most irritating misconceptions about the Middle Ages is that people back then bathed once a year or so – it is a myth I keep fighting. I am very happy to say that recently my article on this subject has been published by JSTOR Daily (available HERE)….

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Not only Manneken Pis

:: in August 9, 2023 :: in Blog :: 0 comments

Manneken Pis is a symbol of Brussels, but I will start this post with a fountain from another place. One of my favourite cities in Europe is Prague: full of wonderful places perfect for walking around, resting and admiring artworks. Surely one of such places is Wallenstein Garden (Valdštejnská zahrada)…

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UNDERWEAR MYSTERY IN “THE DECAMERON”

:: in March 31, 2023 :: in Blog :: 1 comment

Many years ago, when I had an honour – still being a student – to present my paper on certain medieval manuscript on a Very Serious Meeting of the art historians, the Very Serious Audience got themselves into a discussion: was it acceptable for a young aspiring scholar (i.e. me)…

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Mysterious cult of a Saint Hound

:: in February 26, 2023 :: in Blog :: 0 comments

A few years ago, when I wrote about looted middle part of Lusina altarpiece (National Museum in Cracow, war loss – post available HERE) I mentioned several – often contradictory – interpretations for a dog in medieval art. On one hand it could have symbolised faithfulness, but on the other…

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Merry children’s games from past centuries

:: in January 8, 2023 :: in Blog :: 4 comments

My previous post was dedicated to female artists in the Middle Ages; of course artistic activities of women are better documented when it comes to the Early Modern Times. One of the known female artists was an engraver Claudine Bouzonnet-Stella (1636-1697). She was a daughter of a goldsmith named Étienne…

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