The top artists charge up to £25,000 to capture a beloved pet’s soul using pencil, paint, bronze — and Ferragamo handbags. Plus: the best animals in art

The Ocean Dream’s extraordinary colour and size make it so collectible — and that’s just one of the fancy jewels at Christie’s this month

Textile wall hangings are fashionable once again, thanks to a certain very long tapestry returning to England. Here’s where to source your own ancient and modern versions

If you are serious about where your beans are sourced and how they are brewed, these are the coffee shops for you

This paper suggests that the deliberate, structured way in which wax ex-votos were arranged in the Florentine church of Santissima Annunziata should not be overlooked as a factor that contributed to t...

Every year in Maastricht priceless treasures go on sale, from a jewel-encrusted book of Shakespeare’s poems to a self-portrait by Rembrandt. Louisa McKenzie selects six of the most precious collectors...

Get the lunar new year off to a galloping start by offering equestrian designs from Hermès, Burberry, Ferrari et al

Modern-day love tokens that recall the weird and wonderful traditions of celebrations past and further afield

The man who invented the match did not anticipate that the boxes containing them would become works of art

Warburg alumna Louisa McKenzie discusses her current research, the impact she hopes it will have and the routes her career has taken since leaving the Institute.

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Once upon a time they were a kitsch item, but today’s knits are a much more glamorous affair — although still with a hint of fun

Louisa McKenzie on the auction of one of the most celebrated Fabergé creations of them all. Plus: where to see more eggs

Luxury Christmas cards to send this year. From personalised cards to classic Christmas designs and luxury retailers like Smythson and Fortnum & Mason. Shop now!

Luxury Christmas decorations to brighten your home this Christmas. From stockings to ornaments and baubles. Shop our top picks now!

A smart button can transform an outfit. Louisa Mckenzie on the history of this haberdashery staple, and the most luxurious buttons to buy now

From Anne Boleyn to Francis Drake, England has an impressive roster of upper-class phantoms. Louisa McKenzie talks to writer, broadcaster, and paranormal enthusiast Danny Robins about why we like our ...

The fashion label Fortuny transformed the way women dressed and felt about their bodies in the early 20th century. Today it continues to delight with its unique aesthetic

Emamuela Tarizzo is young, well connected and in tune with a new kind of art buyer. She talks to Louisa McKenzie about taking over London’s biggest art and antiquity fair

Louisa McKenzie talks to the Downton Abbey costume designer about how she sources original gems for her leading ladies

Medieval wills are precious mines of information for historians, art historians, scholars of fashion and material culture, but also for sociologists, anthropologists, economists.Behind the dryness of ...

Exhibition: Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Matthew 8:14–17; Mark 1:29–34; Luke 4:38–41). Featuring works of art by Rembrandt van Rijn, Unknown artist and Pieter Bruegel I. Commentaries by Louisa McKenzie.

From artist collaborations to jewel-encrusted flacons, these bottles are only matched for loveliness by the scents they contain

Louisa McKenzie learns how to differentiate between blends with an expert at London’s first olive oil bar

Astrocartography, which combines geography and astrology, is growing in popularity, with practitioners charging £500 an hour

Marie Antoinette left her jewellery collection to her daughter, who had in her possession a glorious 10 carat pink diamond which, after years of being hidden away, is now coming up for auction

Siena State Archives, Notarile Antecosimiano 54 (1349) Waste and reuse are key topics in modern consumer society, but in the Middle Ages, there was no discussion around them. Considering the high cost of producing new objects, everything had to be reused, recycled, or transformed down to the very last bit. Parchments were made from animal skins (sheep, goat, or calf) and were therefore very durable and quite expensive.

From Gwyneth Paltrow’s favourite single-origin brand to a dedicated sommelier: Louisa McKenzie investigates the new-gen oil barons

The bag charm might be a new trend, but personal talismans have been around for centuries

The smartest designs to elevate domestic duties, from Tracey Emin artworks to £120 Burberry beauties