Here they come, the couple plighted – On life's journey gaily start them. Man and maid for aye united, Till divorce or death shall part them. ...and also featuring mostly-naked men and absinthe, which are, strangely, unrelated.
"Promptly at high noon the unhappy couple entered the court room to the soft strains of Hymn Twenty-three. The American wife, looking happy for the first time in many years, leaned on the arm of the family solicitor; she wore a lovely green going-away gown and bore a huge bouquet of incriminating affidavits; her train was carried by her minor child. Next in the divorce procession came the co-respondents, charmingly and in some cases daringly gowned. The husband was supported by his counsel, and swooned twice during the separation ceremony, which was performed beneath a monster floral ax, while a surpliced jury sang "My Boni Lies Over the Ocean," "How Can I Bear to Leave Thee," and other appropriate selections. After the ceremony the former wife's father gave a luncheon to the Count's creditors and arranged to pay them thirty cents on the dollar. The Count's gift to his former wife was a statement of his debts to date. Her gift to him was a tin can in a Tiffany setting. Miss Creesis will be at home after March 15."
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 22 to 28 February 2015. Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.
Shepseskare(
nominated by
Iry-Hor)Shepseskare, an ancient Egyptian
Fifth Dynasty pharaoh, lived in the middle of the 25th century BC. Traditionally believed to have reigned seven years, the paucity of artefacts from his reign has led some Egyptologists to think that he only reigned for a few months. He has no known pyramid, though the barely-started construction of a pyramid at
Abusir, between other Fifth Dynasty pyramids belonging to known pharaohs has been suggested to be all the work on Shepseskare's that his short reign allowed. It amounts to a few weeks' work levelling the ground and digging a ditch. Otherwise a couple of cylinder seals carved with his name, a few impressions of seals and some cursory mentions in historical records are all that's left of him.
Bramshill House(
nominated by
Dr. Blofeld)Bramshill House is one of the largest
Jacobean mansions in
England. There was a manor house on the site from 1360, in a 2,500-acre (1,000 ha) wooded park. In 1605,
Baron Zouche bought the estate, demolished the house, and built a 15-bedroom mansion. The house is reputed to be haunted by fourteen ghosts, but we think that's transparent nonsense. Well, translucent nonsense, anyway. I mean, you can only partially see through ghosts. Must be precise.
God of War III(
nominated by
JDC808)The God of War, the God of War / I'm destined for, I'm destined for / A terribly famous conqueror / With a sword upon his thigh! / When army's meet with angry shout, / Or war-like rout, or war-like rout / You'll find me there without a doubt / The God of War am I! is what goes through my head every time I see the game mentioned. Made worse because the music to Thespis is lost, but I set it to a theme from Victoria and Merrie England and... but I get way off topic. This is the third in the popular video game series which sees the anti-hero Kratos slaughter his way through the Greek gods. In this one, he manages to kill
Helios, destroying the sun,
Hera, destroying all plants... and generally makes a huge mess of things. Eh, well. It'll probably be alright in the end. Probably....
American Arts Commemorative Series medallions(
nominated by
RHM22)American Arts Commemorative Series medallions are ten gold-coloured medals that depict American artists, architects, writers, poets and musicians. They were made from 90%
gold and 10%
copper; later issues had a smidgen of
silver to alter the appearance. The medallions were intended to compete with
Krugerrands and other gold bullion coins. They were made in two sizes, "one ounce", containing one
Troy ounce of gold, or 31 grams, and "half ounce", containing 16 grams of gold, and were sold to the public for the market price of the gold content "plus the cost of manufacture, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses including marketing costs." Which, by our reckoning, makes the half-ounce coin a bit expensive compared with its big brother. The gold price was set using the previous day's closing price on the
London bullion market, so sales rose and fell depending on whether the price of gold had risen or fallen in the meantime. Not that they sold very well at the best of times: They were eventually withdrawn from the market and replaced by a
gold coin. If you're thinking of buying one, the rarest is the 1983 half-ounce
Alexander Calder, of which it's estimated there are only 8,000 left. Why not buy several and make a
mobile; it'll still be cheaper than buying one of Calder's mobiles.
Cucurbita(
nominated by
HalfGig,
Sminthopsis84, and
Chiswick Chap) The genus Cucurbita, which includes butternut squash, courgettes (zucchinis to our American readers), various pumpkins, and other squashes and gourds, is a delicious and important part of the human food supply. Evidence of domestication goes back at least eight thousand years in the Americas, and happened as far north as Canada and as far south as Argentina. Cucurbita pepo, a species with a wide variety of cultivars, including the famous orange pumpkin, is believed to be one of the oldest domesticated plants, if not the oldest. They reached Europe after Columbus' voyage, with the earliest record being a French devotional book, of all things, from between 1503 and 1508. Famously, pumpkins replaced the traditional turnip in the carving of
jack-o'-lanterns. This
Hallowe'en, say no to revisionism. Carve a turnip. Then have a nice pumpkin pie or a butternut squash stew, because they're delicious, hearty meals for a cold autumnal evening. Or, if you live in a place unlike Scotland where it's hot in October, then, if they're available and not out of season, why not roast pumpkin and butternut squash, cut them into cubes, add cherry tomatoes, some pine nuts, a little olive oil, perhaps, and have a delicious cold salad?
Exhumation of Richard III of England(
nominated by
Prioryman) Long thought to have been thrown from the old Bow Bridge in Leicester into the
River Soar, the remains of
Richard III of England were rediscovered under a
car park once used by social workers. Acting on a hunch, archaeologists dug up part of the site of the long-lost
Greyfriars church in which Richard's tomb had been once been located. On the first day of the dig, the skeleton of a thirty-year-old man was found, with signs that he'd been severely hacked about, both before and after death. The skeleton's spine was also severely curved in an S-shape, which would have made his right shoulder higher than his left. The skeleton's genome was sequenced and compared with that of a direct descendant of Richard's sister,
Anne. It matched, confirming that these were indeed the villain's remains. Following standard archaeological practice, it was intended that Richard should be re-interred in the nearest consecrated ground, which is
Leicester Cathedral, and, after some controversy, he'll finally be re-interred there on 26 March. Try and get ringside seats: We want featured pictures of his skeleton, and we're running out of time for that.
List of scheduled monuments in North Somerset(
nominated by
Rodw) Over the last year or thereabouts, we've had a long series of list of scheduled monuments – historical sites or buildings of national importance – from the various administrative divisions of
Somerset, England. Like all in that series, there has been a valiant effort to get photographs for as many monuments as possible. The list includes various prehistoric burial sites – including the fairly well-known
Aveline's Hole and quite a number of
barrows – complete with
barrow wights if my Tolkien has taught me anything – Bronze and Iron Age
hillforts and other settlements, deserted Roman and Medieval towns, farmsteads, castles and houses, village and church crosses, a relatively well-preserved priory, 17th- and 18th-century industrial buildings, and even a
World War I gun emplacement.
Savilian Professor of Astronomy(
nominated by
Bencherlite) Created by
Henry Savile in 1619, this professorship at the
University of Oxford was part of a campaign to improve the understanding of mathematics in England, alongside the related
Savilian Professorship of Geometry. Originally requiring an understanding of
Aristotle and
Plato, to have begun before any higher sciences were studied, this original part of the bequest was likely dropped long ago. With a number of great scientists and researchers, the Savilian Professors include twenty people who can be said to have improved our understanding of astronomy and related fields, and also include
George Johnson.
Young Knight in a Landscape(created by
Vittore Carpaccio,
nominated by
Hafspajen) A painting by the classic Italian Renaissance artist
Vittore Carpaccio, Portrait of a Knight shows a young knight, surrounded by a series of symbolic objects and animals. The heron fighting with the hawk in the sky might hint at a battle; an alternative theory is that this is a
memorial portrait. In the left lower corner is a white
ermine and a scroll stating "I prefer to die rather than to incur dishonour" ( malo mori quam foedari ). The European legend had it that a white stoat would rather die before allowing its pure white coat to be besmirched, thus this could be an allusion to the knight's pure character and morality, or maybe his fate. Art historians continue to debate, without any signs of it resolving.
Self-Portrait with Two Pupils(created by
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard,
nominated by
Hafspajen and
Crisco 1492) Unsurprisingly, this is a self-portrait by
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (sitting) with two of her pupils,
Marie-Gabrielle Capet and
Marie Marguerite Carreaux de Rosemond – the latter of whom we'd like to see an article on, although apparently none of her well-praised works survives, at least, not attributed to her. Sign your work, kids. Anyway! Labille-Guiard was a female painter who trained other women artists, because art schools were not open to women at the time. These three women were unusual woman artists who counted among their customers several members of the royal family, and even other members of Parisian society. However, women were not considered serious painters, and were barred or all-but-barred from the Art Academies; for instance, in the early 1790s, Labille-Guiard had to campaign for the
French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture to be reopened to women, and, even when she succeeded, the number of women painters allowed in was still limited to only four. Self-Portrait with Two Pupils was part of a campaign for recognition of women when it was exhibited at the Salon at the
Académie Royale. It was still a slow process. Fast quiz:
QUIZ, check your knowledge about women painters.
Bath Abbey set:
Exterior, nave looking east, and nave looking west(created and
nominated by
David Iliff) The wonderful set of featured photos of
Bath Abbey were taken by our excellent photographer
David Iliff. Bath Abbey, a now-
Anglicanparish church in
Bath,
Somerset, England, was founded in the 7th century, has a
cruciform floor plan, and was rebuilt several times. It is a spectacular example of the
Perpendicular style, a Gothic style strongly associated with English architecture. The vaulting over the
nave is made from local Bath stone. The west front has charming sculptures of angels climbing to heaven on ladders, a theme inspired by
Jacob's dream. The church is an active place of worship, and is also used for secular civic ceremonies, concerts, and lectures, a stone's throw from where naked Romans sweated under the stern gaze of a Celtic god. As for the details of the photograph, we don't know what the flautist is playing; his audience seems to be listening intently... but no-one's throwing coins into the bowler hat. Maybe they did after the photo?
Portrait of Doña Isabel de Porcel(created by
Francisco Goya,
nominated by
SchroCat)Portrait of Doña Isabel de Porcel is a painting made by the
Spanish painter
Francisco Goya around 1805, and depicts a young woman with her hands on her hips, dressed festively with a high Spanish
mantilla on her head with a black lace veil. The veil is worn over a high comb, and this ingenious arrangement covers her head and shoulders. This fashion came into use in the warmer regions of Spain towards the end of the 16th century, starting in the
Andalusia region of Spain. Women still wear mantillas in Spain during Holy Week (the week leading to Easter), bullfights, and weddings.
Kullervo Cursing(created by
Akseli Gallen-Kallela,
nominated by
Crisco 1492)Kullervo Cursing is a painting by the Finnish painter
Akseli Gallen-Kallela. It depicts a scene from the Kalevala in which Kullervo curses a herd of cows, turning them into bears who attack a woman who tormented him. Kullervo is an ill-fated character from the
FinnishKalevala epic. Kullervo is the only
tragic character in
Finnish mythology. He survived a massacre of his tribe and was raised by his enemy Untamo's tribe. Kullervo grew up thinking his family was dead, amongst people who hated him and whom he did not trust, knowing that they were his people's murderers. Later, he was sold into slavery and mocked and tormented further. When he finally ran away, he finds his family, only to lose them again, and unknowingly seduces and has sexual relations with his sister, whom he thought dead. When she finds out it was her own brother who seduced her, she commits suicide. Kullervo becomes mad with rage, returns to Untamo and his tribe, exterminates them using his powers, and commits suicide. The story of Kullervo differs from all other folktales in that it describes the effects of child abuse. In the end of the poem, the character
Väinämöinen warns parents about abusing their children:
The Kiss(created by
Francesco Hayez,
nominated by
Hafspajen)The Kiss is a painting which, unsurprisingly, depicts a passionate kiss, painted by the
ItalianartistFrancesco Hayez from about 1859. It is, possibly, his best-known work. This magical kiss is one of the most passionate and intense representations of a kiss in the history of Western art. The painting is enormously popular in Italy, seen as a symbol of Italian
Romanticism that emphasizes deep feelings rather than rational thought, and that presents a reinterpretation and a reevaluation of the Mediaeval
romantic love ideals.
Caucasus embroidery(unknown creator;
nominated by
Alborzagros) This is a
Verni or Azerbaijani
kilim, a flat-weave rug (rather than one that has a knotted pile). The
Azerbaijani rug was declared a
Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity by
UNESCO in November 2010. According to the article's section on the Verni, "The technical perfection and utmost emotionality of these carpets is a sort of acme of the Azerbaijani carpet art". Usually, when the conversation turns to the emotional life of a carpet, there's a
Camberwell Carrot involved.
Moss leaf cells(created by
Des Callaghan,
nominated by
The Herald) Live leaf cells of the moss Bryum capillare form a beautiful repeating pattern. Sadly, our article on the genus is terrible: Your project for the week is to improve it to "tolerable". There's only a few letters difference between terrible and tolerable, so it shouldn't be too hard!
Toyota FJ Cruiser(created by
Stefan Krause,
nominated by
FakeShemp) The
Toyota FJ Cruiser is a retro-styled
SUV introduced by Toyota in 2005. It's a rugged performer, and has been offered in variants such as the Trail Teams Special Edition and the ARB Edition FJ Crawler. The "F" is the engine type and, according to the official Toyota blog, the "J" stands for "Jeep"- the original
Land Cruiser of the 1950s used a "B" engine, and was known as the Toyota Jeep BJ. It was a simpler time...
Woman in Blue Reading a Letter(created by
Johannes Vermeer,
nominated by
SchroCat)Woman Reading a Letter is a painting by the
Dutch painter
Johannes Vermeer. It was the first Vermeer acquired by the collection of the
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The painting depicts... er, well, a woman... reading a letter. The woman wears a blue silk dress and is standing in front of a window; some clues in the painting, like the map of the
Netherlands on the wall, suggest that the letter was written by a traveling husband or lover. Those were the days: People wrote and read letters.
Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time(created by
Bronzino,
nominated by
Étienne Dolet)Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time is a complicated, obscure, and ambivalent
allegorical painting by the
Florentine artist
Agnolo Bronzino. The themes of the painting appear to be
lust, deceit, and jealousy, displaying the kind of eroticism that was characteristic of the
Mannerist period. It depicts Cupid to the left of Venus, who holds the golden apple she won in the
Judgement of Paris; Time, at the upper right of the scene with a the hourglass, is pulling away a curtain revealing what will come. The identity of the other figures remains uncertain. The screaming figure has been interpreted as
Jealousy or
Despair — though some believe this figure to represent the ravaging effects of
syphilis, meaning that one single tempting, desirable mistake can have terrible consequences later. The creature at the right-hand extending a
honeycomb may represent Pleasure or
Fraud; the boy scattering roses might be Folly or Pleasure. The painting was brought by
Napoleon from
Paris to
Vienna, and today it is hosted by the
National Gallery, London.
Portrait of an African Man(created by
Jan Mostaert,
nominated by
Crisco 1492) The subject of a recent new article which ran on the "Did you know?" section of the main page, Portrait of an African Man depicts an unidentified African man who is speculated to be a soldier, a nobleman, or
Saint Maurice of the
Roman Theban Legion, a 3rd-century Roman legion who converted to Christianity and were martyred. This is the only early modern European painting which features a man of African descent independently. Now, when can we get a painting of an African man by an African artist as a Featured Picture?
Jeju Province(created by
NASA,
nominated by
Alborzagros) This is Jeju Island, home to
Jeju Province, one of the nine provinces of
South Korea. Before 1910, the islanders were regarded as foreigners by the mainland Koreans. In 1910, Korea, including Jeju, was
annexed by Japan, and a period of hardship and oppression followed for the islanders. This occupation ended in 1945 with the
Surrender of Japan at the end of
World War II. Three years later, in 1948, a year-long
leftist uprising against local government and police forces resulted in the deaths of between 14,000 and 30,000 islanders in a period of violent suppression, massacres, and executions, aided by the mainland's official intolerance of islanders. Movements for the island's independence sprang up in the wake of the resulting genocide, which was never prosecuted.
Chocolate brownie(created by
ɱ,
nominated by
The Herald) A
chocolate brownie! It's brown, it's got chocolate, it's a chocolate brownie. It's a nice, quite tempting bit. Perfect to make your own
Wikilove message with to thank your friends... Or go out in your kitchen and bake one, because... why not? Just melt precisely eight ounces of chocolate with butter and add a very small amount of flour, also add 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, which sweetens it up if semi-sweet chocolate is used, also add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, which gives a moist texture... go on and add 3 eggs, which give the brownies a fudgy texture, try to also add chocolate chips or chunks or some delicious bits of caramel, yum, to the brownie batter. You can even add chocolate frosting on top. We take no responsibility for this luxury brownie recipe. If you want to go safe, try
the naked chef'sbrownie recipe instead. Nakedness will be a theme in this issue....
British soldiers loading a shrapnel shell(created by Photopress, restored and
nominated by
Adam Cuerden) The gun is a
Quick Firing 18-pounder, and the shrapnel shell being loaded has the typical red-painted tip (below the fuse) and band. The shrapnel shells fired by the British army used a time and percussion fuze designed by the German arms manufacturer
Krupp in 1905. They were manufactured under licence by
Vickers, who had to pay Krupp £40,000 in royalties after the war. These shells were fired at a rate of up to one million a week; many fell into soft mud and failed to explode... so if you go camping in a Flanders field, be careful where you hammer in the tent pegs.
Bulb Fields(created by
Vincent van Gogh,
nominated by
Crisco 1492)Bulb Fields, completed in 1883, is van Gogh's first garden painting. The fields of blue, white, yellow, pink, and red
hyacinths were depicted in parallel rows of flowerbeds emerging towards a
vanishing point directly opposite the viewer. It was one of Van Gogh's attempts to explore his interest in perspective. Later he abandoned this style, to favor more asymmetric compositions. So many flowers here, almost as many as the number of van Goghs we've featured. Now, what the article really needs is how many individual flowers there are. Get counting!
Messier 106(created by
NASA,
ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team and
Robert Gendler with acknowledgment to
R. Jay GaBany;
nominated by
The Herald) Seems like something to do with space or the conquest of it never escapes the featured photo section for long, and it's not hard to see why. Here we are looking at another galaxy through the NASA/ESA
Hubble Space Telescope... with a little help from an amateur astronomer. Part of the emission from the center of
Messier 106 is produced by a process that is somewhat similar to that in a laser, although this rather larger scale process produces bright microwave radiation. Messier 106 is located a little over 20 million light-years away, practically close enough for a weekend visit, if you're able to withstand the deep freeze it will require to get you there. Don't forget your sweater! Also, be sure to contact advanced aliens first: the lack of any proven way to revive people from
cryogenic sleep might make your trip very expensive suicide otherwise.
CG 4(created by
ESO,
nominated by
The Herald) Cometary globule
CG4 glows menacingly in this image from
ESO's
Very Large Telescope. We have a source for that, actually – that's part of the official description, which also calls it "the gaping mouth of a gigantic celestial creature". Oh no! CG4 is a
star-forming region located in the
Puppis constellation, which is just a short hop away at only 1,300 light-years away from earth. When
the stars are right, it will awaken and approach the earth, but we don't... think it can exceed light speed, so we're probably safe for now... er... moving on... Although it looks huge and bright in this image, it is actually a faint
nebula and not easy to observe, making it stealthy and perfect for sneaking up on us. The exact nature of CG4 remains a mystery, because no-one likes to admit there is an alien horror a mere millennium or so of travel away from us. If you happen to visit
Messier 106 and enjoy a good mystery, consider a "quick thaw" on
CG4, drop in, and transmit the footage of your horrific demise at the jaws of this hideous creature back to earth, so we may learn the terrible truth at last.
Ocellaris clownfish(created by
Nick Hobgood,
nominated by
Jim Carter) The photo depicts an
ocellaris clownfish, a nice little fish in love with an anemone. They can be found in the seas near northern Australia, Southeast Asia, and Japan. The
clownfish have a particular lifestyle. They are born male and at some point in their lifespan change sex to female. They are also completely dependent on their accompanying
sea anemone, with which they have a symbiotic relationship, needing the anemone for survival and shelter. When the fish is chased, it will swim rapidly to the sea anemone, who will sting every fish but the clownfish. In exchange, the clownfish keeps the anemone free from from parasites and clean.
L'Absinthe(created by
Edgar Degas,
nominated by
Crisco 1492 and
SchroCat) "Absinthe is not good for you" was the consensus at the time Degas completed
this painting, and it's clear that he agreed. The seated people are off center, and staring off into the distance, sitting so near to each other, yet also sitting miles apart. The drab colors suggest a life wasted, one of loss and depression, similar to how the French were facing social isolation in the face of advanced modernization and development. Now, why am I thirsty?
Probably not since
Henry VIII tried in vain to get an annulment of his marriage with
Catherine of Aragon has a matrimonial case been so long in the courts of the
Roman Catholic Church as that on which nine Cardinals have just handed down a final decision. The male in this case is the son of one of France's most historic houses −
Le Comte Boni de Castellane. The female is the daughter of a United States stockbroker, the late
Jay Gould − the present Anna, Marquise de Talleyrand Périgord, Duchesse de Sagan. On March 14, 1895, Anna became La Comtesse de Castellane by a marriage solemnized in Manhattan by the late
Archbishop Corrigan. After three children were born, La Comtesse obtained a civil divorce from Le Comte on grounds of infidelity. In 1908, she married Le Marquis de Talleyrand Périgord, Duc de Sagan. Thereupon, Le Comte asked the
Vatican to annul the marriage, apparently that he might be free to marry again, within the Church.
Anna Gould was a bit spiteful, to be honest, challenging the annulment, and, in the end, winning her case that the marriage had been valid, thus keeping him from being able to marry again as a Catholic. Oh, did we mention she married his cousin two years after divorcing him?
Eugen Sandow(created by D. Bernard & Co, Melbourne; restored and
nominated by
Adam Cuerden) The photo shows the early bodybuilder
Eugen Sandow modelling. Biffy and great, the Father of Bodybuilding stands in a striking position in this picture, in no way ridiculous or silly. He wanted from the beginning to illustrate the
Grecian Ideal, which he introduced to bodybuilding. He even
posed several
times as the statue The Dying Gaul, consistently trying to model his body after the ancient Greek and Roman ideals of beauty. Now, here's a question for you: Did the men buying these magazines only buy them because they wanted to become buff like him, or did they buy them because they wanted him?
Portrait of Dr. Gachet(created by
Vincent van Gogh,
nominated by
SchroCat) The Portrait of Dr. Gachet shows
Paul Gachet, the doctor who took care of Van Gogh during the final months of his life but never managed to cure him. Vincent van Gogh's first impression of Gachet was unfavorable. Writing to his brother
Theo, he remarked: "I think that we must not count on Dr. Gachet at all. First of all, he is sicker than I am, I think, or shall we say just as much, so that's that. Now when one blind man leads another blind man, don't they both fall into the ditch?" This remark shows that one should always trust one's first impressions. Too bad he started rationalizing instead of getting the **** out of that place at high speed – who knows: he might have lived like fifty years more, and what a loss for humanity that he didn't. He was only thirty-seven when he committed suicide. The painting was sold for the first time in 1897 by Van Gogh's sister-in-law for 300 francs; in 1990, it was sold for a record price of 82.5 million dollars at an auction in New York.
Ridge between Segla and Hesten(created by
Simo Räsänen (Ximonic),
nominated by
Jim Carter) This photograph depicts the ridge between the two mountain peaks Segla and Hesten, on the Norwegian island
Senja. A large island near the coast of
Norway, Senja is often called "Norway in miniature", with numerous small fjords, beautiful scenery, and steep and rugged mountains that rise straight from the sea. The island had exactly 7,782 inhabitants on 1 January 2008.
Margaret Lee(created by
Hans Holbein the younger or his workshop,
nominated by
Crisco 1492) This is a painting of
Margaret Lee, one of the chief ladies-in-waiting of Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII of England. She looks a bit severe and harsh, but then ladies-in-waiting were not supposed to outshine their patrons. At least she didn't drink absinthe. Margaret accompanied Queen Anne everywhere, from the secret meetings with
Henry VIII, through her marriage, and until Anne's last unfortunate days in prison when Henry ordered Anne's execution at the hands of a French swordsman. Ladies out there: if a man is treating one woman badly, have no hopes he will treat you better. Learn from history, as
Winston Churchill always said, and beware the bladed frog.
Heliconius ismenius(created by
Diego Delso,
nominated by
Jim Carter) The
Tiger Heliconian is a orange and black striped butterfly found in Central and northern South America, known for feeding only on specific plants like
granadilla. They are toxic and non-palatable to predators, and the pattern showing beautiful orange and black tiger stripes along the long wings is a warning: "Don't eat me, I taste bad, man!"
The Absinthe Drinker(created by
Édouard Manet,
nominated by
SchroCat) In this painting, a devotee of the
Green Fairy is already in her company, having drunk her
Fairy Liquid.... did we get that link right? The titular The Absinthe Drinker has a glass of green absinthe beside him. A dark shadow behind him is haunting him for messing around with the bottle... Absinthe was not
good for you. It's the
thujone that causes the damage: the active ingredient of the infused
wormwood. But only when drunk in excess or over-regularly. None of you would do that... right?
King Gustav III of Sweden and his Brothers(created by
Alexander Roslin,
nominated by
SagaciousPhil)King Gustav III of Sweden and his Brothers is a painting by
Alexander Roslin from 1771.
Gustav (left) and his two brothers are gathered around a table, studying a plan of fortifications, in flattering flashy velvet, lace, and silk clothes, á là Rococo fashion.
Frederick is standing and
Charlie is to the right. (Pretty sure that's not the
right Prince Charles being linked there.... Anyway!
Gustav III was
King of Sweden from 1771 until sadly he was assassinated during a masquerade ball. He was an enlightened ruler who fostered the arts, sciences, and education, and further fostered the arts by having his assassination be the subject of
an opera by
Daniel Auber and the inspiration behind
Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. He was actively engaged in building up the Swedish culture (from scratch, mainly) eh, irony. Gustav III attracted many
artists to his court, and when they didn't come to him, he went to them instead. Gustav visited Roslin in Paris to sit for this painting. Roslin's talent was greatly appreciated by all manner of royalty: they all wanted to look good when they finally got into the Signpost. His ability to capture the personality of the sitters gives us a chance to get close to the people he painted. His masterful ability to reproduce the silks, lace, pearls, and gold filaments made him a real asset in those days... and even today. If you zoom in on the painting, you will see that the artistic rendering of the fabrics and other objects is masterful and truly spectacular.
Discharge tubes set:
Helium, Neon, Argon, and Krypton(created by
Alchemist-hp,
nominated by
The Herald)Gas discharge tubes of the first four
noble gases. By using electricity to turn the gases into a
plasma – a state of matter full of ionized atoms - a characteristic glow is emitted. It's sort of the opposite effect of the one you get from drinking absinthe.
The Allegory of Faith(created by
Johannes Vermeer,
nominated by
SchroCat)The Allegory of Faith is a painting created by Dutch artist
Johannes Vermeer in about 1670–72 which depicts a woman in a fine white and blue
satin dress with gold trimmings. She sits on a platform a step higher than the black and white marble floor, her right foot on a terrestrial globe and her right hand on her heart as she looks up, adoringly, at a glass sphere hung from the ceiling by a blue ribbon. Vermeer's
iconography in the painting is largely taken from
Cesare Ripa's Iconologia, an
emblem book (a collection of allegorical illustrations with accompanying morals or poems on a moral theme) which had been translated into Dutch in 1644 by D. P. Pers.
Here they come, the couple plighted – On life's journey gaily start them. Man and maid for aye united, Till divorce or death shall part them. ...and also featuring mostly-naked men and absinthe, which are, strangely, unrelated.
"Promptly at high noon the unhappy couple entered the court room to the soft strains of Hymn Twenty-three. The American wife, looking happy for the first time in many years, leaned on the arm of the family solicitor; she wore a lovely green going-away gown and bore a huge bouquet of incriminating affidavits; her train was carried by her minor child. Next in the divorce procession came the co-respondents, charmingly and in some cases daringly gowned. The husband was supported by his counsel, and swooned twice during the separation ceremony, which was performed beneath a monster floral ax, while a surpliced jury sang "My Boni Lies Over the Ocean," "How Can I Bear to Leave Thee," and other appropriate selections. After the ceremony the former wife's father gave a luncheon to the Count's creditors and arranged to pay them thirty cents on the dollar. The Count's gift to his former wife was a statement of his debts to date. Her gift to him was a tin can in a Tiffany setting. Miss Creesis will be at home after March 15."
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 22 to 28 February 2015. Text may be adapted from the respective articles and lists; see their page histories for attribution.
Shepseskare(
nominated by
Iry-Hor)Shepseskare, an ancient Egyptian
Fifth Dynasty pharaoh, lived in the middle of the 25th century BC. Traditionally believed to have reigned seven years, the paucity of artefacts from his reign has led some Egyptologists to think that he only reigned for a few months. He has no known pyramid, though the barely-started construction of a pyramid at
Abusir, between other Fifth Dynasty pyramids belonging to known pharaohs has been suggested to be all the work on Shepseskare's that his short reign allowed. It amounts to a few weeks' work levelling the ground and digging a ditch. Otherwise a couple of cylinder seals carved with his name, a few impressions of seals and some cursory mentions in historical records are all that's left of him.
Bramshill House(
nominated by
Dr. Blofeld)Bramshill House is one of the largest
Jacobean mansions in
England. There was a manor house on the site from 1360, in a 2,500-acre (1,000 ha) wooded park. In 1605,
Baron Zouche bought the estate, demolished the house, and built a 15-bedroom mansion. The house is reputed to be haunted by fourteen ghosts, but we think that's transparent nonsense. Well, translucent nonsense, anyway. I mean, you can only partially see through ghosts. Must be precise.
God of War III(
nominated by
JDC808)The God of War, the God of War / I'm destined for, I'm destined for / A terribly famous conqueror / With a sword upon his thigh! / When army's meet with angry shout, / Or war-like rout, or war-like rout / You'll find me there without a doubt / The God of War am I! is what goes through my head every time I see the game mentioned. Made worse because the music to Thespis is lost, but I set it to a theme from Victoria and Merrie England and... but I get way off topic. This is the third in the popular video game series which sees the anti-hero Kratos slaughter his way through the Greek gods. In this one, he manages to kill
Helios, destroying the sun,
Hera, destroying all plants... and generally makes a huge mess of things. Eh, well. It'll probably be alright in the end. Probably....
American Arts Commemorative Series medallions(
nominated by
RHM22)American Arts Commemorative Series medallions are ten gold-coloured medals that depict American artists, architects, writers, poets and musicians. They were made from 90%
gold and 10%
copper; later issues had a smidgen of
silver to alter the appearance. The medallions were intended to compete with
Krugerrands and other gold bullion coins. They were made in two sizes, "one ounce", containing one
Troy ounce of gold, or 31 grams, and "half ounce", containing 16 grams of gold, and were sold to the public for the market price of the gold content "plus the cost of manufacture, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses including marketing costs." Which, by our reckoning, makes the half-ounce coin a bit expensive compared with its big brother. The gold price was set using the previous day's closing price on the
London bullion market, so sales rose and fell depending on whether the price of gold had risen or fallen in the meantime. Not that they sold very well at the best of times: They were eventually withdrawn from the market and replaced by a
gold coin. If you're thinking of buying one, the rarest is the 1983 half-ounce
Alexander Calder, of which it's estimated there are only 8,000 left. Why not buy several and make a
mobile; it'll still be cheaper than buying one of Calder's mobiles.
Cucurbita(
nominated by
HalfGig,
Sminthopsis84, and
Chiswick Chap) The genus Cucurbita, which includes butternut squash, courgettes (zucchinis to our American readers), various pumpkins, and other squashes and gourds, is a delicious and important part of the human food supply. Evidence of domestication goes back at least eight thousand years in the Americas, and happened as far north as Canada and as far south as Argentina. Cucurbita pepo, a species with a wide variety of cultivars, including the famous orange pumpkin, is believed to be one of the oldest domesticated plants, if not the oldest. They reached Europe after Columbus' voyage, with the earliest record being a French devotional book, of all things, from between 1503 and 1508. Famously, pumpkins replaced the traditional turnip in the carving of
jack-o'-lanterns. This
Hallowe'en, say no to revisionism. Carve a turnip. Then have a nice pumpkin pie or a butternut squash stew, because they're delicious, hearty meals for a cold autumnal evening. Or, if you live in a place unlike Scotland where it's hot in October, then, if they're available and not out of season, why not roast pumpkin and butternut squash, cut them into cubes, add cherry tomatoes, some pine nuts, a little olive oil, perhaps, and have a delicious cold salad?
Exhumation of Richard III of England(
nominated by
Prioryman) Long thought to have been thrown from the old Bow Bridge in Leicester into the
River Soar, the remains of
Richard III of England were rediscovered under a
car park once used by social workers. Acting on a hunch, archaeologists dug up part of the site of the long-lost
Greyfriars church in which Richard's tomb had been once been located. On the first day of the dig, the skeleton of a thirty-year-old man was found, with signs that he'd been severely hacked about, both before and after death. The skeleton's spine was also severely curved in an S-shape, which would have made his right shoulder higher than his left. The skeleton's genome was sequenced and compared with that of a direct descendant of Richard's sister,
Anne. It matched, confirming that these were indeed the villain's remains. Following standard archaeological practice, it was intended that Richard should be re-interred in the nearest consecrated ground, which is
Leicester Cathedral, and, after some controversy, he'll finally be re-interred there on 26 March. Try and get ringside seats: We want featured pictures of his skeleton, and we're running out of time for that.
List of scheduled monuments in North Somerset(
nominated by
Rodw) Over the last year or thereabouts, we've had a long series of list of scheduled monuments – historical sites or buildings of national importance – from the various administrative divisions of
Somerset, England. Like all in that series, there has been a valiant effort to get photographs for as many monuments as possible. The list includes various prehistoric burial sites – including the fairly well-known
Aveline's Hole and quite a number of
barrows – complete with
barrow wights if my Tolkien has taught me anything – Bronze and Iron Age
hillforts and other settlements, deserted Roman and Medieval towns, farmsteads, castles and houses, village and church crosses, a relatively well-preserved priory, 17th- and 18th-century industrial buildings, and even a
World War I gun emplacement.
Savilian Professor of Astronomy(
nominated by
Bencherlite) Created by
Henry Savile in 1619, this professorship at the
University of Oxford was part of a campaign to improve the understanding of mathematics in England, alongside the related
Savilian Professorship of Geometry. Originally requiring an understanding of
Aristotle and
Plato, to have begun before any higher sciences were studied, this original part of the bequest was likely dropped long ago. With a number of great scientists and researchers, the Savilian Professors include twenty people who can be said to have improved our understanding of astronomy and related fields, and also include
George Johnson.
Young Knight in a Landscape(created by
Vittore Carpaccio,
nominated by
Hafspajen) A painting by the classic Italian Renaissance artist
Vittore Carpaccio, Portrait of a Knight shows a young knight, surrounded by a series of symbolic objects and animals. The heron fighting with the hawk in the sky might hint at a battle; an alternative theory is that this is a
memorial portrait. In the left lower corner is a white
ermine and a scroll stating "I prefer to die rather than to incur dishonour" ( malo mori quam foedari ). The European legend had it that a white stoat would rather die before allowing its pure white coat to be besmirched, thus this could be an allusion to the knight's pure character and morality, or maybe his fate. Art historians continue to debate, without any signs of it resolving.
Self-Portrait with Two Pupils(created by
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard,
nominated by
Hafspajen and
Crisco 1492) Unsurprisingly, this is a self-portrait by
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (sitting) with two of her pupils,
Marie-Gabrielle Capet and
Marie Marguerite Carreaux de Rosemond – the latter of whom we'd like to see an article on, although apparently none of her well-praised works survives, at least, not attributed to her. Sign your work, kids. Anyway! Labille-Guiard was a female painter who trained other women artists, because art schools were not open to women at the time. These three women were unusual woman artists who counted among their customers several members of the royal family, and even other members of Parisian society. However, women were not considered serious painters, and were barred or all-but-barred from the Art Academies; for instance, in the early 1790s, Labille-Guiard had to campaign for the
French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture to be reopened to women, and, even when she succeeded, the number of women painters allowed in was still limited to only four. Self-Portrait with Two Pupils was part of a campaign for recognition of women when it was exhibited at the Salon at the
Académie Royale. It was still a slow process. Fast quiz:
QUIZ, check your knowledge about women painters.
Bath Abbey set:
Exterior, nave looking east, and nave looking west(created and
nominated by
David Iliff) The wonderful set of featured photos of
Bath Abbey were taken by our excellent photographer
David Iliff. Bath Abbey, a now-
Anglicanparish church in
Bath,
Somerset, England, was founded in the 7th century, has a
cruciform floor plan, and was rebuilt several times. It is a spectacular example of the
Perpendicular style, a Gothic style strongly associated with English architecture. The vaulting over the
nave is made from local Bath stone. The west front has charming sculptures of angels climbing to heaven on ladders, a theme inspired by
Jacob's dream. The church is an active place of worship, and is also used for secular civic ceremonies, concerts, and lectures, a stone's throw from where naked Romans sweated under the stern gaze of a Celtic god. As for the details of the photograph, we don't know what the flautist is playing; his audience seems to be listening intently... but no-one's throwing coins into the bowler hat. Maybe they did after the photo?
Portrait of Doña Isabel de Porcel(created by
Francisco Goya,
nominated by
SchroCat)Portrait of Doña Isabel de Porcel is a painting made by the
Spanish painter
Francisco Goya around 1805, and depicts a young woman with her hands on her hips, dressed festively with a high Spanish
mantilla on her head with a black lace veil. The veil is worn over a high comb, and this ingenious arrangement covers her head and shoulders. This fashion came into use in the warmer regions of Spain towards the end of the 16th century, starting in the
Andalusia region of Spain. Women still wear mantillas in Spain during Holy Week (the week leading to Easter), bullfights, and weddings.
Kullervo Cursing(created by
Akseli Gallen-Kallela,
nominated by
Crisco 1492)Kullervo Cursing is a painting by the Finnish painter
Akseli Gallen-Kallela. It depicts a scene from the Kalevala in which Kullervo curses a herd of cows, turning them into bears who attack a woman who tormented him. Kullervo is an ill-fated character from the
FinnishKalevala epic. Kullervo is the only
tragic character in
Finnish mythology. He survived a massacre of his tribe and was raised by his enemy Untamo's tribe. Kullervo grew up thinking his family was dead, amongst people who hated him and whom he did not trust, knowing that they were his people's murderers. Later, he was sold into slavery and mocked and tormented further. When he finally ran away, he finds his family, only to lose them again, and unknowingly seduces and has sexual relations with his sister, whom he thought dead. When she finds out it was her own brother who seduced her, she commits suicide. Kullervo becomes mad with rage, returns to Untamo and his tribe, exterminates them using his powers, and commits suicide. The story of Kullervo differs from all other folktales in that it describes the effects of child abuse. In the end of the poem, the character
Väinämöinen warns parents about abusing their children:
The Kiss(created by
Francesco Hayez,
nominated by
Hafspajen)The Kiss is a painting which, unsurprisingly, depicts a passionate kiss, painted by the
ItalianartistFrancesco Hayez from about 1859. It is, possibly, his best-known work. This magical kiss is one of the most passionate and intense representations of a kiss in the history of Western art. The painting is enormously popular in Italy, seen as a symbol of Italian
Romanticism that emphasizes deep feelings rather than rational thought, and that presents a reinterpretation and a reevaluation of the Mediaeval
romantic love ideals.
Caucasus embroidery(unknown creator;
nominated by
Alborzagros) This is a
Verni or Azerbaijani
kilim, a flat-weave rug (rather than one that has a knotted pile). The
Azerbaijani rug was declared a
Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity by
UNESCO in November 2010. According to the article's section on the Verni, "The technical perfection and utmost emotionality of these carpets is a sort of acme of the Azerbaijani carpet art". Usually, when the conversation turns to the emotional life of a carpet, there's a
Camberwell Carrot involved.
Moss leaf cells(created by
Des Callaghan,
nominated by
The Herald) Live leaf cells of the moss Bryum capillare form a beautiful repeating pattern. Sadly, our article on the genus is terrible: Your project for the week is to improve it to "tolerable". There's only a few letters difference between terrible and tolerable, so it shouldn't be too hard!
Toyota FJ Cruiser(created by
Stefan Krause,
nominated by
FakeShemp) The
Toyota FJ Cruiser is a retro-styled
SUV introduced by Toyota in 2005. It's a rugged performer, and has been offered in variants such as the Trail Teams Special Edition and the ARB Edition FJ Crawler. The "F" is the engine type and, according to the official Toyota blog, the "J" stands for "Jeep"- the original
Land Cruiser of the 1950s used a "B" engine, and was known as the Toyota Jeep BJ. It was a simpler time...
Woman in Blue Reading a Letter(created by
Johannes Vermeer,
nominated by
SchroCat)Woman Reading a Letter is a painting by the
Dutch painter
Johannes Vermeer. It was the first Vermeer acquired by the collection of the
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The painting depicts... er, well, a woman... reading a letter. The woman wears a blue silk dress and is standing in front of a window; some clues in the painting, like the map of the
Netherlands on the wall, suggest that the letter was written by a traveling husband or lover. Those were the days: People wrote and read letters.
Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time(created by
Bronzino,
nominated by
Étienne Dolet)Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time is a complicated, obscure, and ambivalent
allegorical painting by the
Florentine artist
Agnolo Bronzino. The themes of the painting appear to be
lust, deceit, and jealousy, displaying the kind of eroticism that was characteristic of the
Mannerist period. It depicts Cupid to the left of Venus, who holds the golden apple she won in the
Judgement of Paris; Time, at the upper right of the scene with a the hourglass, is pulling away a curtain revealing what will come. The identity of the other figures remains uncertain. The screaming figure has been interpreted as
Jealousy or
Despair — though some believe this figure to represent the ravaging effects of
syphilis, meaning that one single tempting, desirable mistake can have terrible consequences later. The creature at the right-hand extending a
honeycomb may represent Pleasure or
Fraud; the boy scattering roses might be Folly or Pleasure. The painting was brought by
Napoleon from
Paris to
Vienna, and today it is hosted by the
National Gallery, London.
Portrait of an African Man(created by
Jan Mostaert,
nominated by
Crisco 1492) The subject of a recent new article which ran on the "Did you know?" section of the main page, Portrait of an African Man depicts an unidentified African man who is speculated to be a soldier, a nobleman, or
Saint Maurice of the
Roman Theban Legion, a 3rd-century Roman legion who converted to Christianity and were martyred. This is the only early modern European painting which features a man of African descent independently. Now, when can we get a painting of an African man by an African artist as a Featured Picture?
Jeju Province(created by
NASA,
nominated by
Alborzagros) This is Jeju Island, home to
Jeju Province, one of the nine provinces of
South Korea. Before 1910, the islanders were regarded as foreigners by the mainland Koreans. In 1910, Korea, including Jeju, was
annexed by Japan, and a period of hardship and oppression followed for the islanders. This occupation ended in 1945 with the
Surrender of Japan at the end of
World War II. Three years later, in 1948, a year-long
leftist uprising against local government and police forces resulted in the deaths of between 14,000 and 30,000 islanders in a period of violent suppression, massacres, and executions, aided by the mainland's official intolerance of islanders. Movements for the island's independence sprang up in the wake of the resulting genocide, which was never prosecuted.
Chocolate brownie(created by
ɱ,
nominated by
The Herald) A
chocolate brownie! It's brown, it's got chocolate, it's a chocolate brownie. It's a nice, quite tempting bit. Perfect to make your own
Wikilove message with to thank your friends... Or go out in your kitchen and bake one, because... why not? Just melt precisely eight ounces of chocolate with butter and add a very small amount of flour, also add 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, which sweetens it up if semi-sweet chocolate is used, also add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, which gives a moist texture... go on and add 3 eggs, which give the brownies a fudgy texture, try to also add chocolate chips or chunks or some delicious bits of caramel, yum, to the brownie batter. You can even add chocolate frosting on top. We take no responsibility for this luxury brownie recipe. If you want to go safe, try
the naked chef'sbrownie recipe instead. Nakedness will be a theme in this issue....
British soldiers loading a shrapnel shell(created by Photopress, restored and
nominated by
Adam Cuerden) The gun is a
Quick Firing 18-pounder, and the shrapnel shell being loaded has the typical red-painted tip (below the fuse) and band. The shrapnel shells fired by the British army used a time and percussion fuze designed by the German arms manufacturer
Krupp in 1905. They were manufactured under licence by
Vickers, who had to pay Krupp £40,000 in royalties after the war. These shells were fired at a rate of up to one million a week; many fell into soft mud and failed to explode... so if you go camping in a Flanders field, be careful where you hammer in the tent pegs.
Bulb Fields(created by
Vincent van Gogh,
nominated by
Crisco 1492)Bulb Fields, completed in 1883, is van Gogh's first garden painting. The fields of blue, white, yellow, pink, and red
hyacinths were depicted in parallel rows of flowerbeds emerging towards a
vanishing point directly opposite the viewer. It was one of Van Gogh's attempts to explore his interest in perspective. Later he abandoned this style, to favor more asymmetric compositions. So many flowers here, almost as many as the number of van Goghs we've featured. Now, what the article really needs is how many individual flowers there are. Get counting!
Messier 106(created by
NASA,
ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team and
Robert Gendler with acknowledgment to
R. Jay GaBany;
nominated by
The Herald) Seems like something to do with space or the conquest of it never escapes the featured photo section for long, and it's not hard to see why. Here we are looking at another galaxy through the NASA/ESA
Hubble Space Telescope... with a little help from an amateur astronomer. Part of the emission from the center of
Messier 106 is produced by a process that is somewhat similar to that in a laser, although this rather larger scale process produces bright microwave radiation. Messier 106 is located a little over 20 million light-years away, practically close enough for a weekend visit, if you're able to withstand the deep freeze it will require to get you there. Don't forget your sweater! Also, be sure to contact advanced aliens first: the lack of any proven way to revive people from
cryogenic sleep might make your trip very expensive suicide otherwise.
CG 4(created by
ESO,
nominated by
The Herald) Cometary globule
CG4 glows menacingly in this image from
ESO's
Very Large Telescope. We have a source for that, actually – that's part of the official description, which also calls it "the gaping mouth of a gigantic celestial creature". Oh no! CG4 is a
star-forming region located in the
Puppis constellation, which is just a short hop away at only 1,300 light-years away from earth. When
the stars are right, it will awaken and approach the earth, but we don't... think it can exceed light speed, so we're probably safe for now... er... moving on... Although it looks huge and bright in this image, it is actually a faint
nebula and not easy to observe, making it stealthy and perfect for sneaking up on us. The exact nature of CG4 remains a mystery, because no-one likes to admit there is an alien horror a mere millennium or so of travel away from us. If you happen to visit
Messier 106 and enjoy a good mystery, consider a "quick thaw" on
CG4, drop in, and transmit the footage of your horrific demise at the jaws of this hideous creature back to earth, so we may learn the terrible truth at last.
Ocellaris clownfish(created by
Nick Hobgood,
nominated by
Jim Carter) The photo depicts an
ocellaris clownfish, a nice little fish in love with an anemone. They can be found in the seas near northern Australia, Southeast Asia, and Japan. The
clownfish have a particular lifestyle. They are born male and at some point in their lifespan change sex to female. They are also completely dependent on their accompanying
sea anemone, with which they have a symbiotic relationship, needing the anemone for survival and shelter. When the fish is chased, it will swim rapidly to the sea anemone, who will sting every fish but the clownfish. In exchange, the clownfish keeps the anemone free from from parasites and clean.
L'Absinthe(created by
Edgar Degas,
nominated by
Crisco 1492 and
SchroCat) "Absinthe is not good for you" was the consensus at the time Degas completed
this painting, and it's clear that he agreed. The seated people are off center, and staring off into the distance, sitting so near to each other, yet also sitting miles apart. The drab colors suggest a life wasted, one of loss and depression, similar to how the French were facing social isolation in the face of advanced modernization and development. Now, why am I thirsty?
Probably not since
Henry VIII tried in vain to get an annulment of his marriage with
Catherine of Aragon has a matrimonial case been so long in the courts of the
Roman Catholic Church as that on which nine Cardinals have just handed down a final decision. The male in this case is the son of one of France's most historic houses −
Le Comte Boni de Castellane. The female is the daughter of a United States stockbroker, the late
Jay Gould − the present Anna, Marquise de Talleyrand Périgord, Duchesse de Sagan. On March 14, 1895, Anna became La Comtesse de Castellane by a marriage solemnized in Manhattan by the late
Archbishop Corrigan. After three children were born, La Comtesse obtained a civil divorce from Le Comte on grounds of infidelity. In 1908, she married Le Marquis de Talleyrand Périgord, Duc de Sagan. Thereupon, Le Comte asked the
Vatican to annul the marriage, apparently that he might be free to marry again, within the Church.
Anna Gould was a bit spiteful, to be honest, challenging the annulment, and, in the end, winning her case that the marriage had been valid, thus keeping him from being able to marry again as a Catholic. Oh, did we mention she married his cousin two years after divorcing him?
Eugen Sandow(created by D. Bernard & Co, Melbourne; restored and
nominated by
Adam Cuerden) The photo shows the early bodybuilder
Eugen Sandow modelling. Biffy and great, the Father of Bodybuilding stands in a striking position in this picture, in no way ridiculous or silly. He wanted from the beginning to illustrate the
Grecian Ideal, which he introduced to bodybuilding. He even
posed several
times as the statue The Dying Gaul, consistently trying to model his body after the ancient Greek and Roman ideals of beauty. Now, here's a question for you: Did the men buying these magazines only buy them because they wanted to become buff like him, or did they buy them because they wanted him?
Portrait of Dr. Gachet(created by
Vincent van Gogh,
nominated by
SchroCat) The Portrait of Dr. Gachet shows
Paul Gachet, the doctor who took care of Van Gogh during the final months of his life but never managed to cure him. Vincent van Gogh's first impression of Gachet was unfavorable. Writing to his brother
Theo, he remarked: "I think that we must not count on Dr. Gachet at all. First of all, he is sicker than I am, I think, or shall we say just as much, so that's that. Now when one blind man leads another blind man, don't they both fall into the ditch?" This remark shows that one should always trust one's first impressions. Too bad he started rationalizing instead of getting the **** out of that place at high speed – who knows: he might have lived like fifty years more, and what a loss for humanity that he didn't. He was only thirty-seven when he committed suicide. The painting was sold for the first time in 1897 by Van Gogh's sister-in-law for 300 francs; in 1990, it was sold for a record price of 82.5 million dollars at an auction in New York.
Ridge between Segla and Hesten(created by
Simo Räsänen (Ximonic),
nominated by
Jim Carter) This photograph depicts the ridge between the two mountain peaks Segla and Hesten, on the Norwegian island
Senja. A large island near the coast of
Norway, Senja is often called "Norway in miniature", with numerous small fjords, beautiful scenery, and steep and rugged mountains that rise straight from the sea. The island had exactly 7,782 inhabitants on 1 January 2008.
Margaret Lee(created by
Hans Holbein the younger or his workshop,
nominated by
Crisco 1492) This is a painting of
Margaret Lee, one of the chief ladies-in-waiting of Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII of England. She looks a bit severe and harsh, but then ladies-in-waiting were not supposed to outshine their patrons. At least she didn't drink absinthe. Margaret accompanied Queen Anne everywhere, from the secret meetings with
Henry VIII, through her marriage, and until Anne's last unfortunate days in prison when Henry ordered Anne's execution at the hands of a French swordsman. Ladies out there: if a man is treating one woman badly, have no hopes he will treat you better. Learn from history, as
Winston Churchill always said, and beware the bladed frog.
Heliconius ismenius(created by
Diego Delso,
nominated by
Jim Carter) The
Tiger Heliconian is a orange and black striped butterfly found in Central and northern South America, known for feeding only on specific plants like
granadilla. They are toxic and non-palatable to predators, and the pattern showing beautiful orange and black tiger stripes along the long wings is a warning: "Don't eat me, I taste bad, man!"
The Absinthe Drinker(created by
Édouard Manet,
nominated by
SchroCat) In this painting, a devotee of the
Green Fairy is already in her company, having drunk her
Fairy Liquid.... did we get that link right? The titular The Absinthe Drinker has a glass of green absinthe beside him. A dark shadow behind him is haunting him for messing around with the bottle... Absinthe was not
good for you. It's the
thujone that causes the damage: the active ingredient of the infused
wormwood. But only when drunk in excess or over-regularly. None of you would do that... right?
King Gustav III of Sweden and his Brothers(created by
Alexander Roslin,
nominated by
SagaciousPhil)King Gustav III of Sweden and his Brothers is a painting by
Alexander Roslin from 1771.
Gustav (left) and his two brothers are gathered around a table, studying a plan of fortifications, in flattering flashy velvet, lace, and silk clothes, á là Rococo fashion.
Frederick is standing and
Charlie is to the right. (Pretty sure that's not the
right Prince Charles being linked there.... Anyway!
Gustav III was
King of Sweden from 1771 until sadly he was assassinated during a masquerade ball. He was an enlightened ruler who fostered the arts, sciences, and education, and further fostered the arts by having his assassination be the subject of
an opera by
Daniel Auber and the inspiration behind
Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. He was actively engaged in building up the Swedish culture (from scratch, mainly) eh, irony. Gustav III attracted many
artists to his court, and when they didn't come to him, he went to them instead. Gustav visited Roslin in Paris to sit for this painting. Roslin's talent was greatly appreciated by all manner of royalty: they all wanted to look good when they finally got into the Signpost. His ability to capture the personality of the sitters gives us a chance to get close to the people he painted. His masterful ability to reproduce the silks, lace, pearls, and gold filaments made him a real asset in those days... and even today. If you zoom in on the painting, you will see that the artistic rendering of the fabrics and other objects is masterful and truly spectacular.
Discharge tubes set:
Helium, Neon, Argon, and Krypton(created by
Alchemist-hp,
nominated by
The Herald)Gas discharge tubes of the first four
noble gases. By using electricity to turn the gases into a
plasma – a state of matter full of ionized atoms - a characteristic glow is emitted. It's sort of the opposite effect of the one you get from drinking absinthe.
The Allegory of Faith(created by
Johannes Vermeer,
nominated by
SchroCat)The Allegory of Faith is a painting created by Dutch artist
Johannes Vermeer in about 1670–72 which depicts a woman in a fine white and blue
satin dress with gold trimmings. She sits on a platform a step higher than the black and white marble floor, her right foot on a terrestrial globe and her right hand on her heart as she looks up, adoringly, at a glass sphere hung from the ceiling by a blue ribbon. Vermeer's
iconography in the painting is largely taken from
Cesare Ripa's Iconologia, an
emblem book (a collection of allegorical illustrations with accompanying morals or poems on a moral theme) which had been translated into Dutch in 1644 by D. P. Pers.
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