-
How 'the best picture in the world' was saved from destruction by a British army officer refused to follow his ordersClaudia Pritchard on the extraordinary tale of how Piero della Francesca’s 1460s fresco 'The Resurrection' was saved.
-
Eyes wide shut: The art of sleepingSleep takes many shapes in art, whether sensual or drunken, deathly or full of nightmares, but it is rarely peaceful. Even slumbering babies can convey anxiety, discovers Claudia Pritchard.
-
Dawn Chorus: The photographer-florist creating modern Grand Masters, plus Ashdown Forest and our Quiz of the DayA look at the work of Harald Altmaier, an unusual solution to an imaginary problem, and much more besides in today's Dawn Chorus.
-
The Legacy: Hans Sloane and the creation of the British MuseumA curious child who grew into a man of voracious intellectual curiosity, his life of collecting gave birth to one of the nation's great institutions.
-
Lost and then found: A missing painting by Lord Leighton returns to LondonSomeone, somewhere, knows something about where it went.
-
Masterpieces in miniature: Where art and elegance meets the precision of timekeepingRare metiers d’art timepieces are more than mere conversation starters. They are a joy to behold and the craftspeople at the top are as sought after as the highest-paid rock stars, explains Nicholas Foulkes.
-
The genius inventors who created the world's most important clocksEarly clocks had variable hours, but even in the golden age of British horology, when Thomas Tompion made his masterpieces, a man relying on public timepieces could end his walk earlier than he had started. Huon Mallalieu traces the evolution of British clock-making.
-
'As a child I wanted to snuggle up with the dogs and be part of it': Alexia Robinson chooses her favourite paintingAlexia Robinson, founder of Love British Food, chooses an Edwin Landseer classic.
-
The great Blue Plaque mystery in LondonDozens of blue plaques have gone missing down the years, and English Heritage is determined to try and find them.
-
The Pre-Raphaelite painter who swapped 'willowy, nubile women' for stained glass — and created some of the best examples in BritainThe painter Edward Burne-Jones turned from paint to glass for much of his career. James Hughes, director of the Victorian Society, chooses a glass masterpiece by Burne-Jones as his favourite 'painting'.
-
George Stubbs (1724–1806): Hero of the turfGeorge Stubbs, born 300 years ago, found Nature superior to art and approached his pictures with the eye of an anatomy scholar, yet no contemporary could rival him in capturing the elegance and character of racehorses, dogs and even zebras, as Jack Watkins discovers.
-
The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece that never was, thanks to an assassination, a war, an abduction and an invasionThe great master Leonardo da Vinci was on course to create an equine statue that could have rivalled his greatest pieces — until fate intervened. Carla Passino tells the tale of the da Vinci sculpture that never was.
-
'But for a few twists of fate, she might well have been Queen of England': Who was the mystery woman in the Hilliard miniature?A chance encounter with a cabinet miniature sent two art historians down a rabbit hole of Elizabethan intrigue, spycraft and courtship.
-
One of the largest banknotes ever printed to be offered for auctionThe note, printed in 1998 to celebrate 100 years of Philippine independence, is legal tender and larger than a piece of A4 paper.
-
The tragic tale of Rex Whistler, the brilliant young artist whose time at the Front Line lasted less than 24 hoursRex Whistler, determined that the Second World War shouldn’t be left to young boys, worked hard to become an officer and lead troops into battle, but the naivety of early courage cost him his life on his very first day of battle, as Allan Mallinson reveals.
-
Rare guitars played by Prince and Noel Gallagher lead Sotheby's Popular Culture AuctionFrom August 29, you can bid on rare guitars, a Steinway piano from Abbey Road, art by John Lennon and a costume from Gladiator II, among other items.
-
'I can’t look away. I’m captivated': The painter who takes years over each portrait, with the only guarantee being that it won't look like the subjectFor Country Life's My Favourite Painting slot, the writer Emily Howes chooses a work by a daring and challenging artist: Frank Auerbach.
-
The 'holy grail' of JRR Tolkien's letters are up for sale, showing his anger at his editors and the 'priggery' of Sherlock HolmesBayliss Books are selling the biggest collection of Tolkien first editions and personal letters to come up for sale in twenty years. Annunciata Elwes takes a look.
-
'I painted my own reality': The five key moments that defined Frida Kahlo's life and work70 years on from the death of Frida Kahlo, Carla Passino takes a look at the work and life of the trailblazing artist.
-
Paris 1924, when sport came headfirst into an intoxicating mix of art, fashion and desireWhen the Olympics opened in Paris in 1924, the French capital was already gripped by a ferocious blend of art, literature, cinema, fashion and a wild desire to dance. Sport merged into this culture to become the pinnacle of an extraordinary time, as Mary Miers reveals.
-
The Uffington White Horse restoration has got it looking at its best, 3,000 years after it was first createdThe Uffington White Horse, the oldest chalk figure in Britain, has just undergone a superb restoration.
