Rebuilding The Renaissance

The Museum of Santa Maria Novella is in the convent of the great Dominican complex of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy. It consists of a series of cloisters and spaces that house various artistic masterpieces including the frescoes of the Spanish Chapel, Paolo Uccello's "Stories of Noah, Abraham, and Jacob," and Suor Plautilla Nelli's (who was a Dominican nun and painter) once lost "Last Supper."

The Museum of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, occupies the former refectory and wing of the Franciscan convent that separated two cloisters. It includes the celebrated Pazzi Chapel, a "God the Father" statue by Bacio Bandinelli, Taddeo Gaddi's "Lignum Vitae," Donatello's "St. Louis of Toulouse," and Giorgio Vasari's "Last Supper."

Originally part of the residence of the Medici dynasty, the Palatine Gallery encompasses the entire second floor of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy. Its collection includes the largest concentration of paintings by Raphael in the world, as well as works by Titian, Artemisia Gentileschi, Andrea del Sarto, Caravaggio, and Rubens. The paintings in their lavish frames entirely cover the walls of the rooms.

The Archeological Museum in Naples, Italy, contains one of the world's most important collections of ancient Greco-Roman art and artifacts. The collection includes the "Farnese Bull" - the largest ancient sculpture ever recovered, the "Farnese Hercules," the "Farnese Atlas," and the spectacular "Alexander Mosaic" from Pompeii which depicts an episode of the legendary Battle of Issus between Alexander the Great and Daris III. The museum is also home to an extraordinary collection of ancient engraved gems, jewels, and cameos.

Sometimes referred to as "the Uffizi of southern Italy," the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, Italy, houses one of the world's most important collections of Italian Renaissance painting. It includes masterpieces such as the "Crucifixion" by Masaccio, Titian's "Danaë" and "Portrait of Pope Paul III," Caravaggio's "Flagellation," and Artemisia Gentileschi's "Judith and Holofernes," just to name a few.

Located in the remains of the 16th-century Palazzo del Pilotta, once the royal residence of the Farnese dukes of Parma, the National Gallery houses one of Italy's premier collections of Renaissance paintings. It includes masterpieces by Fra Angelico, Correggio, Parmigianino, and Leonardo da Vinci.

The Accademia Gallery in Venice, Italy, houses the world's most important collection of Venetian Renaissance painting. This last episode dedicated to this extraordinary museum examines masterpieces by Gentile Bellini ("Stories of the Relic of the True Cross"), Vittore Carpaccio ("Healing of a Madman" and "The Legend of St. Ursula") and Titian ("The Presentation of the Virgin").

The Accademia Gallery in Venice, Italy, houses the world's most important collection of Venetian Renaissance painting. This episode examines masterpieces by Paolo Veronese ("The Feast in the House of Levi"), Tintoretto ("The Stealing of the Body of St. Mark" and "The Miracle of the Slave"), and Titian ("The Pietà").

The Accademia Gallery in Venice, Italy, houses the world's most important collection of Venetian Renaissance painting. This episode examines the history of the building and collection, as well as masterpieces by Paolo Veneziano, Giovanni Bellini, and Giorgione.

From the identity of a frequently seen character in Caravaggio paintings to how many Caravaggio paintings there are in the world to how to secure tickets for Leonardo's "Last Supper" to how much the Medici were worth, and much, much more - this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists, and history of the Italian Renaissance.

The magnificent Basilica of St. Peter is our last stop as we explore the extraordinary collection of art and architecture in the Vatican. In addition to its great scale and beautiful decorum, the basilica is also home to renowned masterpieces such as Michelangelo's "Pietà" and Bernini's "Baldacchino," as well as the tombs of St. Pope John Paul II and St. Pope John XXIII.

The most famous work of art in the Vatican Museums is Michelangelo's "Sistine Chapel Ceiling." This episode explains how best to experience this stunning work of art, as well as the other masterpieces that are in the Sistine Chapel.

The next major stop in your visit to the Vatican Museums after the Gallery of the Maps is the former apartments of Pope Julius II. They are known as the "Rooms of Raphael" because they were decorated with beautiful frescoes by Raphael between 1507 and 1513, including his famous "School of Athens." This fresco depicts the greatest philosophical and scientific minds of the ancient world including Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and Euclid.

This podcast examines the extraordinary collection of 16th and 17th century tapestries in the Vatican collection, many of which were designed by Raphael and his workshop. It also looks at the amazing array of geographical maps of Italian territories and Papal dominions in Renaissance Italy that cover more than a football field of wall space!

This episode explores the majestic Belvedere Courtyard, which was designed by Donato Bramante at the beginning of the 16th century. It also examines the 18th-century Pio Clementino Museum which houses ancient Greek and Roman sculptural masterpieces such as the Laocoön, Apollo Belvedere, and the Belvedere Torso.

While more than 7 million people visit the Vatican Museums each year, few of them realize there is much more to this extraordinary collection than just the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. The Pinacoteca, or "painting gallery," of the Vatican Museums opened in 1932 and includes masterpieces by Giotto, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Bernini.

Located in the beautiful Baroque Barberini Palace, the National Gallery of Ancient Art contains works of art produced before the year 1800. It includes masterpieces by Andrea del Sarto, Bronzino, Canaletto, Titian, and Tintoretto. But the collection's most important works are Caravaggio's "Judith and Holofernes," Bernini's "Bust of Pope Urban VIII," and Pietro da Cortona's spectacular ceiling fresco "The Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power."

This 4th and final episode dedicated to extraordinary art collection in the Borghese Gallery in Rome, Italy, focuses on the painting collection on the second floor of the museum, which includes masterpieces by Raphael, Correggio, and Titian.

This episode takes you through the 1st-floor rooms of the Borghese Gallery in Rome, Italy. It discusses the breathtaking early statues by Gian Lorenzo Bernini - "Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius," "Pluto and Persephone," "Apollo and Daphne," and "David," as well as Antonio Canova's sublime Neoclassical "Paolina Bonaparte as Venus Victrix."

This podcast takes you into the extraordinary building and collection of the Borghese Gallery in Rome, Italy. From the great hall with its beautiful ceiling fresco, ancient Roman floor mosaics depicting gladiators and beast hunters, and ancient/Baroque statue of "Marcus Curtius," to the adjoining Caravaggio room which houses six paintings by the great master, a visitor to the Borghese Gallery is immediately struck by the magnificence of the collection.

Shortly after his election, Pope Paul V Borghese decided to transform his land outside the Porta Pinciana in Rome, Italy, into the city's greatest villa complex. The result was one of the most beautiful and majestic examples of traditional and landscape architecture. The building, today known as the Borghese Gallery, as well as the surrounding gardens evolved over three centuries. This first episode dedicated to the Borghese Gallery explores the history of the Borghese family, the gallery, and the park.

From my opinion on the recently discovered paintings attributed to Caravaggio, to the influence of Hadrian's Villa on Borromini's architecture, to a possible connection between Caravaggio's "Burial of St. Lucy" and the movie "Schindler's List," to why Michelangelo's "David" is more famous than Bernini's, and much, much more - this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists, and history of the Italian Renaissance.

Located in the Doria Pamphilj Palace (where the Doria Pamphilj family still resides) on the Via del Corso in the heart of Rome, Italy, the gallery houses one of Italy's most important art collections. It includes portraits of Pope Innocent X by Velasquez and Bernini, as well as two of Caravaggio's earliest paintings – the "Penitent Magdalene" and the "Rest on the Flight into Egypt."

The Capitoline Museums are a group of art and archaeological museums located on top of the Capitoline Hill, which was the political and religious center of ancient Rome. Their collections focus on the history of Rome and include masterpieces such as the "Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius," the "Capitoline Wolf, " the "Dying Gaul, " but also later masterpieces such as Caravaggio's "Fortune Teller" and Bernini's "Head of Medusa."

Part of the Ambrosian Library in Milan, Italy, the Ambrosian Art Gallery was founded along with the library by the celebrated Cardinal Federico Borromini in 1609 to house his extensive collection of manuscripts, books, and paintings. The collection today includes "The Portrait of a Musician" attributed by many to Leonardo da Vinci, the "Cartoon for the School of Athens" by Raphael, and "The Basket of Fruit" by Caravaggio. In addition to these great masterpieces, the Ambrosian Art Gallery is also home to the world largest collection of drawings and writings by Leonardo da Vinci, known as the Codex Atlanticus.

Located in Milan, Italy, and inaugurated on Napoleon's birthday on August 15, 1812, the Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery) contains one of the world's most important collections of Italian Renaissance painting. This second episode explores masterpieces by Piero della Francesca, Raphael, and Caravaggio.

Located in Milan, Italy, and inaugurated on Napoleon's birthday on August 15, 1812, the Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery) contains one of the world's most important collections of Italian Renaissance painting. This first episode explores masterpieces by Giovanni Bellini, Andrea Mantegna, Tintoretto. Paolo Veronese, and Vittore Carpaccio.

The National Painting Gallery in Siena, Italy, known locally as the "Pinacoteca Nazionale," houses one of the world's most important collections of medieval and Renaissance Sienese paintings. It includes two rare paintings by Duccio di Buoninsegna, as well as masterpieces by Simone Martini, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Il Sodoma and Domenico Beccafumi.

The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo houses some of medieval Siena's most important masterpieces. Works such as Duccio's "Maestà" and stained-glass window, Giovanni Pisano's 13th-century facade sculptures, and Donatello's "Madonna del Perdono" are but a few of those masterpieces.

While most people visit the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy, to see Michelangelo's great statue of "David," there is much more to this museum. The Accademia is also home to masterpieces by Botticelli, Lippi, Giambologna, Perugino, Andrea del Sarto and Pontormo, as well as Michelangelo's unfinished "Slaves."

Built in the 14th century, the Museum of Orsanmichele was originally a grain market, but later turned into a church. The museum is housed inside of this church and includes a beautiful "Madonna and Child by Bernardo Daddi and a magnificent Gothic "Tabernacle" by Orcagna on the ground floor, as well as many sculptural masterpieces by Donatello, Ghiberti, Verrocchio, and Giambologna on the first floor. The upper-most floor of the museum offers breathtaking 360° views of the surrounding city of Florence.

Once a property owned and lived in by Michelangelo, the Casa Buonarroti Museum was created by the famous artist's nephew to celebrate the legacy of his famous uncle. The museum contains Michelangelo's two earliest known sculptures - "The Madonna of the Stairs" and "The Battle of the Centaurs," his spectacular wooden model for the facade of San Lorenzo and the world's largest collection of Michelangelo drawings. There is also a group of paintings celebrating Michelangelo by important 17th-century artists including Artemisia Gentileschi.

The collection of sculptures on the ground floor of the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy, contains one of the world's most important collections of 16th-century sculptures, including Michelangelo's "Bacchus" and "Pitti Tondo," Giambologna's "Mercury" and "Florence Triumphing over Pisa," and Cellini's wax bozzetto (or small model) for his "Perseus with the Head of Medusa."

The collection of sculptures in the great hall of the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy, located on the second floor, contains one of the world's most important collections of sculptures, including Ghiberti's and Brunelleschi's "Competition Panels," Donatello's marble and bronze "Davids" and "St. George," and Verrocchio's bronze "David."

The building that houses the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy, is the earliest example of civic architecture in Florence, built in 1255. Today it houses one of the world's greatest collections of Renaissance sculpture, including works by Donatello, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Verrocchio, Michelangelo, Giambologna, and Bernini.

This podcast explores the extraordinary artwork found on the second floor (Primo Piano) of the Cathedral Museum of Florence, including the beautiful belltower sculptures by Donatello, the "Cantorie" by Donatello and Luca della Robbia, and the Neo-Gothic façade proposals.

This podcast examines two of the greatest sculptures of all time – Donatello's "Penitent Magdalene" and Michelangelo's "Florence Pietà" – which are part of amazing collection of the Museo dell"Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy.

The Cathedral Museum of Florence, Italy, contains the three original bronze doors from Florence Baptistry by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti. This podcast analyzes history, style, and influence of all three masterpieces.

The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence is one of the world's premier sculpture museums with works by Donatello, Ghiberti, and Michelangelo. This podcast examines the history of the museum and its spectacular reconstruction of the original early 14th-century façade of Florence Cathedral.

From Leonardo making marzipan sculptures and his "Madonna of the Yarnwinder," to whether Jesus died of cardiogenic shock or asphyxiation, to the recently discovered "Judith and Holofernes" and "Ecce Homo" attributed to Caravaggio, to how to transfer panel paintings to canvas, to how to recognize a Michelangelo, to whether being familiar with historical context increases your appreciation of a work of art, this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists and history of the Italian Renaissance.

Antonio's Canova's statue of the "Three Graces" is considered a benchmark of beauty. It's elegantly erotic representation of the Three Graces huddled in an intimate composition is a fitting final representation of the subject born in the ancient Greco-Roman world and later revived in the Renaissance.

Napoleon's younger sister, Paolina Bonaparte, married Prince Camillo Borghese in 1803. One year later the prince commissioned Antonio Canova to carve his new wife as the mythological goddess of chastity, Diana. The licentious Paolina laughed off the suggestion claiming that no one would be believe her a virgin and chose to be represented scandalously as the semi-nude Venus instead.

Carved in only a few months between 1800-1801, Canova's "Perseus Triumphant" is one of history's great sculptures. It exists in several versions, the most important of which are in the Vatican and Metropolitan Museums. Clearly inspired by Cellini's earlier version, Canova also depicts the Greek hero as he contemplates his victory over the Gorgon as he stares at her severed head.

In 1802, Napoleon courted Antonio Canova to go to Paris to make a bust of him. Four years later, Canova instead completed an 11ft. (3.5m) free-standing idealized nude statue depicting Napoleon as the Roman god of war, Mars. Surprisingly, Napoleon was not pleased with the sculpture, describing it as "too athletic."

Carved by Antonio Canova in 1787 and today located in the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Neoclassical sculpture of "Cupid and Psyche" is one of history's most beautiful and popular sculptures. The romantic sculpture depicts Cupid cradling the head of his lover after reviving her from a supernatural slumber, while she reaches up to him preparing to receive a kiss.