Monthly Archives: September 2019

The Immortal Peacock

Posted on 26/09/2019 by carolinemmurray

I first saw a real live peacock when I was quite young, in Victoria Park in the city where I was brought up. An area of grass and trees very close to the railway station, and therefore – in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Classics, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries, Natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Snaps

Posted on 22/09/2019 by carolinemmurray

Our recent jaunt to Venice and Ravenna provided more than the usual amount of food for thought, so while I ponder further on Titian and Rubens, peacocks, camels, women painters, Francesco Morosini and silence, here are some pictures which I … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries, Venice | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Secret Garden

Posted on 15/09/2019 by carolinemmurray

Of course, a great many gardens in Venice are secret – that is, invisible to the normal passer-by in the calle. But the garden of Palazzo Soranzo Cappello is probably the most famous secret garden in the city (with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Botany, Gardens, History, Italy, Literature, Natural history, Printing and Publishing, Venice | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Anon.

Posted on 07/09/2019 by carolinemmurray

I just made it to ‘Artist: Unknown: Art and Artefacts from the University of Cambridge Museums and Collections’, the current exhibition at Kettle’s Yard. (It continues until 22 September, but the Hedgehog ménage will be away – Venice, since you … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, History, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Venice | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Jewels

Posted on 05/09/2019 by carolinemmurray

Also in Brugge the other day, I was hit by a interesting revelation (assuming, of course, that the statement below, in the Groeninge Museum, is true). The reason Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling and the other so-called Flemish Primitives painted … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Fingers Crossed!

Posted on 02/09/2019 by carolinemmurray

Terrifyingly, it is that time of year again … the first Christmas catalogue arrived a few days ago (thank you, R.H.S.), and yesterday I filled in my application form for a stall at the Mill Road Winter Fair in Cambridge, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments