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A 100% true story of the topless shennanigans that (maybe) happened in 1892
It is August. It is hot. You are stubborn and the person you have to deal with is equally stubborn. So what do you do? What would you do if you were a noble woman in Vienna in the Fin de siècle and had an argument? Of course you would instigate a duel, right? Right? Not? I can imagine your slightly confused face that says: Sorry, what are you talking about? I am talking about a historic event that took or maybe not took place in August of 1892: I am talking about a topless duel between two Victorian era ladies which — allegedly — happened at the end of the 19th century in…
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Maria von Oosterwijck, portrait painter of lovely flowers, Happy Birthday!
Maria van Oosterwijk (27.8.1630)* was a dutch still life painter and, because she was a woman, she could be counted as nearly forgotten painter – despite being a highly successful professional artist in the golden days of dutch painting. She never married and despite her very slow way of working, she became a wealthy woman by her own accord. Luckily she is now being more and more appreciated again. Who was Maria van Oosterwijck? She was the daughter of Jacobus van Oosterwijck (1597-1674), a minister and Adriana Lambrechts van Linschoten (1600-1636). When Maria was just six years old she lost her mother. The family moved to Voorburg where her father…
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A game of Morra
Maybe you know the situation: You are traveling and after a while the kids become impatient and whiny because the are bored. The tablet is out of power, there is no screen, the cards are hidden in your luggage, the coloured pencils are becoming boring. To entertain them you try something new (or ancient): you could suggest a game of Morra. The only supply you need for Morra are your fingers. What is Morra? Morra is a simple but fun hand game which was very popular in the Mediterranean, and especially in Italy. It dates back thousands of years and is still played to this day. The earliest documentation of this…
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Before the Gnome: Hermits in the Garden
Hermits in the Garden We all know and love garden gnomes. And who doesn’t love to have a cute fellow with a little red pointed hat, doing garden things and minding his business? But imagine, if those gnomes were real persons living in your garden? To you this sounds more than absurd and over-the-top eccentric? Well… yes. But, you know, they existed. Only they were not gnomes but ornamental hermits. To learn more about it, let’s go on a little time travel back into the 17th century. The change of garden style in the 17th Century At the beginning of the 17th century the ornamental baroque garden was the predominant type of…
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The three Vedutisti: Canaletto, Canaletto, and Guardi – And what is a veduta anyway?
I am currently plagued by a condition called „Wanderlust“. It is summer. It is warm enough at my place but there is a growing desire to see new places, to escape the daily life, to relax and forget the mundane and endless cycle of work, household chores, and rising early. It is not possible at the moment so I enjoy a vicarious satisfaction by looking at paintings of places I would love to see. Mainly Venice. I don’t know why Venice in particular. Maybe because it’s beautiful? Because it resonates with me? I don’t know. (And to be completely honest: Venice in pictures and paintings is superior to being at that…
