Our guest today, Toby Lester, has worked as a refugee affairs officer for the United Nations, helped with programmes in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, undertaken Peace Corps work in Yemen. He has written also extensively for nation

Get Your Rocks Off - Leonardo da Vinci Part 26

Dec 27th, 2021 1h 18m

During his 20 years in Milan, Leonardo only finished three lousy paintings. Two of them are murals. Only one is in a frame - VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS. He liked it so much, he painted it again, 25 years later. Well…. There’s a little more to the sto

Julia & The Vatican

Dec 10th, 2021 1h 18m

Taking a short break from Leonardo, our guest today is Julia Charity, an official Vatican tour guide! Julia, who originally hails from the UK, tells us how she ended up as a Vatican tour guide and about some of her favourite art on display in t

Leonardo da Vinci Part 13 - Curtis Wong

Apr 29th, 2021 1h 11m

Curtis Wong has had an incredible career. He has produced critically acclaimed educational CD-ROMs at Corbis and the Voyager Co., as well as the definitive editions of feature films for the Criterion Collection. He ran the Content Group at Int

Leonardo da Vinci Part 11 - Matthew Landrus

Apr 1st, 2021 1h 16m

We chat with one of the world’s leading authorities on Leonardo da Vinci – Matthew Landrus from Oxford University, author of Leonardo da Vinci’s Giant Crossbow. The post #118 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 11 – Matthew Landrus appeared first on The

Where are rest of the episodes?

Jan 1st, 2021 1m 14s

If you’re wondering “where are rest of the episodes?”, they are on our website as part of our membership program.The post Where are rest of the episodes? appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Leonardo da Vinci, Part 4

Dec 24th, 2020 1h 1m

Leonardo’s earliest surviving work of art is a landscape sketch of Vinci in his notebook dating from 1473 when he was 21 years old. The earliest surviving painting is BAPTISM OF CHRIST, a collaboration with his old master, Verrocchio (as seen i

Leonardo da Vinci, Part 3

Dec 13th, 2020 1h 3m

Leonardo's first known artwork is a Frankenstein monster and he invents sfumato. The post #110 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 3 – Frankenstein’s Monster appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Leonardo da Vinci, Part 2

Nov 26th, 2020 53m 24s

We examine Leonardo's writing style, and his apprenticeship at age 14 to Andrea del Verrocchio, an Italian painter, sculptor, and goldsmith, because even geniuses need a master to learn from (despite what The Queen's Gambit will have you believ

Leonardo da Vinci Part 1 - A Complete Bastard

Nov 17th, 2020 51m 39s

"Extraordinary power ... conjoined with remarkable facility, a mind of regal boldness and magnanimous daring." That's how Vasari described Leonardo da Vinci. But how much do we really know about the world's most famous artist? And how much of w

Savonarola Part 14 - Savonarola Burns

Oct 30th, 2020 50m 52s

Savonarola was notified that he and his closest colleagues had been condemned to die. His most ardent believers had faith that the Lord would save him at the last minute, but, yet again, God didn't show up for work. At 1pm, May 23, 1498, they w

Savonarola Part 13 - Strappado

Oct 19th, 2020 58m

The trials of Savonarola begin. First he is put on trial by the Signoria of Florence for his political interference. Then he is put on trial by the Pope for his religious accusations and claims of prophecy. This being Catholic Italy, part of th

Savonarola Part 12 - Trial By Fire

Sep 24th, 2020 1h 13m

With Charles out of the picture, Piero de Medici figures it’s time for him to return to Florence. He marched into Tuscany with a force of four hundred lancers, light cavalry, and foot soldiers. Unfortunately, nobody shows up to welcome him and

Savonarola Part 11 - Bonfire of the Vanities

Sep 18th, 2020 52m 20s

A miracle prevents Mad Max from invading Italy and Savonarola’s prophetic credentials continue to rise. But he still wants Florence to purify itself further so he orders his first Bonfire Of The Vanities.The post #104 – Savonarola Part 11 – Bo

Savonarola Part 10

Sep 11th, 2020 1h 7m

Yes, we’re still talking about Savonarola! Deal with it! On this episode, Savonarola refuses the Pope’s summons to go to Rome and to stop preaching. He uses the ol’ Bill Clinton defence. During some of his downtime, one of his colleagues offers

Savonarola Part 9

Sep 4th, 2020 47m 10s

By early 1495, Savonarola managed to get control of the Great Council of Florence and has his reforms passed. He may not be gonfaloniere, but he is a political force. He soon gets one of his own followers elected gonfaloniere and then has comp

Savonarola Part 8

Aug 27th, 2020 1h 14m

With the Medici and the French both gone from Florence, Savonarola tries to influence the new Signoria to pass significant reforms - but they ignore him. Then another enemy appears - this time, a religious rival. Feeling like he wasn't apprecia

Savonarola Part 7

Aug 19th, 2020 1h 2m

Savonarola meets with King Charles VIII of France in Pisa, calling himself a prophet of God and telling Charles that he was the instrument of God's divine plan. Then he returns to Florence where the Medici have been kicked out and he congratula

Savonarola Part 6

Aug 15th, 2020 1h 10m

Savonarola’s predictions that God was going to punish the Florentines seem to be coming true when, in 1494, King Charles VIII of France invades Italy to take control of Naples. On his way south, he also threatens to attack Florence. When Piero

Savonarola Part 5

Aug 1st, 2020 57m 1s

In 1492, Lorenzo The Magnificent died. His heir was his eldest son, 20 year old Piero de’ Medici, a useless turd. The Pope died soon afterwards and was replaced by the corrupt Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI. Savonarola proclaimed

Savonarola Part 4

Jul 24th, 2020 48m 16s

In his sermons in early 1491, Savonarola attacked the people and priests who thought of Christianity as a merely ceremonial religion. He also criticised how ignorant the people were of the doctrines of Christianity, ‘thieving priests’ who sold

Savonarola Part 3

Jul 8th, 2020 46m 29s

In 1487 Savonarola left Florence for a new assignment in Bologna, to continue his studies toward a degree of master of sacred theology while teaching juniors. But apparently it didn’t go well. He wasn’t given his masters and his academic career

Savonarola Part 2

Jul 3rd, 2020 56m 43s

Savonarola starts his preaching career but it doesn't go very well. One person who *is* impressed though is a young Pico della Mirandola. That would have far-reaching consequences. He also wrote a book - On Politics and Government (De politica

Savonarola Part 1

Jun 24th, 2020 1h 4m

After Lorenzo de Medici’s death in 1492, Botticelli gave up painting, abandoned his humanist studies, and became a hardcore fundamentalist Christian. As did a lot of Florentines. The reason? They all fell under the spell of the original fire an

Sandro Botticelli 5

Jun 11th, 2020 1h 8m

When Giuliano de Medici gets murdered in the Duomo during the Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478, Booty was probably there. What should a Florentine painter paint after the Pope had your best friend killed during a church service in a cathedral? No more