16th Century
Quinten Massijs Joiners Guild Altarpiece Restored
January 15 2026
Picture: KMSKA
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Antwerp that the Joiners Guild Altarpiece by Quinten Massijs, owned by the The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), has been restored. The project, which lasted 4 years, has ended with the painting being redisplayed in the museum's galleries. More details as and when they are published online.
Upcoming: Jan and Catharina van Hemessen Exhibition in Antwerp & London
January 13 2026
Picture: Snijders&Rockoxhuis
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Antwerp that on 15th October 2026 the Snijders&Rockoxhuis will be opening an exhibition dedicated to the workshop of Jan and his daughter Catharina van Hemessen.
According to their website:
In the winter of 2026-2027, the Snijders&Rockoxhuis proudly presents the very first retrospective dedicated to the 16th-century Van Hemessen family. This exhibition brings a forgotten lineage of artistic pioneers back into the spotlight and rewrites the story of the Antwerp Renaissance from a fresh and unexpected perspective: that of a creative family enterprise where father, sons, and daughter collaborated, experimented, and left a lasting mark on art history. [...]
Van Hemessen & Father is far more than a traditional monographic display. It presents an untold story of artistic innovation, of family as a creative ecosystem, of the role of women in art, and of Antwerp as a cradle of bold ideas. This exhibition connects masterpieces with fresh insights and invites reflection on how a love for art is born, passed on, and transformed into lasting beauty.
The show will run in Antwerp until 31st January 2027 and will then reopen at The National Gallery in London on 4th March 2027.
Louvre clean Titian's Entombment of Christ
January 12 2026
Video: Louvre via Facebook
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre's recent campaigns of painting conservation are moving on apace. The video above provides some details of the recent conservation of Titian's The Entombment of Christ which was recently treated by C2RMF (Centre for Research and Restoration of Museums of France). Click here to see some photos of how the painting looked previously (scrolling backwards through the photos). It's a good job that the unsightly canvas extension on the upper margin is hidden by the frame!
The Image of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle
January 8 2026
Picture: Hever Castle
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Tudor fans might be interested to know that Hever Castle in Kent will be opening a new exhibition next month dedicated to the likenesses of Anne Boleyn.
According to their website:
Discover a world-first exhibition exploring one of history’s most debated faces. Capturing A Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn brings together the largest ever gathering of portraits believed to depict Anne Boleyn, including a ground-breaking newly identified contemporary image unveiled for the first time.
Developed from new research by Hever Castle historian Dr Owen Emmerson, the exhibition traces how Anne’s image has changed over 500 years and reveals new scientific findings about Hever’s famous ‘Hever Rose’ portrait. You are invited to examine the evidence and vote for the likeness you believe best represents Henry VIII’s most enigmatic queen.
The display will run from 11th February 2026 until 1st January 2027.
Vatican loans Barocci to Turin
December 11 2025
Video: Il Sole 24 ORE
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Vatican have lent Federico Barocci's Madonna delle ciliegie to the Gallerie d’Italia in Turin for a special exhibition over the Christmas period. You'll have to be quick to see it, as the painting will only be on display there until 11th January 2026.
Duke of Norfolk purchases Duke of Norfolk at Sotheby's
December 5 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Arundel Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, have announced the acquisition (on Instagram) of Hans Eworth's portrait of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (1538–1578) in the recent Sotheby's London Old Masters sale. The picture, formerly in the Rothschild Collection and kept at Waddesdon Manor, realised £3,212,000 over its £2m - £3m estimate.
Habsburg European and Spain celebrated in Alejandro Sanz Peinado Collection Exhibition
December 5 2025
Video: MEET Málaga Espacio Expositivo Tabacalera
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new exhibition has just opened in Málaga, Spain, of 80 paintings from the collection of Alejandro Sanz Peinado which examines the art of Habsburg Europe and the Spanish Golden Age. The display will run until 30th September 2026.
Assist Research at Oxford
December 2 2025
Picture: University of Oxford
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The University of Oxford are currently looking for a Research Assistant in Global Renaissance Studies.
According to their website:
We seek a dynamic and self-motivated individual with expertise in the ‘Global Renaissance’ (defined temporally as c. 1400 to c. 1650) to facilitate research and engagement work in relation to a major exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, which addresses the theme of sensory experiences and exchanges across the early modern world (co-curated by Geraldine A. Johnson and Leah R. Clark). The working title of the exhibition is ‘Sensory Wonders of the Renaissance World’ and the opening is planned for June 2027. The post is based at the University of Oxford’s History of Art, Faculty of History, based in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6AH.
The post comes with a salary of between £39,424 - £41,636 and applications must be in by 9th December 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
The Brueghels in Milan for 2026
December 1 2025
Picture: 24oresystem.ilsole24ore.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Some early news (spotted via @MarteVelazquez) that the Palazzo Reale in Milan will be opening an exhibition on the Brueghel dynasty in October 2026. Entitled THE BRUEGHELS. THE ORIGINS OF PICTORIAL GENRES IN EUROPE, the travelling exhibition will afterwards head to the Museo Thyssen in Madrid in March 2027.
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Apologies if AHN is a little 'exhibition heavy' at present. More news on the big Old Master sales happening in London this week in due course.
Michelangelo's Foot at Christie's New York in 2026
November 24 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York have shared news that they will be auctioning off the recently rediscovered study of a foot by Michelangelo which appears in the Sistine Chapel frescos.
According to their press release:
Very rarely new drawings have been rediscovered and added to Michelangelo’s graphic corpus over the decades. Almost all of Michelangelo’s known studies, excluding architectural drawings and the sketches of marble blocks Michelangelo used to send to his quarry masters, are now in public collections. Only about ten sheets, including this newly discovered drawing, are in private hands. Furthermore, no recorded study for the Sistine Chapel has ever come to auction — until now. [...]
Unknown until now, the sheet belongs to an important group of red-chalk figure studies that Michelangelo made from live models in preparation for the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. These drawings are widely considered Michelangelo’s finest achievements in the medium.
The drawing will be offered on 5th February 2026 carrying an estimate of $1,500,000-2,000,000.
Miniatures from the Bearsted Collection at Philip Mould & Co.
November 19 2025
Picture: Philip Mould & Company
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The London dealers Philip Mould & Company are opening a new selling exhibition today of Miniatures from the Bearsted Collection.
According to their website:
This winter, the gallery will present Miniatures from the Bearsted Collection, an intimate exhibition of eight exceptional Elizabethan and Jacobean portrait miniatures. This collection comprises some of the finest and most precious examples by the master miniaturists Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver that our gallery has handled. Acquired from the descendants of Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted, one of the most distinguished collectors of the early twentieth century in Britain, the collection offers a glimpse into the intricacies of the art of limning and the evolution of miniature painting in England.
The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue produced in collaboration with Dr Elizabeth Goldring, featuring new scholarship and detailed entries on each miniature.
The exhibition will run until 19th December 2025.
Michelangelo and Bologna
November 18 2025
Video: Siena News
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Palazzo Fava in Bologna have just opened a new exhibition examining the relationships between Michelangelo and the city of Bologna. In particular, the show draws a great deal of attention of his early years and training, and features works such as Madonna della Scala (on loan from Florence) and several drawings by the master.
The exhibition will run until 15th February 2026.
Poetic Portraits at the Timken Museum of Art
November 7 2025
Picture: Timken Museum of Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Timken Museum of Art opened their latest temporary exhibition this week entitled Poetic Portraits: Allegory and Identity in Sixteenth-Century Europe.
According to their website:
The Timken Museum of Art unveils Poetic Portraits: Allegory and Identity in Sixteenth-Century Europe, a landmark exhibition exploring the rich interplay of art, literature, and identity during the Renaissance. On view from November 3, 2025, through March 29, 2026, this exhibition brings together more than a dozen exceptional images that trace the impact of sixteenth-century art on ideas about portraiture. At the heart of the Poetic Portraits is a masterwork by Sofonisba Anguissola, one of the most celebrated women artists of the Renaissance. Her Portrait of Giovanni Battista Caselli, on loan from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, anchors the exhibition and is shown in the United States for the first time at the Timken.
Maarten van Heemskerck acquired by Frans Hals Museum
November 7 2025
Picture: Frans Hals Museum Haarlem
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from CODART (the international network of curators of Dutch and Flemish art) that the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem have acquired a rare genre painting by Maarten van Heemskerck. It was acquired with the support of the Rembrandt Association.
According to their article:
The painting by Maarten van Heemskerck, from circa 1526/1527, is a particularly early work by the master painter. It was on show from September 2024 to January 2025 as part of the first survey exhibition of his work, hosted simultaneously by the Frans Hals Museum, Teylers Museum and Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar. The painting drew the attention of experts because of the unusual scene, which depicts ordinary people going about their daily business. No other genre painting by Van Heemskerck is known to exist.
Chichester Museum to Conserve Amberley Panels
November 5 2025
Picture: The Novium Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Novium Museum in Chichester has announced its plans to conserve a notable set of 16th century panels known as The Worthy Women or The Amberley Panels. The set, created by Lambert Barnard for the Bishop of Chichester in around 1526, depicts nine famous heroines from antiquity and history.
According to the article above:
At a meeting on Tuesday (November 4), Chichester District Council approved plans to fund the project, setting aside £191,300 for vital conservation work* [undertaken by the Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridge] and an additional £57,250 to create a specially controlled display space at the museum.
* - This may sound like a lot, but, considering they measure roughly 115 x 86 cm each, the figure makes more sense.
Wax Sculptures at the Uffizi
November 4 2025
Picture: Uffizi
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Uffizi in Florence will be opening a new exhibition in December dedicated to their collection of Florentine wax sculptures from the 16th & 17th centuries. In fact, they've been busy acquiring works for the show, including a work by Gaetano Giulio Zumbo entitled 'The Corruption of Bodies' (click on the link if you want to see this gruesome object).
The show will run from 16th December 2025 until 12th April 2026 (just in time for Christmas).
Chamber of Cupid and Psyche at the Palazzo Te Restored
October 31 2025
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the recently conserved Chamber of Cupid and Psyche at the Palazzo Te in Mantua has been unveiled to the public. Painted by Giulio Romano and his workshop between 1526-8, the recent campaign of restoration was supported by the Giulio and Giovanna Sacchetti Onlus Foundation.
Dürer in Tokyo
October 28 2025
Picture: National Museum of Western Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo opened a new exhibition of Albrecht Dürer prints last weekend. The show revolves around selections of works acquired by the museum between 1970 and 2022 and will run until 15th February 2026.
According to their website:
This exhibition presents all of the images from Dürer’s “Three Great Books” of 1511, namely the Latin reprint version of Apocalypse, the Great Passion, and the Life of the Virgin. These three books represent Dürer's use of the then-epoch-making movable type printing method. When the NMWA opened in 1959, its collections were largely modern art, a policy which was revised in 1968 by Yamada Chisaburō when he became the museum's second director. He expanded the museum range to include active collecting of Old Master Works and acquired Dürer's Great Passion in 1970 (with one sheet acquired in 1974). This was the important starting point for the creation of the NMWA Old Master print collection. Then some fifty years later, the museum acquired Apocalypse in fiscal 2020, and the Life of the Virgin in fiscal 2022, completing the NMWA's collection of Dürer's “Three Great Books” woodcuts.
Rosso and Primaticcio at Fontainebleau
October 22 2025
Picture: Beaux-Arts de Paris
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Cabinet d'arts graphiques at the Beaux-Arts de Paris opened a new exhibition of drawings and prints yesterday dedicated to the work of Rosso Fiorentino and Primaticcio at Fontainebleau.
According to the exhibition's blurb:
Through a selection of some 50 works, this exhibition highlights the exceptional collection of drawings and prints by École de Fontainebleau held by Beaux-Arts de Paris. It provides an opportunity to (re)discover the art of maniera that developed at the Château de Fontainebleau and then spread to France under the impetus of Rosso Fiorentino and Francesco Primatice, two Italian artists in the service of Francis I and then Henry II.
The works on display evoke the genesis of the château's painted and sculpted decorations, from the Galerie François I to the Galerie d'Ulysse, and are complemented by etchings produced at Fontainebleau in the 1540's. This innovative corpus, the result of an unprecedented project in France, raises numerous questions, notably concerning the distribution of models, material organization, formal research and the technical trials and tribulations of the artists.
The show will run until 1st February 2026.
Parmigianino Self Portrait (?) Debate in Parma
October 21 2025
Picture: Galleria nazionale di Parma
Posted by Adam Busiakeiwicz:
The Galleria nazionale di Parma have just opened a display dedicated to investigating the attribution of the following painting, which during the 19th and early 20th centuries was considered by some to be a Self Portrait by Parmigianino. The work, which has been kept in storage for many years, has been placed alongside a fragment of St John the Baptist by Michelangelo Anselmi (1491-1556), to whom some scholars have also attributed the work. The display will be on view until 11th January 2026, if you'd like to make your own decision on the attribution!
