Tag: Religious Art
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01 Work, Interpretations of Olympian deities, William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s Bacchant, with footnotes #37
In Greek mythology, maenads were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god’s retinue. Their name literally translates as “raving ones.” Maenads were known as Bassarids, Bacchae or Bacchantes in Roman mythology, after the penchant of the equivalent Roman god, Bacchus, to wear a bassaris or fox-skin. Often…
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01 Work, Interpretation of the bible, The Master of the Magdalene Legend’s Virgin and Child, with Footnotes #183
Estimate for 30,000 – 50,000 EUR in June 2022In the present painting, characteristics typical of the Master of the Magdalene Legend include the graceful modelling of the flesh; the light falling delicately on the faces; the Virgin’s eyes, piously lowered; the finely delineated hair with lighter reflections; and the shadows on the eyelids and neck. More…
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01 Work, Interpretations of Olympian deities, DOMENICO PIOLA’S Alexander and the family of Darius, with footnotes #36
Sold for EUR 1,842,000 in Jun 2022 In 333 BC Alexander defeated Darius III, the last king of the Achaemenid Empire, at the Battle of Issus. Darius escaped capture, but his wife Stateira I, his mother, Sisygambis, and his daughters Stateira II and Drypetis were taken by Alexander. Alexander displayed forgiveness in victory. According to Plutarch:…
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07 Works, Today, June 18th, is martyr Saints Leontius, Hypatius and Theodolus’s day, their story in Paintings #169
Saints Leontius, Hypatius and Theodolus were Roman soldiers who, according to Christian tradition, were martyred for their faith… Please follow link for full post
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01 Painting Interpretation of the bible, Giovanni Antonio Bazzi’s The Penitent Magdalene, with Footnotes #182
Sold for USD 226,800 in un 2022 A sinner, perhaps a courtesan, Mary Magdalen was a witness of Christ who renounced the pleasures of the flesh for a life of penance and contemplation. Penitent Magdalene or Penitent Magdalen refers to a post-biblical period in the life of Mary Magdalene, according to medieval legend. According to the tenets of the…
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01 Work, Interpretation of the bible, Flemish school’s Pietà, with Footnotes #181
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ. When Christ and the Virgin are…
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01 Work, Interpretations of Olympian deities, Ragnhild Nordensten’s Sjöhästar/ Seahorses, with footnotes #35
Sold for 125 000 SEK in Jun 2022 The hippocampus or hippocamp, often called a sea-horse in English, is a mythological creature shared by Phoenician, Etruscan, Pictish, Roman and Greek mythology, though its name has a Greek origin. The hippocampus has typically been depicted as having the upper body of a horse with the lower body of…
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01 Work, Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, Jean Souverbie’s L’amazone, with footnotes #29
Sold for €36,585 EUR in December 2019 In Greek mythology, the Amazons were a race of woman warriors. The legendary Amazons were thought to have lived in Pontus, which is part of modern-day Turkey near the southern shore of the Black Sea. There they formed an independent kingdom under the government of a queen named…
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05 Works, June 4th is Saints Mary and Martha’s day, their story in Paintings #155
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, He came to Bethany where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made… Please follow…
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01 Painting, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, Giovanni Domenico Cerrini’s Diana, with footnotes # 40
Estimated at £15,000 – £20,000 in December 2019 In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon and nature being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was eventually equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Diana was worshipped…
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01 Work, RELIGIOUS ART – Pierre-André Brouillet’s Suzanne (Susannah and the Elders), With Footnotes – #132
Sold for USD 96,000 in Oct 2005In this painting, Brouillet restages the Old Testament narrative of Susannah and the Elders at the Moulin Rouge and populates the scene with contemporary characters. Unlike the biblical Susannah, besieged by two leering older men while bathing outdoors, this stylishly attired and self-possessed Suzanne is propositioned by two elegantly dressed gentlemen…
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01 Work, Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, B A H M A N’s Leda, with footnotes #33
Leda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. She was also believed to have been the mother (by Zeus, who had approached and seduced her in the form of a swan) of the other twin, Pollux, and of Helen, both of whom…
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01 Work, RELIGIOUS ART – Gabriel Joseph Marie Augustin Ferrier’s Scenes from The Spanish Inquisition, With Footnotes #134
The Spanish Inquisition was a judicial institution that lasted between 1478 and 1834. Its ostensible purpose was to combat heresy in Spain, but, in practice, it resulted in consolidating power in the monarchy of the newly unified Spanish kingdom. Its brutal methods led to widespread death and suffering. More on The Spanish Inquisition Gabriel-Joseph-Marie-Augustin Ferrier (29 September 1847…
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01 Work, Interpretations of Olympian deities, Titian’s Perseus and Andromeda, with footnotes #31
In Greek mythology, Andromeda is the daughter of the Aethiopian king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia’s hubris leads her to boast that Andromeda is more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sends a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage Aethiopia as divine punishment. Andromeda is stripped and chained naked to a rock as a sacrifice…
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01 Work, Interpretations of Burmese deities, Min Wae Aung’s Monks, with footnotes #01
Buddhism is practiced by nearly 90% of the population of Myanmar, and is predominantly of the Theravada tradition. It is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of the proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. Adherents are most likely found among the dominant Bamar people, Shan, Rakhine, Mon, Karen,…
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01 Work, Interpretations of Olympian deities, Francesco Furini’s Venus Mourning the Death of Adonis, with footnotes #32
One day while out hunting Adonis was slain by a wild boar, an accident Venus has always dreaded. Hearing his dying groans as she flew overhead in her chariot, she came down to aid him, but was too late. In the place where the earth was stained with Adonis’ blood, anemones sprouted. In Greek mythology,…
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02 Ivory Carvings, from Bible stories! 17th Century of Saint Sebastian, with Footnote #15
17th century carved ivory relief depicting St. Sebastian being released from the tree. According to tradition, he was rescued by Irene of Rome. In this unusual depiction, he is shown being untied by cherubs. His body shows several puncture marks from the arrows that were shot into him… Please follow link for full post
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04 Paintings, Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities; Betsy Podlach’s Leda And the Swan, Cupid and Psyche, István Cene gál’s Nymph and Brian Smyth’s Andromeda, with footnotes, #3
Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from Metamorphoses, written in the 2nd Century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis. It concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyche and Cupid, and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage. Although the only extended narrative from antiquity is that of Apuleius, Eros and Psyche appear…
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05 Religious Ivory Carvings, Christ Blessing, the Crucifixion, the Virgin with Child and a saint flagellating himself and holding a crucifix, with footnotes #15
Estimated at 20.000 € — 25.000 € on 20.05.2023 Depiction of Christ enthroned and looking towards the viewer; His right hand raised in blessing, He also holds a chalice in His outstretched left hand, referring to the Eucharist. The high-quality ivory carving, designed for a frontal viewpoint, is particularly notable for the detailed observation of the folds…
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11 Works, Artists’ Interpretations of Hellenic legends, The Rape of Deianira, with footnotes #188
Deianira, Deïanira was a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translated as “man-destroyer” or “destroyer of her husband”. She was the wife of Heracles and, in late Classical accounts, his unwitting murderer, killing him with the poisoned Shirt of Nessus. She is the main character in Sophocles’ play Women of Trachis… Please follow link…