Category Archives: Art

Titian in the Malverns

Posted on 08/09/2021 by carolinemmurray

We recently had a very few days in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a tiny bit of Shropshire, a lovely wallow in nostalgia for me, and a bit of a revelation of the counties’ beauty for Him Indoors. (A further revelation was … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries, Venice | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

An Instance of Polyonymy

Posted on 28/07/2021 by carolinemmurray

Jan Gossart, Jan Gossaert van Mabuse, Jan Gossaert van Mauberge, Jan Gossart van Mabuse, Jan Gossart van Mauberge, Joannes Malbodius, Jan Mabuse – and indeed Jennyn van Hennegouwe – are all names of the same painter (born c. 1478, died … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, Museums and Galleries, The Netherlands, Uncategorized, Venice | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mr Kick and Mr Frankcom

Posted on 16/04/2021 by carolinemmurray

Mary Capel (1630–1715, also spelled Capell), was the daughter of Arthur Capel, first Baron Capel of Hadham, Herts. (1604–49). He was already, by inheritance, a very rich man, but by his marriage in 1627 to Elizabeth Morrison, heiress of Cassiobury, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bibliography, Biography, Botany, Gardens, History, London, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Printing and Publishing, The Netherlands | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

St Jerome

Posted on 18/03/2021 by carolinemmurray

One of the Christmas gifts which I most appreciate every year is a diary from the National Gallery, donated by family members who understand that, as senility advances, I really do need to write down what (if anything) I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, Cambridge, History, Italy, London, Museums and Galleries, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Virtual Knowledge

Posted on 12/03/2021 by carolinemmurray

Now that The End may be in sight (touching wood, not counting my chickens, not jinxing it by booking holidays, etc. etc.), I’ve been pondering what, if anything, about life in lockdown I might actually miss. It is of course … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bibliography, Biography, Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, History, London, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Venice | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Dunnock

Posted on 11/02/2021 by carolinemmurray

In my distant youth, the dunnock was a hedge sparrow, a rare and exotic visitor to a garden in which the (totally boring) house sparrow predominated. Sixty years on, I get moderately excited at the arrival of house sparrows, whereas … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Gardens, Italy, Natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Lost Museum

Posted on 04/02/2021 by carolinemmurray

I have just come across the Leverian Museum, which sadly was broken up, after about thirty years, in 1806. Sir Ashton Lever, its founder, was born in 1729 at Alkrington Hall, then near, now in, Manchester. His father, Sir James … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, History, London, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Songs of the Nativity Revisited

Posted on 19/12/2020 by carolinemmurray

A few weekends ago, I was multi-tasking between Christmas cakes and reshelving books, with the Advent Service from St John’s on the radio, when I picked up William Henry Husk’s Songs of the Nativity, the cover of which is one … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bibliography, History, Italy, Literature, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Anna Maria Garthwaite

Posted on 04/11/2020 by carolinemmurray

It is a well-known fact that the Spitalfields district of London was, during the eighteenth century, entirely populated by French Huguenot refugees, all busy weaving away in their loft workshops, producing gorgeous silks for worldwide trade, and breeding auriculas and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, Botany, Gardens, History, London, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Lepanto

Posted on 07/10/2020 by carolinemmurray

On 7 October every year, I remind my faithful Twitter followers of the anniversary of the battle of Lepanto in 1571, at which the Ottoman Turkish fleet was comprehensively defeated by the combined forces of the Holy League – the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, History, Italy, Literature, Museums and Galleries, Venice | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments