ἕν οἶδα, ὅτι οὐδέν οἶδα
All I know is that I know nothing
Allegedly said by Socrates
So true, 30 years in Education, and I still feel like a kindergarten student, curious and inquisitive, questioning, interested, prying …
March 2026 Newsletter
March 2026 Dear Reader,With the light slowly returning, March invites us to see the world with renewed curiosity. Art becomes a companion in this transition, connecting past and present, movement and meaning. Let this month’s selections guide you through narratives shaped by time, craftsmanship, and creative vision ...
Jean-François de Troy and the Myth of Apollo and Pan
Jean- François de Troy, French, 1679-1752Apollo and Pan, or The Judgment of Tmolus, Date unknown, Oil on Panel, originally a harpsichord lid painting cut into a rectangle, 87.5 × 154 cm, Private Collectionhttps://onlineonly.christies.com/s/collections-provenant-des-familles-cosse-brissac-dormesson-la-bedoyere/jean-fra ...
François Vase
Kleitias(painter) and Ergotimos(potter)François Vase, Side A (right) and Side B (left), large Attic volute krater decorated in the black-figure style, c. 570-565 BC, Height: 66 cm, National Archaeological Museum, Florence, Italy – Photo Credit: Amalia Spiliakou, April 2025 Discover one of the greatest masterpieces ...
The Dream of the Pomegranate
Felice Casorati, Italian, 1883-1963The Dream of the Pomegranate, 1913, Oil on Canvas, Palazzo Maffei, Verona Italy – Photo Credit: Amalia Spiliakou, September 2025 At first glance, The Dream of the Pomegranate feels hushed, almost suspended in time. A young woman sleeps in a meadow dense with wildflowers, her body ...
Ktisis
Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis, 500–550, with modern restoration, Marble and Glass, 151.1 x 199.7 x 2.5 cm, the MET, NY, USAhttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/469960 Step into the symbolic world of Late Antiquity through this remarkable mosaic fragment portraying Ktisis, th ...
Antonio Badile’s Madonna and Child
Antonio Badile, 1424 - 1512Madonna and Child, end of 15th century, Tempera on panel, Palazzo Maffei, Verona, Italy – Photo Credit: Amalia Spiliakou, September 2025 Visitors to the Palazzo Maffei in Verona often move from room to room delighted by the museum’s eclectic and carefully curated blend of antiquities, Ren ...
Iris celebrated as the flower of February
Katsushika Hokusai, 1760-1849Kingfisher, Irises and Wild Pinks, ca. 1834, Woodblock Print, 22.9x16.5cm, Victoria&Albert Museum, London, UKhttps://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O71685/kingfisher-irises-and-wild-pinks-woodblock-print-katsushika-hokusai/ Katsushika Hokusai is best known for iconic landscapes like The ...
February 2026 Newsletter
February 2026 As winter lingers, art invites us to contemplate, discover, and embrace the subtle beauty of the season. This month, let the timeless February 2926 Newsletter stories guide you through worlds where history, imagination, and artistry intertwine. Featured Posts: 🌼 Sunday, February 1: Flower & ...
Madonna of the Goldfinch
Raffaello Sanzio’s Madonna of the Goldfinch (before 1506) shows the Virgin Mary seated outdoors, gently holding a book as the Christ Child and young Saint John the Baptist interact with a goldfinch, set against a serene Renaissance landscape. Left: https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/mary-christ-and-the-young-john-the-b ...
View of Venice
Childe Hassam, American, 1859-1935View of Venice, c. 1883, Oil on Canvas, 32.4 x 40.6 cm, Private Collectionhttps://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6519611?ldp_breadcrumb=back When Childe Hassam set out on his first extended European journey in the summer of 1883, he was still a young Boston-based illustrator searchin ...
The House of Menander
The House of Menander, built after the 2nd century AD, on earlier remains of the Hellenistic period, Mytilene, Greece – Photo Credit for the mosaic of Menander: Amalia Spiliakou, Summer 2025 In ancient times, the landscape west of the Euripos river, opposite the island-city of Mytilene, underwent a remarkable trans ...
The Musée d’Orsay’s remarkable Hare-shaped Teapot
Émile Auguste Reiber, French Artist, 1826 - 1893Tea-Pot shaped as a Hare, c. 1882, Silver and Ivory, Height: 12,8 cm, Length: 24,8 cm, Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay), Paris, Francehttps://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/artworks/theiere-19279 The Musée d’Orsay’s remarkable Hare-shaped Teapot, designed by Émile Auguste Reiber i ...
Fayum Mummy Portraits
Mummy Portrait of a Lady, c. 225-250 AD, Encaustic painting on linen and motifs with gilded stucco, Height: 95.8 cm, Private Collectionhttps://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6552510?ldp_breadcrumb=back Fayum Mummy Portraits stand among the most haunting and intimate survivals of the ancient world, faces painted nearl ...
Feast Day of Saint John the Forerunner
The Baptism of Christ, Nea Moni, Chios, 11th century, Mosaic, Chios Island, Greece – Photo Credit: Amalia Spiliakou, 2025 Every year on January 7, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of Saint John the Forerunner, the prophet who prepared the way for Christ and baptized Him in the Jordan River. On the island of ...
The Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
Publisher: Issued by Goodwin & Company - Printer: George S. Harris & Sons (American, Philadelphia)Snowdrop (Galanthus Nivalis), from the Flowers series for Old Judge Cigarettes, 1890, Commercial color lithograph, 7 x 3.8 cm, the MET, NY, USAhttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/400559 As ...
January 2026 Newsletter
Dear Readers,As a New Year begins, I welcome you to the January 2026 Newsletter, inviting you to step into a world of art that bridges the past and presents enduring masterpieces that continue to inspire. Whether you're easing back into routine or embracing January’s fresh start, these art stories offer a moment t ...