Kirsten Tambling is curator of The Clockworks. Her book Shakespearean Objects in the Royal Collection, 1714–1939 is published by Oxford University Press (2025).
An understanding of theatrical culture in the 18th century is vital for understanding the most important painters of the period
Oliver Messel’s rococo sets for ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ at the Royal Opera House represented a new dawn for dance
Aside from the usual refreshments, the city’s taverns offered a highly engineered form of popular entertainment
Thanks to mass production (and reproduction), in the 19th-century some middle-class homes began to resemble miniature picture galleries
In ‘English Garden Eccentrics’, Todd Longstaffe-Gowan introduces us to a gallery of historical horticulturists, all determined to create their own private paradises
An extremely close look at François Boucher’s portrait of the marquise in the Fogg Museum at Harvard homes in on the painter’s use of his signature colour
Wolf’s Cove, the model village in Gloucestershire designed by Charles Paget Wade, is proof of the architect’s commitment to creating ideal communities
The French furniture that inspired the look of Disney’s best-loved films also came out of a studio system that required a good deal of collaboration
The prehistoric monument may seem timeless, but enthusiasts have constantly reimagined the site to suit their own preoccupations
The firm of Fabergé is synonymous with the Russian Imperial family, but its fabulous baubles soon became a must-have for elites across Europe
