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Portraits of Emperor Qianlong, the Empress, and Eleven Imperial Consorts, Giuseppe Castiglione (郎世寧)

Portraits of Emperor Qianlong, the Empress, and Eleven Imperial Consorts

This extraordinary scroll was painted over the 34 year reign of Emperor Qianlong. Giuseppe Castiglione began the scroll, painting the emperor, empress, and his first consort, and the scroll was completed in stages by other artists from the emperor’s court. It is read from right to left, beginning with the emperor himself, followed by the empress, then his eleven ‘consorts.’ It’s a strangely familial portrait, with a quiet tenderness in the faces. read more
The Etruscans, 400BCE
Chimera of Arezzo
This is an undeniably modern interpretation. The chimera, like most beasts of antiquity, was the bad guy. Child of the giant serpent Typhon and the half woman half snake Echidna (you know her from the Starbucks logo) the Chimera was an abominable thing, unnatural combination of lion and goat, with the head of a snake for a tail. Her brothers and sisters live in legend. read more
Chimera of Arezzo, The Etruscans
Toyen
What's in a name?
Names are assigned to us before we are aware of their meaning, and we grow into them as much as they come to reflect us. In Japan artists often changed names after milestones in their lives, but in the west, once you've been given a name, you're usually stuck with it—a rigidity that makes claiming a new name even more powerful magic. read more
Toyen, The Artists
Sascha Schneider, 1904
Hypnosis
To Sascha Schneider the male body was perfection, and the world its antagonist. Schneider worked in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the development of Freikörperkultur, free body culture, also called the Health and Hygiene movement. Freikörperkultur aimed to counteract the restraint and stress of industrialization with a restorative mix of open air nudity, exercise, and healthy diet. read more
Hypnosis, Sascha Schneider
Born on August 19
James Nasmyth, The ArtistsPortrait of James Nasmyth

James Nasmyth

The inventor of the steam hammer maps the moon

1808 – 1890
Jeanna Bauck, The ArtistsPortrait of Jeanna Bauck

Jeanna Bauck

1840 – 1926

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