Close-up of a Japanese artwork showing part of a figure in armour with gold-leaf calligraphy alongside.

Folding fan painted with bamboo and calligraphy, displayed open on a stand with its decorative case in front.

Traditional Japanese bow and quiver of arrows displayed upright in a narrow glass case.

Museum wall display featuring a large illustration of a mounted figure in armour alongside framed Japanese prints and artefacts.

It’s such a brilliant range — the objects, the storytelling, the way everything is explained actually makes you get it rather than just look at it. And any exhibition that starts and ends with Hiroyuki Sanada already had me sold.

Full suit of samurai armour displayed in a glass case, featuring a helmet with large golden crest and layered protective plates.

Decorated palanquin or carriage with intricate floral patterns and lacquered wood, displayed in a dimly lit gallery.

Hanging scroll painting of a misty landscape with mountains and water, bordered by patterned fabric in a museum display.

Display case of Japanese weapons including curved swords and helmets, arranged on stands against a red background.

The Samurai exhibition at the British Museum completely exceeded what I expected. Starting with the samurai as mercenaries, moving through the shogunate, and ending with Nazis and Darth Vader (still not over that connection), it covers everything you could want and more.

View of historic stone buildings with steep roofs partially obscured by tree branches, with a larger museum structure in the background.

Front façade of a grand museum with two symmetrical towers and a large arched entrance, with steps and barriers in the foreground.

Historic stone museum building with twin towers framed by leafy branches, viewed from a garden area under a clear blue sky.

Ornate red wrought-iron gate in the foreground with a decorative stone museum building behind it and trees around the courtyard.

Can we take a moment to appreciate how beautiful the Natural History Museum’s architecture is…

Museum display case with historical documents, books, and objects under green lighting, with the text “I am Queen of Punjab” and “Princess Bamba” on the wall.

Three illuminated vertical panels showing black-and-white portraits labelled “Princess Bamba,” “Princess Catherine,” and “Princess Sophia.”

Framed black-and-white photograph of three women in formal dresses, displayed against a pink patterned wall in a museum. These are Princesses Bamba, Catherine, and Sophia.

Framed painted portrait of a woman wearing ornate jewellery and traditional dress, set against a pink display background in a museum. This is Maharani Jind Kaur.

We went to the Last Princesses of Punjab exhibition and it exceeded expectations. It is not just about Sophia, it tells the story of all three of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s granddaughters. I felt so grateful seeing a piece of my culture reflected back at me in the place I will always choose as home 🤍✨

Miniature model scene of a formal meeting around a long red table, with numerous figures in red military uniforms and period dress facing Queen Victoria, the lone female in the room.

Gallery wall with red patterned wallpaper displaying large classical oil paintings, including a central portrait of a man on horseback (Charles I), framed by two smaller works and wooden doors.

Elaborately decorated historic room with a gilded patterned ceiling and chandeliers, centred on a grand clock topped with sculptural figures and classical columns.

Ornate historic interior with a decorative ceiling and red patterned walls, featuring a large framed map-like artwork above a carved marble fireplace flanked by sculptures.

Neither Devon nor I have ever been to Kensington Palace before, so this was a first for us both. There is something so quietly sad about the rooms of a young Queen Victoria, you can almost feel it in the walls. And far too many men around her for my liking… 😅

Equestrian statue of a uniformed rider on a horse in front of an ornate white historic building with detailed balconies and large windows.

Symmetrical red-brick residential buildings with white stone detailing forming a courtyard, viewed under a partly cloudy sky with a tree in the foreground.

Quiet residential street lined with parked cars and white townhouses, framed by leafy trees including a pink-blossoming tree, with a “20” speed marking on the road.

Statue of a doe and her child on a stone pedestal beside a red British telephone box, with tall trees and iron railings in the background.

Nothing beats walking around London with Devon, iced coffees in hand and somehow managing to miss every single spell of rain. ☕️🌦️

Easter set up with gnomes, eggs, and a rabbit.

Pink blossoms on the road.

Abducted by one of my oldest friends for the best reason — to soak up moments with my beautiful little niece! 💛✨

An abstract design in red, orange and yellow with a translucent white circle in the center, in which appears the text "your chance to win." In the lower corners - one in each - are the circular logos of the two sponsors of the competition.

We’ve teamed up with @storiesfromtheart.bsky.social to bring you something a little different... 🎨✨

This isn’t just a giveaway — it’s a challenge! 🤔💡 Think you really know your art? Let’s find out.

Enter now at gleam.io/WEDRv/art-he...

We will announce the winner on April 6th! ⏳🎉

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

We’ve teamed up with @artherstory.bsky.social on a giveaway! Think you really know your art? Let’s find out.

Enter now: gleam.io/WEDRv/art-he... 🔗

Don’t wait! Every action (from following profiles to answering questions) earns you points 🏆 The winner is announced on 6th April! ⏳🎉

Canonised to Hell: Power, Propaganda, and Papal Authority under Pius II (HT26) — THE HERODOTIAN On Christmas Day 1460, a trial in absentia delivered its verdict on Sigismondo Malatesta, condottiere and Lord of Rimini. Declared a heretic, he was excommunicated and cursed, without a chance ...

Being published by Oxford’s Herodotian feels surreal. Being published without a single change to my article? Completely mad.

This was meant to be about Sigismondo Malatesta. Instead, it became a piece on propaganda and the misuse of papal power. Don’t you love it when your writing surprises you?

I haven't seen it for YEARS, but this track and those rubber legs make me belly laugh every single time. HaHa!

Historian friends: if anyone has good resources on what the Apostolic Palace and St Peter’s would have looked like before our friend Pope Julius II got his hands on them, I would be extremely grateful for any recommendations!

A woman leans on her hand while reading a large, aged book in a library filled with wooden shelves and archival materials.

Close-up of an open historical book showing a labelled floor plan, with a hand (blue-painted nails) pointing to a section of the map.

Wide interior view of a historic reading room with long desks, lamps, wooden galleries, and a glass ceiling letting in natural light.

Black-and-white engraving showing a detailed floor plan of the Vatican Palace, with labelled rooms, staircases, and a scale bar at the bottom.

The staff have been brilliant, the material has already led to a few genuinely mind-blowing moments (as well as a few “scream and rip your hair out” historian moments), and I’m very excited to keep going.

A woman sits at a desk in a historic reading room, closely examining an old print with a magnifying glass.

Close-up of a printed architectural illustration showing a small building façade with figures, arched windows, and decorative elements.

A large open book with architectural prints rests on a desk in a quiet archival reading room, surrounded by wooden stands and shelving.

Large, detailed engraving of the Sistine Chapel interior filled with seated clergy and onlookers, with the altar and Michelangelo’s Last Judgment fresco dominating the far wall.

Last week marked two of five scheduled research sessions on the Apostolic Palace, and I’m already feeling incredibly grateful for the wonderful spaces in London that give me a little slice of Rome when I can’t actually be there.

Dr Ariel Hessayon presenting his talk on the Early Quakers and the English Revolution

Dr Ariel Hessayon presenting his talk on the Early Quakers and the English Revolution

Dr Ariel Hessayon presenting his talk on the Early Quakers and the English Revolution

This month’s Ealing Historical Association talk was with the brilliant Dr Ariel Hessayon on the Early Quakers and the English Revolution.

Also, as of yesterday, I am officially a member of the EHA committee! Keep an eye on this space for more updates on all the incredible things happening there.

Took Devon out on her belated birthday trip this week to see Hercules! I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about what they did to Hades, but those Muses have completely stolen my heart. I am OBSESSED. 🎭🍿

#TheatreTrip #HerculesMusical #WestEndMagic #BirthdayAdventures #TheatreSnacks

In His Shadow, In Her Gaze Celebrated in her lifetime, yet remembered mostly as Tintoretto’s daughter Marietta Robusti’s legacy is fragile; an artist framed by her father’s name.

Marietta Robusti: daughter of Tintoretto, one of the most talented female artists of the Renaissance. Courts across Europe wanted her as their painter. Her father refused to let her go. Today, almost none of her work survives under her own name.

Read the full piece here: gksihat.com/marietta-rob...

Finally managed to catch the Anna Ancher show at the Dulwich Picture Gallery this weekend! I am obsessed - she is truly a master of light. It's such a shame her art isn't on display worldwide all the time, it really should be.

It you like that, try Brassic afterwards with Joe Gilgun and Michelle Keegan. It’s got the same homely feel.

I LOVE Man Like Mobeen. Actually, anything with Guz Khan, he's brilliant.

I mean, I had time to kill, listened to your HistFest talk, and went "This is INSANE! I'm buying the book..." so you're halfway there... 🤔

MISCHIEF AND MORALITY IN PAINT Judith Leyster’s paintings combine humour and moral ambiguity, revealing a confident Dutch Golden Age artist whose work was long misattributed and misunderstood.

Last month, we explored the science and poetry in the flower paintings of Rachel Ruysch. 🌸

This month, we’re spotlighting Judith Leyster who blended humour with moral ambiguity, yet whose work was long misattributed to her male contemporaries (sometimes deliberately).

gksihat.com/mischief-and...

A sepia-toned historical photograph of three people gathered around a seated Rosa Bonheur sketching.

A painted portrait of a young woman with pale skin and light brown hair adorned with flowers, wearing an off-the-shoulder white dress and gazing to the side.

View down a symmetrical stone staircase inside a museum, framed by rounded arches and lit by a large arched window at the far end.

A collage-style artwork showing boxers and standing figures layered over fragments of printed text and newspaper clippings.

Back at the National Portrait Gallery and once again reminded how wonderfully eclectic it is. Where else do Rabindranath Tagore, Marcus Rashford, and Rosa Bonheur all coexist? A museum full of conversations across time.

Close-up detail of a Renaissance painting showing small dark, winged figures clinging to a vertical cross above reclining human figures.

Close-up detail of a painted hand resting against rich red and gold drapery, highlighting soft shading and realistic flesh tones.

Three large classical paintings in ornate gold frames displayed side by side on a dark blue gallery wall in a museum.

A wide museum view of two large horizontal Renaissance battle scenes depicting mounted soldiers, fallen figures, and dramatic action, displayed one above the other.

The new hang at the National Gallery is such a joy. Everything feels more spacious and considered, letting familiar works breathe while quietly introducing new favourites. There’s something special about noticing fresh details in old ones you thought you knew by heart.

Close-up of a white marble sculpture of a kneeling female figure, her head bowed, reflected in the glass of the display case.

Close-up of a painted hand holding a torn sheet of paper, with textured brushwork and dramatic light and shadow.

Close-up of a painted young figure with softly lit skin and curled hair, gazing upward against a dark background.

Detail of a painting showing a seated figure in red sleeves sketching in a book, illuminated by warm, directional light.

Wright of Derby: From the Shadows at the National Gallery, on until 10 May and well worth it.

Think Caravaggio… but British.

The lighting alone is jaw-dropping. Intimate, dramatic, and beautifully installed. It's one of those shows that really stays with you long after you leave it.

A small framed pointillist-style painting of a harbour with brick pillars, boats, and shimmering water, displayed on a white gallery wall.

A painting of a woman in a long dress standing with her back to the viewer, looking out through a window into a softly lit interior.

Detail of an artwork showing two stylised female figures dancing, wearing flowing garments in warm earth tones.

An impressionist-style painting of a sunlit field with small trees and a lone figure standing near a fence, rendered in textured brushstrokes of green, yellow, and blue.

Managed to catch Radical Harmony before it closed! 😮‍💨

A really thoughtful look at Neo-Impressionism and how wildly different artists approached pointillism. Not always my favourite style, but this show made a strong case for its subtlety and ambition.

Did anyone else manage to see it in time?

Close-up of painted figures drifting through a blue sky scattered with gold stars, their translucent garments flowing as they move.

Lower section of a circular celestial painting showing dancing figures encircling a bright golden sun, surrounded by scattered gold stars.

Detail of painted figures reaching towards streams of golden stardust against a dark blue background, suggesting motion and celestial harmony.

A large circular painting showing figures floating around a radiant golden sun and moon in a deep blue, star-filled sky, framed by an ornate gilded border in a gallery.

Dawn's Early Light at the National Gallery (on free display until 15th February) is STUNNING!

Read like a clock, it captures that fragile in-between moment when night finally gives way to morning. Quiet, glowing, full of hope if you give it time. Definitely one to linger with.

The Architecture of Forgetting A last-minute trip to Rome turns into a meditation on research, memory, and the quiet ways our minds betray us, both on the page and in life.

A last-minute trip to Rome turns into a meditation on research, memory, and the quiet ways our minds betray us, both on the page and in life.

Read all about it here: substack.com/home/post/p-...

A bronze statue of a hooded, robed figure standing on a stone pedestal in a Roman square, with pale residential buildings in the background.

A narrow cobbled courtyard framed by an arched brick passageway, with tall, weathered buildings and shuttered windows on either side.

An old wooden door set into a pale plaster wall with stone surrounds, marked with the number 13 above the arch.

A colourful outdoor flower market stall with pots and buckets of bright flowers arranged on cobblestones, each marked with handwritten price signs.

We ended the trip in Campo de’ Fiori with a mission: find Vanozza dei Cattenei’s Locanda della Vacca.

Book research with family is SO fun! And telling them about Giordano Bruno while shopping the market was a highlight. Perfect ending to a lovely long weekend. 🌻

A sticker-covered street sign in the foreground featuring a prominent circular sticker reading “LOVE”, set against the stone exterior of the Colosseum in Rome in the background.

Those LOVE stickers around Rome look very familiar… 💕

Coming home, catching up on the world after a few tech-free days, and getting the first cold I've had in years… we could all do with more colour, more kindness, more love right now. Rome always reminds me of that.