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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 14th Century, Angels, Art, Books, Christianity, Cryptids, Hell, Italy, Jacobello Alberegno, Painting, Religion | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 16th Century, Death, Italy, LGBTQ, Oddities, Poetry | Leave a comment

1900: Landscape

Posted on September 24, 2019 by corvusfugit

Giuseppe Pelizza da Volpedo: Landscape (1900)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1900's, 20th Century, Art, Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, Italy, Landscapes, Painting | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 17th Century, 18th Century, Antonio Magliabechi, Antonio Montauti, Books, Italy, Libraries, Memory, Portraits, Sculpture | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 14th Century, 1820's, 19th Century, Animals, Art, Austria, Christianity, Dante, Demons, Italy, Joseph Anton Koch, Mammals, Painting, Poetry, Religion | Comments Off

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 17th Century, Athanasius Kircher, Books, Fire, Geology, Italy, Volcanoes | Leave a comment

1720: Women Working

Posted on April 23, 2019 by corvusfugit

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 18th Century, Art, Giacomo Ceruti, Italy, Labor, Painting, Textiles, Women | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1960's, 20th Century, Africa, Alice, Books, Children, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Language, Poetry, Poland, Russia, South America, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Translation, USA, Warren Weaver | Leave a comment

1969: Icarus Complex

Posted on November 17, 2018 by corvusfugit

Stanislao Lepri: The Icarus Complex (1969)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1960's, 20th Century, Art, Italy, Mythology, Painting, Stanislao Lepri | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 16th Century, Architecture, Art, Drawing, Emperor Charles V, Italy, LGBTQ, Michelangelo, Pope Clement VII, War | Leave a comment