A Christmas Message

4155243997_6537756aa5_zWe’re so accustomed to the Holiday season, it comes as a surprise that President Lincoln never gave a Christmas speech – because Christmas didn’t become a national holiday until 1870.

He had his challenges but that wasn’t one of them. Continue reading A Christmas Message

Summer 2015 In Pictures – Week 2

Art History Lecture

The second week of the Rome Art program saw our students working on location in and around the St Peter’s and the Vatican, visiting the studio of Sculptor Peter Rockwell and painting on Isola Tiberina. Continue reading Summer 2015 In Pictures – Week 2

Rome’s Art History: Roma – Amor

Valentine’s Day defines February for many; not by chance there are an increased number of tourists arriving in Rome. The proverbial charm of Italianos, public works of art and secret city legends, innumerable padlocks left on outdoor railings by couples who wish to lock themselves up in the other, all give the impression that the capricious little Amor constantly hovers over this city. Yet I wouldn’t say it’s difficult to pick the work of art that speaks best of him: what could be more befitting than the story of the god of love himself falling in love. Continue reading Rome’s Art History: Roma – Amor

Rome’s Art History: Angelology


I confess I don’t even know how to start a blog post. Blogs are typically opinion pieces and angelology; my research field isn’t about giving one’s own opinions.

Approaching angelology from the direction of history requires factuality – as much as one can talk about factuality in the case of angels. The first rule of angelology thus remains that you don’t chit-chat about angels or else you get confused with a preacher, which might compromise the credibility of your research. Having said that, the Rome Art Program’s idea of including angels in their blog sounded charming, so I decided to give it a clumsy go.

Continue reading Rome’s Art History: Angelology