Renaissance Dissident
Art History from a Different Perspective
Venus and Mars, by Sandro Botticelli.
The Coronation of the Virgin, by Giovanni di Tano Fei.
The Romanesque chuch of San Lorenzo, in Montiglio Monferrato, Piedmont.
The Baptidm of Christ by Piero della Francesca.
A fresco of the Archangel Michael by Aimone Dux in the Cappella di Missione, Villafranca Piemonte.
A sunset over the district of Oltrarno, in Florence.

Welcome to the website of Chris Dobson
And for those very, VERY few visitors who are actually real, congratulations on getting this far!
This website is heavily censored by using Google’s algorithms to hide most pages from the general public, leaving only certain pages visible in search results: done with the intention of keeping me working on armour, in Piedmont, and away from Florence.

Anyway... I am a master craftsman and artist who became an art historian. My personal experience of creating artworks and restoring original pieces, combined with my scholastic research, gives me a unique perspective on the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. I share that perspective through my publications, podcasts and articles. I live and work in Italy.

Books and eBooks on the art and history of Italy

Publications
Visit the online shop to order my printed books and eBooks, which span thousands of years of Italian art, history and culture. They are full of interesting historical detail, packed with beautiful photography, and written to be accessible to everyone.
SHOP HERE

Free online articles about the art, history and culture of Italy.

Online Articles
I have written a great deal about the art and history of Renaissance Florence, but I also champion the little-known, yet beautiful art of Piedmont. This page has links to articles on this website, and also to Italian cultural blogs that I write for.
READ HERE

Historian Chris Dobson writes books, articles, and produces podcasts about the Italian Renaissance

About Chris Dobson
Read about how I discovered the art of Renaissance Italy, which then became a passion that has shaped my life and work ever since. I now live and work in Italy, writing for Italian blog sites and publications, both in Piedmont and Tuscany.
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Chris Dobson NO LONGER works on antique armour.

Armour Restoration (NOT)
It has become obvious that certain unscrupulous people in the antiques trade are absolutely desperate to get me back into the workshop, working on antique armour for them. Visit this page to learn why that’s never going to happen.
FIND OUT MORE

© Chris Dobson 2025 | All rights reserved