1. 18 May


    In the Garden. Alfred Stevens (Belgian, Romanticism, 1828-1906). Oil on panel. Stevens’ career was closely linked to the figure of Parisian women during the Second Empire, elegant, distant and intriguing whose mystery and beauty he was able to capture in his work. At a time when the bourgeoisie reigned over French society, Stevens’ genius consisted in knowing how to seize the spirit of his time by exploring its models as well as their attire and their interiors.

    In the Garden. Alfred Stevens (Belgian, Romanticism, 1828-1906). Oil on panel.

    Stevens’ career was closely linked to the figure of Parisian women during the Second Empire, elegant, distant and intriguing whose mystery and beauty he was able to capture in his work. At a time when the bourgeoisie reigned over French society, Stevens’ genius consisted in knowing how to seize the spirit of his time by exploring its models as well as their attire and their interiors.

     

  2. 16 May


    Should a gentleman offer a Tiparillo to a librarian? Advertisement from Playboy, October 1968.  If she accepts your Tiparillo, remember to fumble with the matches until she decides to light it herself. That way, she’ll have to put down the book.

    Should a gentleman offer a Tiparillo to a librarian? Advertisement from Playboy, October 1968. 

    If she accepts your Tiparillo, remember to fumble with the matches until she decides to light it herself. That way, she’ll have to put down the book.

     

  3. 15 May


    The Cumean Sibyl (c.1450). Andrea del Castagno (Italian, 1423-1457). Fresco transferred to wood. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. The Sibylline Books were offered to Tarquinius Superbus by the Cumaean sibyl. He refused to pay her price, so the sibyl burned six of the books before finally selling him the remaining three at the price she had originally asked for all nine. The books were thereafter kept in the temple of Jupiter to be consulted only in emergencies.

    The Cumean Sibyl (c.1450). Andrea del Castagno (Italian, 1423-1457). Fresco transferred to wood. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

    The Sibylline Books were offered to Tarquinius Superbus by the Cumaean sibyl. He refused to pay her price, so the sibyl burned six of the books before finally selling him the remaining three at the price she had originally asked for all nine. The books were thereafter kept in the temple of Jupiter to be consulted only in emergencies.

     

  4. 13 May


    Marie-Antoinette d’Autriche, reine de France (1755-1793), 1788. Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (French, 1755–1842). Oil on canvas. Palace of Versailles. “I was so fortunate as to be on very pleasant terms with the Queen. When she heard that I had something of a voice, we rarely had a sitting without singing some duets by Grétry together, for she was exceedingly fond of music, though she did not sing very much in tune. As for her conversation, it would be difficult for me to convey all of its charm, its affability.” — Vigée Le Brun

    Marie-Antoinette d’Autriche, reine de France (1755-1793), 1788. Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (French, 1755–1842). Oil on canvas. Palace of Versailles.

    “I was so fortunate as to be on very pleasant terms with the Queen. When she heard that I had something of a voice, we rarely had a sitting without singing some duets by Grétry together, for she was exceedingly fond of music, though she did not sing very much in tune. As for her conversation, it would be difficult for me to convey all of its charm, its affability.” — Vigée Le Brun

     

  5. 7 May


    Portrait of Vicomtesse de Vaudreuil (1785). Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (French, 1755–1842). Oil on canvas. Getty Center.  Vigée Le Brun emphasized the Vicomtesse’s status and refinement by carefully describing her fashionable straw hat, silk dress, and gauze scarf, collar, and cuffs. Displaying her learning, the Vicomtesse places her thumb in her book to mark her place, as if she has been interrupted while reading. Vigée Le Brun adopted this obvious gesture, often used in men’s portraits, to illustrate women’s importance in French Enlightenment circles. 

    Portrait of Vicomtesse de Vaudreuil (1785). Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (French, 1755–1842). Oil on canvas. Getty Center. 

    Vigée Le Brun emphasized the Vicomtesse’s status and refinement by carefully describing her fashionable straw hat, silk dress, and gauze scarf, collar, and cuffs. Displaying her learning, the Vicomtesse places her thumb in her book to mark her place, as if she has been interrupted while reading. Vigée Le Brun adopted this obvious gesture, often used in men’s portraits, to illustrate women’s importance in French Enlightenment circles. 

     

  6. 6 May


    Portrait of Georgiana Burne-Jones, with Philip and Margaret (1883). Edward Burne-Jones (British, Pre-Raphaelite, 1833-1898). Oil on canvas. Burne-Jones married Georgiana “Georgie” MacDonald (1840–1920), after which she made her own work in woodcuts. Georgiana bore a son, Philip, in 1861. Margaret was born in 1866. Philip became a successful portrait painter and died in 1926. Margaret (died 1953) married John William Mackail (1850–1945), Professor of Poetry at Oxford. 

    Portrait of Georgiana Burne-Jones, with Philip and Margaret (1883). Edward Burne-Jones (British, Pre-Raphaelite, 1833-1898). Oil on canvas.

    Burne-Jones married Georgiana “Georgie” MacDonald (1840–1920), after which she made her own work in woodcuts. Georgiana bore a son, Philip, in 1861. Margaret was born in 1866.

    Philip became a successful portrait painter and died in 1926. Margaret (died 1953) married John William Mackail (1850–1945), Professor of Poetry at Oxford. 

     

  7. 4 May


    The Repentant Magdalen (ca. 1620s). Peter Wtewael (Dutch, 1596–1660). Oil on panel. Joslyn Art Museum. Wtewael’s portrayal includes Mary Magdalen’s conventional attributes — abundant red hair (with which she dried Christ’s feet), a jar of unguent (used to anoint the body of Christ), and costly robes. The book and skull symbolize salvation and death, respectively.

    The Repentant Magdalen (ca. 1620s). Peter Wtewael (Dutch, 1596–1660). Oil on panel. Joslyn Art Museum.

    Wtewael’s portrayal includes Mary Magdalen’s conventional attributes — abundant red hair (with which she dried Christ’s feet), a jar of unguent (used to anoint the body of Christ), and costly robes. The book and skull symbolize salvation and death, respectively.

     

  8. 30 Apr


    La lectura interrumpida. Pedro Lira (Chilean, 1846-1912).  In 1865, he had begun training under Antonio Smith, a landscape artist who had left the Academia de Pintura because of disagreements with the classical training promoted there. Under the influence of Smith, Lira passed through his first stage of romantic paintings, mostly seen in his landscapes. 

    La lectura interrumpida. Pedro Lira (Chilean, 1846-1912). 

    In 1865, he had begun training under Antonio Smith, a landscape artist who had left the Academia de Pintura because of disagreements with the classical training promoted there. Under the influence of Smith, Lira passed through his first stage of romantic paintings, mostly seen in his landscapes. 

     

  9. 24 Apr


    Forecast of Autumn Fashions. Vogue, September 15, 1917. Illustration by Alice de Warenne Little. Women thrive on novelty and are easy meat for the commerce of fashion. Men prefer old pipes and torn jackets. — Anthony Burgess quotes  

    Forecast of Autumn Fashions. Vogue, September 15, 1917. Illustration by Alice de Warenne Little.

    Women thrive on novelty and are easy meat for the commerce of fashion. Men prefer old pipes and torn jackets. — Anthony Burgess quotes  

     

  10. 23 Apr


    Portrait of a Girl with a Book. Pietro Antonio Rotari (Italian,1727-1762). Rotari’s reputation procured for him an invitation from Elizabeth I, Empress of Russia, which he accepted in 1756, shortly thereafter becoming court painter to the Empress, a position he held until his death. The best-known of his works for the Russian court are his portraits, of which he made a vast number. 

    Portrait of a Girl with a Book. Pietro Antonio Rotari (Italian,1727-1762).

    Rotari’s reputation procured for him an invitation from Elizabeth I, Empress of Russia, which he accepted in 1756, shortly thereafter becoming court painter to the Empress, a position he held until his death. The best-known of his works for the Russian court are his portraits, of which he made a vast number. 

     

  11. 22 Apr


    The Red Table (1916). Leon De Smet (Belgian, 1881-1966). Oil on canvas. De Smet’s style is characterised by an impressionistic and pointillistic touch. He is renowned for his ability to build up a composition with swift, short brushstrokes and undertone colors while always maintaining balance. 

    The Red Table (1916). Leon De Smet (Belgian, 1881-1966). Oil on canvas.

    De Smet’s style is characterised by an impressionistic and pointillistic touch. He is renowned for his ability to build up a composition with swift, short brushstrokes and undertone colors while always maintaining balance. 

     

  12. 19 Apr


    Portrait of Sheila Pickering (1935). Balthus - Count Balthasar Klossowski de Rola (French ~ 1908-2001).  Balthus presented the painting to Sheila Pickering as a gift and wrote a gift card, of sorts, on the book in her lap. “An Authentic Portrait of Her Highness Sheila, Princess of Cats…Painted by His Maj Balthus, The King of Cats, Himself—”

    Portrait of Sheila Pickering (1935). Balthus - Count Balthasar Klossowski de Rola (French ~ 1908-2001). 

    Balthus presented the painting to Sheila Pickering as a gift and wrote a gift card, of sorts, on the book in her lap. “An Authentic Portrait of Her Highness Sheila, Princess of Cats…Painted by His Maj Balthus, The King of Cats, Himself—”

     

  13. 19 Apr


    Thomas à Kempis (1379/1380–1471). Opera. Nuremberg, 1494. With, Saint Albertus Magnus. Compendium theologice veritatis. Strasbourg, 1489. Folger Shakespeare Library: “Bound in a German chained binding, c. 1495, of alum tawed pigskin over wooden boards with blind decoration and adorned with brass corner bosses, title plaque, clasps, and several links of iron chain. Both covers blind tooled with three-line fillet border. Upper cover decorated with a vine-like tool with tendrils (crocketed ogive tool); lower cover central panel divided in 12 lozenges with a fleur-de-lys stamped in the center of each.”

    Thomas à Kempis (1379/1380–1471). Opera. Nuremberg, 1494. With, Saint Albertus Magnus. Compendium theologice veritatis. Strasbourg, 1489. Folger Shakespeare Library:

    “Bound in a German chained binding, c. 1495, of alum tawed pigskin over wooden boards with blind decoration and adorned with brass corner bosses, title plaque, clasps, and several links of iron chain. Both covers blind tooled with three-line fillet border. Upper cover decorated with a vine-like tool with tendrils (crocketed ogive tool); lower cover central panel divided in 12 lozenges with a fleur-de-lys stamped in the center of each.”

     

  14. 18 Apr


    Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni (c.1489). Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494). Tempera on panel. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Giovanna (1468-1488) married Lorenzo Tornabuoni (1468–1497), heir to an influential family with links to the Medici. This posthumous portrait was intended to hang permanently in a place of honour in the Palazzo Tornabuoni. Ghirlandaio emphasised three aspects of the sitter’s personality—her beauty, her role as the wife of Lorenzo, and her virtue and devoutness.

    Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni (c.1489). Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494). Tempera on panel. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

    Giovanna (1468-1488) married Lorenzo Tornabuoni (1468–1497), heir to an influential family with links to the Medici. This posthumous portrait was intended to hang permanently in a place of honour in the Palazzo Tornabuoni. Ghirlandaio emphasised three aspects of the sitter’s personality—her beauty, her role as the wife of Lorenzo, and her virtue and devoutness.

     

  15. 16 Apr


    The Japanese Book (ca. 1900). William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916). Oil on canvas. Chase was a well-known and prolific artist. His paintings were admired in the United States and abroad for their luminous color, virtuoso brushstroke, and assured composition, and his work was exhibited widely, often winning prestigious awards. 

    The Japanese Book (ca. 1900). William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916). Oil on canvas.

    Chase was a well-known and prolific artist. His paintings were admired in the United States and abroad for their luminous color, virtuoso brushstroke, and assured composition, and his work was exhibited widely, often winning prestigious awards.