Tag Archives: Italy

1390: And the Books Were Opened

Posted on February 20, 2021 by corvusfugit

Jacobello Alberegno’s polyptych of the Apocalypse was originally part of a much larger set of artworks in the church of the Benedictine convent of San Giovanni Evangelista on the Venetian island of Torcello; it is now on display in the … Continue reading →

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1559: Not Man, Not Woman, Not Androgyne

Posted on October 5, 2019 by corvusfugit

This mysterious Latin inscription appears to be an epitaph composed in the 16th century by someone named or calling himself Lucio Agatho Priscius; the deceased was named Aelia Laelia Crispis. DM Aelia Laelia Crispis Nec vir nec mulier nec androgyna … Continue reading →

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1900: Landscape

Posted on September 24, 2019 by corvusfugit

Giuseppe Pelizza da Volpedo: Landscape (1900)

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1673: Life Being So Short and Books So Plentiful

Posted on September 15, 2019 by corvusfugit

In 1673, Antonio Magliabechi became librarian to Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. He was an eruidite scholar, fluent in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and—according to his contemporary and biographer Giacinto Gimma—versed in physics, mathematics, rhetoric, grammar, history, … Continue reading →

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1828: Sala Dante

Posted on May 5, 2019 by corvusfugit

Joseph Anton Koch’s frescos of Dante’s Inferno (1825-28) decorate the Sala Dante in the Casino Massimo, a Roman Villa. Several scenes from the poem are illustrated here, including Dante and Virgil’s ride on the monster Geryon (upper right) and Count … Continue reading →

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1665: Pyrophylaciorum

Posted on April 24, 2019 by corvusfugit

Systema Ideale Pyrophylaciorum Suberraneorum, quorum montes Vulcanii, veluti spiracula quaedam existant, an illustration from Athanasius Kircher’s 1665 Mundus Subterranous.

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1720: Women Working

Posted on April 23, 2019 by corvusfugit

Giacomo Ceruti: Women Working on Pillow Lace (c. 1720)

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1964: Oh, My Mangled Head!

Posted on April 14, 2019 by corvusfugit

In his book Alice in Many Tongues (1964), Warren Weaver spends the last chapter using a curious method to evaluate various translations of Alice in Wonderland. He takes the same passage from each translation—a portion of the Mad Tea-Party—and asks … Continue reading →

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1969: Icarus Complex

Posted on November 17, 2018 by corvusfugit

Stanislao Lepri: The Icarus Complex (1969)

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1529: Fortifications

Posted on August 10, 2018 by corvusfugit

In 1527, a republican government was established in the city-state of Florence after residents ousted the ruling Medici family. The pope at the time, Clement VII, was himself a Medici—and he took affront at the rebellion and resolved to capture … Continue reading →

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