DIARY ByJonathan WrightandDanny Bird

HISTORY COOKBOOK Easter simnel cake

HISTORIC CITIES Beijing, China

EXHIBITION

Duccio’s The Virgin and Child with Saints Dominic and Aurea is part of a new exhibition exploring a golden age of art in 14th-century Italy

© THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

Roots of the Renaissance

Step into the golden age of 14th-century Siena, where art sparked a revolution. A new exhibition, staged as part of the National Gallery’s bicentenary celebrations, reunites scenes from Duccio di Buoninsegna’s monumental Maestˆ panels, Simone Martini’s Orsini Polyptych and works by the Lorenzetti brothers.

There are over 100 masterpieces on show, including paintings, gilded glass and ivories, which reveal how Sienese creativity ignited Europe’s artistic transformation.

Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350

The National Gallery, London / Until 22 June / nationalgallery.org.uk

What’s on this week? Visit historyextra.com for updates on upcoming history TV and radio programmes

EXHIBITIONS

Edvard Munch Portraits

National Portrait Gallery, London / Until 15 June / npg.org.uk The haunting work of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863–1944) takes centre stage at the National Portrait Gallery this spring. Best known for his searing masterpiece, The Scream, Munch’s radical approach to portraiture, capturing identity and inner turmoil with striking intensity, is revealed in the displays.

Sirens, Women and the Sea

Ferens Art Gallery, Hull / Until 5 May / hullmuseums.co.uk

From a fifth-century BC Greek vase to Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces by Herbert James Draper, this exhibition explores the history of the mythological creatures whose song could be so deadly. It also features contemporary artists like Abe Odedina and Emma Stibbon and reveals how the legends connect to themes of climate change, migration and gender fluidity.