Haboku Sansui Painting
“Haboku sansui” is a breathtaking splashed-ink painting done by the Zen Buddhist monk Sesshu Toyo in 1495.
Haboku Sansui Painting Read More »
art
15th Century Aquamanile
This is a 15th century aquamanile (pouring water vessel) representing the humiliation of Aristotle by Phyllis: a sort of “world-turned upside down” motif that actually reinforced ideas that men’s real place is above women. Picture taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.
15th Century Aquamanile Read More »
Iconoclasm
This simple black-on-gold mosaic cross is generally thought to be among the most significant artistic remains of the Byzantine Civilization. The reason why it’s so famous has everything to do with an ancient religious battle that lasted across two centuries and whose victors deliberately destroyed most sources that challenged their perspectives. I’m talking about the
Japanese Bathhouse
This woodblock print from about 1787 is by the Japanese artist Torii Kiyonaga, and it’s one of the most elegant examples of the distinct art from the Edo period in Japan, a time when the country’s artistic creativity generated works admired both at home and by Europeans. “Interior of a bathhouse” shows several women in
Japanese Bathhouse Read More »
Ina Boyle
Meet one of Ireland’s most prolific composers, Ina Boyle. Never heard of her? Even in her lifetime, as she was churning out chamber music, choral pieces, concertos, and symphonies, most of her work was never performed, so you’re not alone. But she wrote more classical music than any other Irishwoman up through the mid 20th-century.
Camels in the Bible
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s writeup of this 12th-c painting of a camel found on the walls of the monastery Church of San Baudelio de Berlanga in Spain somewhat charitably declares that the painter “could have been inspired by an actual camel”. After all, there is the single hump of the dromedary camel, and this
Camels in the Bible Read More »
Angels and Demons
M.C. Escher, “Angels and Demons,” part of a series called “Capturing Infinity,” 1960. Escher worked on consultations with several mathematicians to develop much of his artwork.
The Consolation of Philosophy
The 6th century work _The Consolation of Philosophy_ was super popular for over 1000 years. I like this quote that Lady Philosophy has to say about riches: “In reality, men who possess very many things need very many things, while men who measure their abundance by the necessities of Nature and not by the excesses
The Consolation of Philosophy Read More »
Lingzhi Mushroom
This is a jade statuette from 18th-century China of a type of mushroom called the _Lingzhi_. It has been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine for over a millennium, and was associated in the religion of Daoism with immortality. The physician Li Shizhen who lived in the 1500s writes that “it positively affects the life energy,
Tomar, the Castle and Convent Where the Knights Templar Survived
The Knights Templar built the magnificent Castle and Convent of Christ in Tomar, Portugal, in the 12th century. But when the military religious order was dissolved and its members routed and killed after 1319, the kings of Portugal made Tomar a refuge for the monastic knights, changing their name to the Order of Christ and
Tomar, the Castle and Convent Where the Knights Templar Survived Read More »
The Original Smithsonian
This is the very first Smithsonian Museum building, known as “The Castle,” and it was built in 1855. The founders of the Smithsonian lay a foundation for the 21 museums that make up the US national heritage that exists in Washington D.C. today. There are photos here of the surrounding gardens, built by people who
The Original Smithsonian Read More »
Indigenous Americans and Horses
These rock carvings from southern Wyoming date to the early 1600s and relate to the ancestors of the Comanche and Shoshone American Indians. Clearly pictured is a scene with a rider on a horse. The choice of subject — horses among indigenous Americans — is also the focus of a groundbreaking study published in _Science
Indigenous Americans and Horses Read More »
Nyx in Historical and Modern Art
One of the most pleasurable parts of mythology is that the stories get written anew with succeeding generations. You can see that here with two illustrations of the Ancient Greek Goddess Nyx: the first is by William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1884 (_La Nuit_) and the second is by J.H. Williams III, illustration of Mother Night for
Nyx in Historical and Modern Art Read More »
15th – Century Voynich Manuscript
Ah! What could be cooler than the 15th-century Voynich Manuscript, a document that has stumped linguists and cryptographers since its rediscovery? Yeah, It’s super fascinating. It uses different letters and people have tried corresponding them to various languages like Latin (it has some Latin words in the margins). The paintings are about medical/”sciency” stuff, and
15th – Century Voynich Manuscript Read More »
Clio the Ancient Muse of History
Clio was the Ancient muse of history, and this painting by the 17th-century Dutch artist Johannes Moreelse has the saucy expression that comes from being a Time Lord (or Lady).
Clio the Ancient Muse of History Read More »
Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac Painting
This is a wall painting from the Dura-Europos synagogue of the Biblical foundational character Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac — you can see his soul going up to heaven (mid third-century CE). But wait — everyone knows that in the Bible (Genesis 22), God prevented Abraham at the last minute from killing his beloved son,
Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac Painting Read More »
Beethoven’s Final Symphony
Almost 200 years ago (May 7, 1824), Beethoven’s Ninth – and final – Symphony debuted, and yesterday I got a chance to hear it at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Carlisle. It took the combined efforts of three groups (the Dickinson College Choir, Cantate Carlisle, and the Dickinson Orchestra) to perform the famously monumental
Beethoven’s Final Symphony Read More »
Whore of Babylon
It’s really difficult for me, dear readers, not to love the Whore of Babylon, the metaphor and shibboleth from the New Testament Book of Revelations. As a reminder, here are some lines from that apocalyptic book: “‘Come, I will show you the judgement of the great whore who is seated on many waters, with whom
Smallpox Scars and Women’s Cosmetics
Take a good look at this painting from about 1650 by an anonymous English artist, and think about what it all means. Here we have two wealthy women’s three-quarter portraits — they wear jewelry and fancy clothes, and they are posed in a mirror image of each other. Suggestive of equality, right? But one woman
Smallpox Scars and Women’s Cosmetics Read More »
Ancient Roman Focaccia?
Just a reminder — since 2017, the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii (which was infamously buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE) has undergone extensive excavations in several new areas. And in “Regio IX” this week, the first scholarly analysis of this painting appeared, and the interwebs are all a-flutter as to
Ancient Roman Focaccia? Read More »