#FindsFriday A #silver skyphos, part of the Menander hoard found in #Pompeii decorate pastoral scenes including an oarsman and a shepherd. The #Greek name 'Apelles'- the artisan who created the cup - stamped on the bottom of the cup. #Archaeology #History

The wedding at Cana, 1562-3, Late Renaissance masterpiece, monumental oil on canvas painted for Refectory of San Giorgio monastery, by Paolo Veronese, great Venetian artist (1528-1588), supreme colourist, influenced by Titian, worked with Palladio, inspired Rubens, Tiepolo. Musée du Louvre

Dante of the 20th Century: Franz Kafka, born in Prague #OTD 1883, great German-language writer of works admired by Nabokov, Auden, Camus; author of Die Verwandlung (Metamorphosis) published as a novella in 1916: “Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte…” Atelier Jacobi

Robert Adam, pre-eminent Scottish Neoclassical architect, born #OTD 1728; influenced late 18th Century classical taste in Europe and North America; in the 1760’s he remodelled the Entrance Hall & State Dining Room of Syon House, for the 1st Duke of Northumberland.

The River Stour today, at the bridge in Bures linking Suffolk and Essex. If, like me, you read Philippa Pearce's "The Minnow on the Say" as a child, I suspect this is how you visualised the little River Say; certainly this is how I saw it.

L'église Santi Giovanni e Paolo, dans le sestiere de Castello, est réputée pour être la plus grande de Venise ainsi que pour le nombre et la splendeur des tombeaux de doges (dont deux se font face dans le chœur-même). #HDA

Dunnottar Castle, on its rock looking out to sea.

Haddington's Town House was looking particularly fine in this afternoon's sun. Dating originally from 1742, it was rebuilt in the 1820s and the steeple and spire added in the 1830s.

King Offa of Mercia who is said to have founded St Albans Abbey. BL Cotton MS Nero D VII; The Benefactors' Book of St Albans Abbey (‘the Golden Book of St Albans’); 1380-c 1540; England (St Albans); f.3v @blmedieval.bsky.social

Au Palazzo Grimani, la Salle des Feuillages se distingue par l'extraordinaire décor végétal peint à fresque sur sa voûte (fin des années 1560). #HDA

It is very difficult to appreciate the values of Renaissance architecture without having visited Tuscany

Hugely powerful background on Lee and the Penroses was delivered at a Gresham College Lecture earlier this year given by her son Antony. I can't recommend it enough, and it's free to view here: www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/le...

Out on one of our favourite walks over Smardale Fell to Smardale Bridge & back round to Waitby on the disused railway over the viaduct. Amazef at the variety of limestone loving plants in the old quarry. First time I have seen Fragrant Orchid 😍 Lots of Rock Rose, Scabious, Bloody Cranes Bill & more

History matters.

L'attachante mélancolie de Venise.

The spirit of place is often difficult to define in a photograph. For me, this comes close. First light streaming through York Minster's Great East Window. One of those fleeting moments that has stayed with me ever since I pressed the shutter button.

A Very Cool Thing: Astrolabe from Seville, 1224 AD (Oxford HSM inv.50934). On the throne, at the top of the instrument, note the #geometry diagram: it shows the method for bisecting a segment, used here to draw the meridian line. The maker engraved it fully, offering us a glimpse into their process…

A stunning amber bead necklace, dating 6th century BC, from Saal a.d.Saale-Waltershausen. It appears that amber served a dual purpose, enhancing the appearance and protecting the women who wore it during the Hallstatt period. The intriguing material, sourced from the Baltic region,...🧵1/2 📷 me

Aux Galeries de l'Académie, deux tableaux de Giovanni Bellini si caractéristiques, par leur format, leur composition et leur traitement du sujet (douceur et appel à la méditation), de la manière du maître. #HDA

A return to the top of Wild Boar Fell after 30 years. We were swamped by atrocious weather in 1996 and had to retreat but always intended to go back. Nice to fulfil that and see the cairns on High White Scar.

For #Woodensday, the very fine C14 tithe barn at Lacock, largely intact. Originally part of Lacock Abbey, founded c 1230 by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as an Augustinian nunnery. Historic England details in ALT.

The Denial of St Peter, c 1625, oil on panel, by Theodoor Rombouts, leader of Flemish Caravaggisti, born in Antwerp #OTD 1597.Pupil of Janssens, trained in Rome; known for dramatic religious & genre scenes of horizontal composition, the sculptural quality enhanced by light. Palais Liechtenstein Wien

Great library of Venice: Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Libreria 1537-1560, designed by Jacopo Sansovino, influential Italian Renaissance architect & sculptor, born #OTD 1486; the library originally housed rare Greek manuscripts bequeathed to Venice by acclaimed scholar Cardinal Bessarion.

#HillfortsWednesday Dun Aonghasa, Inis Mór, Aran Islands Dún Aonghasa is over 3,000 years old. Excavations have revealed significant evidence of #prehistoric metalworking, as well as several houses and burials. The whole site was refortified in AD 700–800. #Archaeology #Ireland

À la Scuola Grande di San Rocco, un pèlerinage que je ne manque jamais de faire lorsque je suis à Venise, l'impressionnant décor de la Sala Grande (1er étage) que l'on doit à l'excellentissime Tintoret. #HDA

San Gimignano Il Duomo

Au musée de la basilique Saint-Marc, les célèbres chevaux en bronze dans leur version d'origine finalement datée du IIe siècle av. J.-C. C'est le sac de Constantinople par les Croisés, en 1204, qui a permis leur transfert à Venise (ils ont également séjourné à Paris entre 1797 et 1815). #HDA

July is the time for making the hay, and lunch in a basket. #MedievalCalendar Morgan Library MS M.399; Da Costa hours, illuminated by Simon Bening; ca. 1515 CE; Belgium; f.8v

The month of July Juillet, Palais Comtal de Poitiers Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry Illuminated Manuscript on vellum, 1412-1416 Musée Condé ⁦, Château de Chantilly

Tartan swagger: Colonel the Hon. William Gordon, in Huntly tartan, painted during his Grand Tour by Italian artist Pompeo Batoni, Rome 1766; with plaid draped like a toga, he poses boldly beside a statue of Roma, in front of the Colosseum. Fyvie Castle National Trust Scotland #InternationalTartanDay

The best of all possible worlds: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German mathematician & philosopher, inspired Voltaire's Dr Pangloss, born #OTD 1646. Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum ⁦‪

Volterra Details

On Van Gogh and George Eliot see this excellent article by Ruth Livesey:

Broad Street, the former Greyfriars Kirk with Marischal College behind. Aberdeen in the evening sunshine.

Crescent-shaped earrings encircling confronted birds, constructed with gold wire, granulation, and filigree Iran, 11th-12th c., Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Candlelight concerts in Barcelona are among the highlights of the summer, blending classical music with candlelight to create a truly magical experience. Each concert pays tribute to some of the greatest composers and artists in music history, performed live by a string quartet or quintet.

Volterra Etruscan gate and arch.

Two of the 18 ‘satellite’ burial mounds at Knowth - part of the Brú na Bóinne complex near Newgrange in Ireland. Dating to the Neolithic, the mounds surrounds the more famous larger mound which contains two passage tombs. 📸 My own #TombTuesday #Prehistory #Archaeology #Ireland

Volterra Teatro Romano

Lots going on around Scotland for the Jacobite Festival in August, especially talks and tours at Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. Check out the website for further details. #jacobitesinedinburgh #edinburghhistory buff.ly/9EB3PSH

À la Pinacothèque du Museo Correr, deux panneaux formant les faces extérieures d'un coffre (cassone) nuptial décoré par Apollonio di Giovanni et son atelier v. 1460-1465 (avec des scènes sans doute inspirées par le Decaméron). Les détails rendent bien compte de la préciosité de cet objet. #HDA

Superb 'Fuit' at the beginning of 1 Kings (1 Samuel) BnF MS Latin 2; the Second Bible of Charles the Bald; 9th century (between 871 CE & 877 CE); Abbey of Saint-Amand-en-Pévèle; f.99r @gallicabnf.bsky.social

San Biagio Montepulciano Antonio da Sangallo il vecchio (What a Masterpiece)

Au Museo Chiaramonti (Braccio Nuovo) du Vatican, magnifique statue en marbre de la 2ème moitié du Ier siècle représentant le Nil, qui devait se trouver dans un sanctuaire dédié à Isis (retrouvée en 1513 sur le Champ-de-Mars, copie probable d'un modèle d'époque alexandrine en basalte noir). #HDA

Pienza Details

Lovely 17km walk from Outhgill to Glaisdale & back. Every ruinous farm looks like Top Withens 🙂 Great fun exploring the numerous small limestone gorges which often have caves. Mobbed by Lapwings and Curlews all the way, which was nice as there aren’t many places left where that happens.

San Galgano Basilica

Owl of Athena! 🦉❤️ A rare Athenian silver decadrachm, c. 467 BC. Münzkabinett der Staatlichen Museum, Berlin 📷 ArchaiOptix #Archaeology

The chapter house, Elgin Cathedral.

Palazzo Rucellai Leon Battista Alberti Florence, 1446-1451 (not the first Florentine Palazzo with a public bench along ALL its facade)