The Unicorn Tapestries (1495–1505)
The enigmatic story of the Unicorn Tapestries, whose multifarious medieval symbolism still beguiles….more
Images
John Martin’s Illustrations of Paradise Lost (1827)
John Martin’s epic mezzotint illustrations for John Milton’s classic tale of falling from paradise….more
Medieval Pattern Poems of Rabanus Maurus (9th Century)
Spectacular and complex pattern poems from Maurus’ De laudibus sanctae crucis (In Praise of the Holy Cross)…more
Curiosities from the Museum of Giovanni Carafa (1778)
Fantastic depictions of various Roman antiquities from a wonderful catalogue of objects once found in the private museum of 18th-century antiquities collector Giova…more
Diagrams from Dr Alesha Sivartha’s Book of Life (1898)
A series of superbly intricate and striking “brain maps”, illustrating Dr Alesha Sivartha’s unique blend of blend of science, sociology, mysticism and religion, a s…more
The Heart of Man; Either a Temple of God, or a Habitation of Satan; Represented in Ten Emblematical Figures (1851)
Ten illustrations which, in a wonderful marriage of word and image, plot out the life of the Christian soul….more
Music in the Margins: The Funeral of Reynard the Fox (13th century)
A motley crew of anthropomorphic animals found adorning the lower margins of a finely illuminated book of hours produced in late thirteenth-century England….more
Edward Curtis’ Photographs of Kwakwaka’wakw Ceremonial Dress and Masks (ca. 1914)
The ceremonial costumes and masks of the Kwakwaka’wakw people as photographed by American photographer and ethnologist Edward Curtis, famous for his work with Nativ…more
Aratea: Making Pictures with Words in the 9th Century
Some of the earliest examples of calligrams found in a 9th-century astronomical manuscript on the constellations….more
Rainbows in Art
Depictions spanning more than 800 years – in chronological order – of that most enigmatic of weather phenomena, the rainbow….more
Details from Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights (ca. 1500)
Collection of detailed crops from Hieronymous Bosch’s most ambitious work, The Garden of Earthly Delights….more
The Surreal Art of Alchemical Diagrams
The varied tradition of alchemy has given birth to a whole host of strange and wondrous imagery over the centuries. Here we pick out some favourites….more
