Portraits

portraits

Heinrich Biber — composer of rapture and ravings

The violinist-composer who mixed the sacred and profane in his fantastical music is a lost genius of the 17th century.

James Hardie May 19, 2021

portraits

Philippa Fawcett – wrangler extraordinaire

The first female Senior Wrangler at Cambridge University was a trailblazer for women's achievement in a nascent meritocratic society.

Adrian Wooldridge May 10, 2021

portraits

Aspasia of Miletus – queen of the Athenian salon

Unfairly maligned in her lifetime, Aspasia of Miletus, wife of Pericles and friend to philosophers, was a remarkable woman in her own right.

Armand D'Angour May 8, 2021

portraits

Étienne Clavière – the revolutionary who hated revolution

The Genevan-born French financier was a political visionary, fomenting radical reform whilst battling the forces of globalisation, capitalism and extremism.

Richard Whatmore April 21, 2021

portraits

Russell Leffingwell – guardian of the American century

As chairman of JP Morgan and of the US Council on Foreign Relations, Leffingwell epitomised the public-service ethos of America's mid-century elite.

Kenneth Weisbrode April 16, 2021

portraits

Tobias Smollett – a life in caricature

Early champion of the grotesque style, Tobias Smollett's life was as raucous as his literary creations.

Malcolm Forbes April 9, 2021

portraits

Mary of Burgundy – princess testament to doomed youth

The tragedy of Mary of Burgundy, snubbed heiress to one of Europe's great dynasties, echoes down the ages.

Bruce Anderson March 29, 2021

portraits

Fritz Mannheimer – stockbroker of peace

The German-born Jewish emigré found riches as a clever banker in inter-war Amsterdam. He was soon to find a higher purpose for his accounting skills: the fight against fascism in E..

Nicholas Mulder March 24, 2021

portraits

Tsiang Tingfu – pre-revolutionary China’s last bridge with the West

The American-educated diplomat and historian sought Chinese national revival on cosmopolitan lines, but Mao's revolution led to exile as mainland China was closed off to the world.

Rana Mitter March 9, 2021