The Blog Where Art Lives

The Taft Museum of Art blog, Frame|Work, offers unique perspectives on the stories and people behind the Taft, its historic house, and the art and artifacts that leave us captivated. Immerse yourself in the Taft's history as we explore the past and preserve the treasures in our collection for centuries to come.

A Closer Look

Discover new details and make new connections with the featured works of art by taking a “Closer Look” using the observation prompts that follow each description.

The Inside Story

In The Inside Story (previously titled Collection Connection), Taft staff explore a range of topics related to the museum’s permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and the history of the Taft house. This series of articles was originally published in Portico, the Taft’s members’ magazine.

Museum Musings

Written by our curatorial team, who share with viewers some of their favorite works in our collection, their passion projects, and their current research initiatives.

Limoges Enamels during the Reformation

Small and shiny, Limoges enamels glow like jewels in the Taft Museum of Art’s Medieval and Renaissance galleries. Workshops of skilled artisans in Limoges, France, produced these decorative objects by delicately fusing layers of vividly colored glass to copper. By the 16th century, influenced by the Italian Renaissance and aided by a newly developed enameling technique similar to painting, enamellers replaced medieval modes of decoration with dynamic storytelling.

18 Aug 2017

• The Inside Story

“Life in quietness & ease”: Thomas Gainsborough’s Landscapes

Two paintings by Thomas Gainsborough hang opposite each other in the Taft Museum of Art’s Music Room. On the south wall, two boys dressed in finery look out from a canvas measuring nearly seven feet high. On the north wall, a more modestly sized painting features livestock and rustic peasants dramatically lit within a shadowy copse of trees. This pastoral scene embodies Gainsborough’s true passion: the landscape of England’s countryside. 

21 Apr 2017

• A Closer Look