ἕν οἶδα, ὅτι οὐδέν οἶδα
All I know is that I know nothing
Allegedly said by Socrates
So true, 30 years in Education, and I still feel like a kindergarten student, curious and inquisitive, questioning, interested, prying …
Teika’s Poems for the Twelve Months presented by Tosa Mitsunari
Tosa Mitsunari, Japanese Artist, 1646-1710Teika's Poems for the Twelve Months, Edo period (1603-1868), 1646-1710, ink, color and gold leaf on paper, six-fold screen, 170.18x 61.92 cm (each panel), Indianapolis Museum of Art, USAhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tosa_Mitsunari_-_Teika%27s_Poems_for_the_Twelve_Mon ...
New Kingdom Temple Architecture
The Cult Temple of Amun-Ra, Hypostyle Hall, was begun by Ramesses I (19th Dynasty, 1292-1290), continued by his son, Seti I (19th Dynasty, 1306-1290 BC), and completed by Ramesses II (19th Dynasty, 1303-1213), Karnak, Egypthttps://www.worldhistory.org/image/12797/great-hypostyle-hall-columns-karnak/ Late in the Sec ...
The Girl with the Pigeons
Polychronis Lembesis, Greek Artist, 1849-1913The Girl with the Pigeons, 1879, Oil on Canvas, 120x80 cm, Averoff Museum of Neo-Hellenic Art, Metsovo, Greecehttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Lembesis_Polychronis_The_girl_with_the_Pigeons.jpg The Girl with the Pigeons is a famous Greek painting by Po ...
Pendant with the Bust of an Empress
Chain and Pendant with the Bust of an Empress, 379–395 AD, Gold, garnet, sapphire, glass, 6.4 cm, The J. Paul Getty Museum, CA, USA http://colorsandstones.eu/2020/11/08/necklace-with-a-pendant-roman-overview/ St. Ambrose describes her, Aelia Flacilla, wife of emperor Theodosius I, as "a soul true to God" (Fidelis a ...
The dynamic Middle Kingdom
Model of a Boat from the Tomb of Meketre 12th Dynasty, ca. 1981–1975 BC, Wood, paint, plaster, linen twine, linen fabric, Length: 132.5 cm, the MET, NY, USAhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_tomb_model#/media/File:Model_Paddling_Boat_MET_20.3.5_EGDP011930.jpg The dynamic reunification of the Two Lands in ancient ...
Murrhine Vases in the British Museum
The Barber Cup, 50-100 AD, Fluorite, Diameter: 6.40 cm, Height: 15 cm (total), British Museum, London, UK https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/9125/the-barber-cupThe Crawford Cup, 50-100 AD, Fluorite, Diameter: 10.70 cm, Height: 9.70 cm, British Museum, London, UK https://www.britishm ...
Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519Saint John the Baptist, 1508–1519 (?), Oil on walnut wood, 69×57 cm, the Louvre, Paris, France https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John_the_Baptist_(Leonardo)#/media/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Saint_John_the_Baptist_C2RMF_retouched.jpg …an Angel who raises in the air an arm whose part from ...
The Twelve Months of Flowers by Pieter Casteels III
Pieter Casteels III, 1684-1739The Twelve Months of Flowers, 1730, Oil on Canvas, 76.2x63.5 cm, Private Collectionhttps://www.christies.com/lot/lot-pieter-casteels-iii-antwerp-1684-1749-richmond-4507868/ January brings the snow, / Makes our feet and fingers glow. / Feb ...
Nativity scene from the Menologion of Basil II
Menologion of Basil II, The Nativity of Christ, c. 1000, Illuminated Manuscript, Vatican Library (Ms. Vat. gr. 1613)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menologion_of_Basil_II Η Γέννησίς Σου, Χριστέ ο Θεός ημών, ανέτειλε τω κόσμω το φως το της γνώσεως· εν αυτή γαρ οι τοις άστροις λατρεύοντες, υπό αστέρος εδιδάσκοντο, Σε ...
Winter by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1527-1593The Four Seasons – Winter, 1563, oil on linden wood, 66,6x50,5 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austriahttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arcimboldo_Winter_1563.jpg Shivering, frozen mid the frosty snow in biting, stinging winds; running to and fro to stamp one's icy feet, te ...
The Apotheosis of Herakles
Apotheosis (Deification) of Herakles Pediment, c. 570 BC, Actite, a type of porous limestone, painted, H. 0.94 m, L. 1.74 m, Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greecehttps://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/apotheosis-deification-herakles-pediment I will sing of Herakles, the son of Zeus and much the mightiest of men on e ...
Hartwell Memorial Window by Tiffany
Tiffany Studios (1902–32, American Manufacturer), Agnes F. Northrop (American Artist - 1857–1953, Designer), Louis Comfort Tiffany (American Artist – 1848-1933, Manufacturer)Hartwell Memorial Window (Detail), 1917, Leaded glass, 798.7 × 554.7 × 42.5 cm, the Art Institute of Chicago, USA https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ ...
The Art of the Old Kingdom Period
Statue of Ka Aper from Saqqara (detail), c.2450-2350 BC, 5th Dynasty, Wood, Eyes: Eyes: Rock crystal, calcite, copper, black stone, Height: 112 cm, The Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt https://www.reddit.com/r/OutoftheTombs/comments/vi7q9q/the_4500_years_old_wooden_statue_of_kaaper_the/ Ancient Egyptian art must be vi ...
Simon Bening’s December
Simon Bening (d. 1561) and his workshopBook of Hours, known as the Golf Book December (f. 29v), c. 1540, 30 Parchment leaves on paper mounts, bound into a codex, 110 x 80 mm (text space: 85 x 60 mm), British Library, London, UKhttps://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/calendars/page/10/ Last, for December, houses on ...
Grave Stele of a Youth and a little Girl
Marble stele (grave marker) of a youth and a little girl (and details), ca. 530 BC, Marble, H. 423.4cm, the MET, NY, USA https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248501?&exhibitionId=0&oid=248501&pkgids=773 and https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248500 and http://met-guide.blogspot.com/ ...
Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell, American Artist, 1894-1978Freedom From Want, 1943, Oil on canvas, 115.16x89.20 cm, Story illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1943. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA, USA https://www.nrm.org/2016/11/freedom-want-1943/ On Thanksgiving Day remember Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882) ...