Category Archives: Classics

Thomas Spratt, R.N.

Posted on 05/01/2023 by carolinemmurray

I discovered the other day that Thomas Able Brimage Spratt (1811–88) donated seven items of archaeological interest to the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1853–4. I knew him as the author of a two-volume Travels and Researches in Crete (1865), which was … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Bibliography, Biography, Botany, Classics, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

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

Rome In Three Days

Posted on 30/04/2019 by carolinemmurray

I am sitting in an apartment in Venice with a glorious view which encompasses the towers of San Stefano (looking worrisomely more lop-sided then usual), San Marco, San Francesco della Vigna, and even, in the most extreme distance, the three … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Botany, Classics, Gardens, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Scots Welshman

Posted on 07/11/2018 by carolinemmurray

… or possible the Welsh Scot? John Pryse Campbell, first Baron Cawdor of Castlemartin (1755–1821) was a member of the famous Scots clan, but two marriages in different generations to the daughters of Welsh landowners had brought their huge estates … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Biography, Classics, Gardens, History, Italy, London, Museums and Galleries | Leave a comment

Printing R-Evolution

Posted on 17/09/2018 by carolinemmurray

I have been reading Julian Barnes’s Keeping An Eye Open, in which he remarks (p. 166) that ‘normal ocular fatigue sets in after about ninety minutes’. This is a huge relief, as I had always thought it was just me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliography, Classics, History, Italy, Literature, Museums and Galleries, Printing and Publishing, Venice | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Enter by the Founder’s

Posted on 26/08/2018 by carolinemmurray

… and exit by the gift shop. You can of course, alternatively, enter via the Courtyard, which takes you through/past the gift shop first, on your way to the café. Cambridge friends will realise that I am taking about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Cambridge, Classics, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Object of the Month: July 2018

Posted on 18/07/2018 by carolinemmurray

The Tampa Museum of Art is a high-ceilinged box near the Hillsborough River, its air-conditioning creating blessed coolness. When I visited the other day, it had exhibitions (largely drawn from its permanent collections) including ‘Inspired by Nature: Vases, Birds, & … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: January 2018

Posted on 21/01/2018 by carolinemmurray

The first problem I have in considering the hazel (apart from the minor detail that, in the last few days when I have been confined to bed/the house, it has been bright and sunny – ideal photographic weather – and … Continue reading →

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Pompeiana

Posted on 02/03/2017 by carolinemmurray

The first edition of Pompeiana by Sir William Gell and J.P. Gandy was published in parts between 1817 and 1819. As is remarked in the preface: ‘Pompeii was begun upon in 1748; and it may at first excite our surprise, … Continue reading →

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Object of the Month: February 2017

Posted on 27/02/2017 by carolinemmurray

Back in my student days, I was much more interested in Greek history, culture and archaeology than I was in that of the Romans. As a consequence that I am almost too embarrassed to admit, although I now spend a … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Classics, History | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments