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Paints of the Artist's Palette in Renaissance Europe
Artists of Renaissance Europe cultivate palettes rich in colors sourced from elements both enchanting and lethal. The Renaissance is...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 17, 20246 min read


Gouache Painting: Artist Essentials & Art Tips
Gouache painting has a unique charm and offers versatility for artists and art appreciators. This unctuous type of paint delivers vibrant...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 17, 20244 min read


Bright Common Nails: Composition to Corrosion
Bright common nails in hardware are used in construction, woodworking, and various DIY projects from building to pigment making. Bright...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 17, 20243 min read


Bacteria: Unseen Driving Force Behind All Life
Bacteria are responsible for millions of vital processes hidden from our everyday perception. These single-celled organisms are essential...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 17, 20245 min read


10 Ancient Spices of Trade, Health & Beauty
Spices come from distant lands along ancient trade routes. These commodities bring flavor to food, health and beauty to consumers and...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 16, 20246 min read


Soot & Lampblack: Beauty, Art and Medicine
Soot is as old as fire. A dark, powder formed by incomplete burning of organic matter, it's used for centuries due to its easy...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 14, 20246 min read


Tycho Brahe: Golden Renaissance Astronomer
Tycho Brahe (1546 - 1601) is a Danish Renaissance astronomer and polymath. His observatory Uraniborg is a center of intellect and...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 12, 20247 min read


Hildegard von Bingen: Nature, Music & Beer
Hildegard von Bingen is a German Benedictine abbess and polymath often called the Sibyl (Prophetess) of the Rhine. She transcends...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 11, 20243 min read


Women Brewers: Brewing History of Europe
Women have a significant role in brewing through history. Before brewing is industrialized, it's a domestic activity seen as providing...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 11, 20246 min read


Prague: Bohemians of the Renaissance
Prague is an epicenter of medieval and Renaissance Bohemian culture, art and architecture. Capital of today's Czech Republic, Prague has...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 10, 20244 min read


Seven Deadly Diseases of the Renaissance
Some graphics may be disturbing. Disease in the European Renaissance takes a grave toll. Ancient killers include smallpox, malaria,...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 10, 20248 min read


The Four Medici Popes: Controversial Connections
Four Medici Popes shape history during their reigns: Pope Leo X, Pope Clement VII, Pope Pius IV, and Pope Leo XI. Centered in Florence,...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 9, 20244 min read


Roman Inquisition: Power, Prayer & Politics
The Italian or Roman Inquisition is established 1542 by Pope Paul III, largely as a response to the Protestant Reformation. Reformers...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 9, 20245 min read


Protestant Reformation of Renaissance Europe
The Protestant Reformation is one of the most significant movements in Western history. It transforms not just the Christian Church but...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 8, 20244 min read


Rise & Fall of the Habsburg Dynasty Europe
The Habsburg Dynasty in history is one of Europe’s most powerful and influential royal families. From origins in the Swiss canton of...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 8, 20244 min read


Thirty Years' War Europe: Five Major Battles
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) is one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. Up to 8 million people lose their lives...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 7, 20243 min read


Thirty Years' War: Conflict, Antagonists, and Impact on Society
The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 48) is a major factor in the collapse of the European Renaissance and devastates a continent for three...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 7, 20244 min read


Process of Projection in Renaissance Alchemy
Projection, according to experts of the Renaissance, is the final act of alchemical work once the Philosophers' Stone has been made. The...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 6, 20243 min read


Kerotakis: Ancient Alchemical Equipment
The kerotakis (Greek: κυροτακίς) is an ancient alchemical apparatus of multiple purposes, primarily heating substances and collecting...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 6, 20242 min read


Michael Sendivogius: Adventures in Alchemy
Michael Sendivogius (1566 - 1636) is a Polish savant of alchemy, medicine and chemistry. He designs mines and furnaces, travels widely...

Sylvia Rose
Oct 5, 20244 min read
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