The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who seek them
Art
Sarcophagus Portrait
Mar 7th
This portrait is from the Fayum region and was painted in the Greco-Roman period. The word “Tayum” refers to a very fertile region southwest of Cairo. It was centered around an artificial lake, Lake Qaroun, an ambitious engineering project dating from the twelfth dynasty, built in a natural valley. The people of the Fayum Valley came from Egypt, Greece, Syria, Libya, and other areas of the Roman Empire. They grew crops, including wheat and barley; the fish from the lake was considered a great delicacy throughout Egypt; and, under the rule of Amenemhet III (twelfth dynasty), the area became famed for lush gardens and abundant fruit trees. More >
Pencerrig by Thomas Jones
Mar 1st
Pencerrig was the Welsh family estate of Thomas Jones (1742-1803), who was to have trained for the Church. The money for this was unavailable, so he turned instead to landscape painting. The ability to sketch and paint was regarded at the time as an accomplished pastime for members of genteel families. More >
Portrait of a Child Holding a Rattle by Niels Rode
Mar 1st
Portrait of a Child Holding a Rattle was painted by the Danish Rococo artist Niels Rode (1732-94) at a time when the Rococo style had almost come to an end in France, but was still flourishing in Denmark. Rode was taught by Johann Georg Ziesenis, a recognized Danish Rococo painter who introduced him to other Rococo artists in the Painters’Guild in The Hague, Netherlands. More >
The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West
Mar 1st
The American Benjamin West (1738-1820) moved to England in 1763, becoming portraitist to King George III before painting his most famous work, The Death of General Wolfe. It was initially criticized for being overambitious. By the end of the century, opinion had changed. Three full-scale copies were commissioned from West, including one for the king, while smaller prints of the work became one of the bestselling reproductions of the period. More >
The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough
Mar 1st
This portrait won great acclaim when it was first exhibited in 1770, cementing Thomas Gainsborough’s (c.1727-88) reputation as one of the finest painters of his day. At the time, the artist was earning a good living in the city of Bath, but was anxious to make his name in London. He hoped to do this by showing The Blue Boy at a prestigious new venue, the Royal Academy, which had staged its first exhibition in 1769. More >
