Following up on Emperor Hadrian, I created a few images of his deified lover, Antinous. Their stories are completely intertwined, so check out the post on Hadrian as well as the full YouTube video about them.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about Antinous’ life until he pops up in the history of Hadrian’s. We know that he was raised in Bithynia (modern-day Turkey). He probably met Hadrian at a young age, around 12 or 13, when Hadrian sent him to become a page and educate him in Rome.

Emperor Hadrian is a really fascinating subject I’ve been meaning to get to for a while. Emperor Hadrian was born in 76 AD, in Italica, which was a Roman province in Spain. He was only the second Emperor to be from a foreign territory. Hadrian rose to prominence in Rome, and was the favorite of Trajan and set to be the next in line for the Emperorship. He was quickly married to Trajan’s grand-niece Vibia Sabina. However, his treatment of her was quite icy. Trajan’s favor of Hadrian kind of seems to sour at this point, and the succession seems back up for grabs. Hadrian’s icy treatment of his wife can now be explained by the fact that scholars almost all agree that he was a gay man.

Nzinga is one of my favorite women in history. She lived a fascinating life that is not recounted nearly as often as it should be. I have an old version of Nzinga, but I wanted to recreate her because I don’t feel like I did the portrait justice the last time.

Here is another re-do from the archives: another massively underrated figure of history. Chevalier de Saint-Georges, born Joseph Bologne, was widely considered to be one of the most accomplished men in Europe during his lifetime, with a laundry list of talents, ranging from genius violinist to Europe’s greatest swordsman. He is known as the “Black Mozart” - but to be honest, if you learn enough about him, you may even consider Mozart to be the “White Joseph Bologne.”

What did Pocahontas look like? And what is her true history, outside of the myths and legends that have circulated in our imaginations for centuries? A new video separates fact from fiction in the case of Pocahontas and new image recreations are revealed.

What did Anne Boleyn really look like? These brand new Anne recreations accompany the brand new video, which highlights her life, as well as research on her various portraits and which I believe to be the most accurate.

The Lady of Elche has always fascinated me, with her interesting headdress and delicately carved face. It turns out the statue is quite mysterious as well. Discovered in 1897 at a private estate south of Elche, Spain, it is generally thought to be an Iberian artifact from the 4th Century BC. However, the artisanship doesn’t quite match up with other Iberian artifacts from that period. She is believed to be a goddess, Tanit, who was worshipped by the Punic-Iberians in ancient times. However, the sculpture’s design and style suggests some Hellenistic influences. Originally, the bust was brightly painted, with reds, blues and yellows.

The “Philosopher Emperor” - such a highly requested figure. Marcus Aurelius was Emperor of Rome for 19 years from 161 - 180 AD. He ruled at nearly the height of the empire, with 70-80 million subjects, nearly one fifth of the population of the earth at that time. He is famous for the Germanic Campaigns, as well as his book of stoic musings, called “Meditations,” that contains super pertinent bits of philosophy still used today. Unfortunately, Aurelius was the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” a string of good rulers that would eventually break thanks to Aurelius’ son Commodus. His reign is sometimes considered the tipping point between the glory days of the Empire and the beginning of the Fall of Rome.

Nefertiti is one of the most intriguing figures of all time, and one of the most famous Egyptian Queens, mostly due to her stunning likeness as seen in the Berlin Bust.

Super excited to show another “artistic” version of a famous figure, especially since you all request her so often: Eleanor of Aquitaine.