Discoveries

Britain's oldest piece of carved wood discovered in layer of peat

The large piece of oak is around 6,000 years old–2,000 years older than Stonehenge

The Met's Vermeer may contain a hidden self-portrait of the artist at work

X-ray technology has revealed that a hidden man in the background of 'A Maid Asleep' is holding a paintbrush

Underwater Nabataean temple discovered in major archaeological find in Italy

Since the 18th century, five of the submerged ancient Roman altars have been found in the area near Naples

Does the Philadelphia Museum of Art hold an unknown Vermeer?

Expert says he discovered two paint pigments that were only used in that combination by the Dutch Old Master at the time

How Van Gogh’s drawing skills were once trumped by a 16-year-old girl

Discovered: a sketch by a pastor’s daughter, who sat beside Van Gogh when they both depicted a woman peeling potatoes

Art history sleuths reunite mother with husband and son in 17th-century Flemish portrait

Scholars have pieced together separate parts of painting after 200 years

Archaeologists discover ancient tunnel at Great Pyramid of Giza that may lead to King Khufu’s tomb

The international team of scientists used radiography and endoscopy techniques to peer inside the structure

Drawing of male nude is Michelangelo’s sketch for Sistine Chapel, scholar says

Red chalk preparatory work may be linked to “Worship of the Brazen Serpent” section of Vatican masterpiece

Britain's oldest prayer beads—buried more than 1,000 years ago—to be displayed in new museum on remote island

It is one of several artefacts making their first public appearance at Lindisfarne Priory

Trove of coded letters written by an imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots are cracked

Around 55 messages composed by the monarch reveal her condition under captivity and negotiations for her release

Hidden in a London attic, I discovered a Bible inscribed by Van Gogh

Vincent and his young English friend Harry Gladwell read the book cover-to-cover in their Paris lodgings—possibly praying to avoid the temptations of Montmartre

Unknown history of 600-year-old, coded Voynich Manuscript revealed by researcher

Stefan Guzy has scoured archives from the Holy Roman Empire and believes he has traced back the ownership of the mysterious cipher book

Was Vermeer a painter of pleasure or a staunch Jesuit supporter? New book challenges our knowledge of the artist

Gregor Weber's biography "Johannes Vermeer: Faith, Light and Reflection" also supports the controversial view that Vermeer used a camera obscura

Scientists used drones and AI to identify 168 more Nazca Lines geoglyphs in Peru

New additions to the mysterious Nazca Lines have been identified by scientists from Japan's Yagamata University through the use of aerial drone footage and artificial intelligence

‘We went from having two Cézannes to three’: x-ray of still life painting reveals hidden portrait

On a hunch, a conservator at the Cincinnati Art Museum had an early Cézanne still life scanned using x-ray imaging, which showed a painted-over portrait by the Modern master

The archaeological discovery of the century? What the San Casciano bronzes tell us about Roman and Etruscan life

The deposit of perfectly preserved statues in the heart of Tuscany reveals six centuries of cultural and political evolution

Carving of man holding his penis and surrounded by leopards is oldest known depiction of a narrative scene, archaeologists say

Neolithic bench discovered in Turkey shows a discernible narrative progression, and dates to around 11,000 BC

A timeline of the $450m Salvator Mundi: centuries of deals, disputes and drama

The Art Newspaper charts the existence of the world's most expensive work of art, from 1478 to today

Amateur historian discovers 600-year-old English coin in Newfoundland

The coin was minted 70 years before the first documented arrival of non-Viking Europeans to the region

'A discovery that will rewrite history': 24 exceptionally well preserved bronzes unearthed by archaeologists in Tuscany

The artefacts, found at ancient Roman baths, are among the most “significant bronzes ever produced in the history of the ancient Mediterranean”

Oil sketch in Dutch museum could be by Rembrandt, says art historian

The work, housed at The Hague's Museum Bredius, will now undergo further study by Rijksmuseum experts

Archaeologists restoring monument damaged by Islamic State discover ancient stone carvings unseen for millennia

The seven alabaster reliefs document the military conquests of the Neo-Assyrian King Sennacherib

Vermeer at the National Gallery in Washington, DC declared not the real thing

The downgrading follows a study of the six paintings in the museum's collection thought to be by the Dutch master, which are now the subject of an exhibition detailing the findings

Vast megalithic site discovered in southern Spain on land earmarked for an avocado plantation

More than 500 standing stones were catalogued by archaeologists working on the 7,000-year-old site

Lootnews

Allegedly stolen ancient Cambodian sculptures airbrushed from photoshoot of ‘most beautiful home in America’

Cambodian government says stone artefacts kept at San Francisco home of billionaire Lindemann family match those looted from sacred site

Fabergé egg allegedly found by US officials on $300m yacht seized from Russia oligarch

A photograph of the "egg" has yet to be released, leading to heightened speculation

Three new Modigliani sketches discovered beneath one of the artist’s early nudes

The works were discovered during preparatory forensic analysis for a new exhibition in Philadelphia