View allAll Photos Tagged Executed
•52 Church Street is Christ Church Cathedral. In 1816 the stone Christ Church was built by order of Governor Macquarie by convicts. Designed by convict artist Joseph Lycett. The first Bishop of Newcastle was appointed in 1847. Bishop Tyrrell who arrived 1848. The old church of 1816 was used until architect John Horbury Hunt drew up plans for a cathedral and had it demolished. One stone remains in the nave of the current Cathedral. In 1883 Cathedral Hall was built across the road for use as a church whilst the Cathedral was being built. Work began 1883 on the Cathedral but stopped in 1891 as the foundations began to subside. Work restarted in 1902 and was soon finished with marble floors, stained glass windows and a superb Warriors Chapel. The church ran a competition in 1868 for a cathedral to cost no more than £10,000. The winners were Terry and Speechley from Melbourne with John Horbury Hunt as supervising architect. Cost concerns arose and John Horbury Hunt was appointed as the architect. During repairs undertaken after the 1989 Newcastle earthquake the original 1816 church foundation stone was re-positioned within the Cathedral nave. Hunt also designed a Pro-Cathedral opposite which was called Cathedral Hall. It is now the Anglican Newcastle Grammar School. This was used until the opening of the new Cathedral for services in 1902. Kempe of London supplied the stained glass windows in the nave and baptistery in the new Cathedral. It also contains a stained glass jewel: the Dies Domini window designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and executed by Morris & Co. of London. The Warriors' Chapel was built in 1924. It was a permanent memorial to all those who died in World War I, especially men and women of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. The Christ Church burial ground, located on the northern side of the church and now a park and is the first known European burial ground in Newcastle.
Image of Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 767 doing a photo runby on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad made at Boston Mill.
U memorijalnom parku Dotrščina spomenik je u čast žrtava fašizma strijeljanima u ovoj šumi. Spomenik je djelo Vojina Bakića (1915.- 1992.), koji je bio istaknuti hrvatski kipar srpskog podrijetla.
Zbog odbijanja svjetla od metalne površine ovog lijepog spomenika, on se mijenja od sata do sata, od jednog do drugog godišnjeg doba. Nikad se ne čini isti.
In memorial park Dotrščina there is a monument in honour of victims of fascism executed in this forest. The monument is work of Vojin Bakić, ( born 1915 , died 1992) who was a prominent Croatian sculptor of Serbian descent.
Due to reflection of the light from the metallic surface of this beautiful monument, it changes from hour to hour and from season to season. It never seems to be the same.
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March 2029 - SSA troops execute a mission to locate an abandoned DARKWATER military facility in Sudan. They met no resistance and recovered old DARKWATER technology and documents hidden in the facility. Lucky for them, it did not look like the EU had found the place yet. However, some rooms and certain areas of the facility looked demolished and unrecognisable. Reports indicate the facility has hastily destroyed by DARKWATER units after the head of the facility was executed due to his little care to orders issued by DARKWATER command. Sharp Sky was hired by the Indian government to raid this place. They were hired to find DARKWATER technology for the Indian armed forces that use semi-outdated equipment. This successful mission strengthened relations between Sharp Sky and the Indian government. Unintentionally, this annoyed the European Union’s leaders because they had been the ones who had found many facilities in Eastern Africa and the Middle East. According to found DARKWATER documents, this facility had encountered safety and maintenance problems and had been disbanded.
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The Sharp Sky figure in the scene is the new standard for all main SSA figures from now on. Scout and Marksman/Sniper variants aren't official yet.
Exécuté seulement en 1807 par Gérard (1770-1837), le portrait de Joséphine "dans le costume du couronnement" fut exposé au Salon de 1808 et placé aux Tuileries.
Napoléon en commanda la même année une réplique destinée à être traduite en tapisserie.
Huit lissiers des Gobelins travaillèrent au tissage, notamment Claude père, aidé de son fils, qui exécuta la figure de Joséphine avec une rare perfection. Bien que tissée en haute lisse, la tapisserie est inversée par rapport à la peinture comme c'est le cas en basse lisse. La couronne posée sur le tabouret est bien celle livrée par le joaillier Marguerite pour le couronnement; et, mis à part la parure de saphirs et le haut du corsage, le bas de robe en soie blanche brodée et le grand manteau en velours pourpre, exécutés par les couturiers Leroy et Rimbaud, sont ceux que l'Impératrice portait pour la cérémonie du 2 décembre 1804.
Commencée en juillet 1808 et livrée en novembre 1810, un an après le divorce de Joséphine et Napoléon, cette tapisserie fut offerte par Napoléon au fils de Joséphine, Eugène (1781-1824) pour les étrennes de 1810.
Executed only in 1807 by Gérard (1770-1837), the portrait of Josephine "in the costume of the coronation" was exhibited at the Salon of 1808 and placed in the Tuileries.
In the same year, Napoleon commissioned a replica to be translated into tapestry.
Eight weavers from the Gobelins worked on the weaving, notably Claude père, assisted by his son, who executed the figure of Joséphine with rare perfection. Although woven in haute lisse, the tapestry is inverted in relation to the painting, as is the case in basse lisse. The crown on the stool is indeed the one delivered by the jeweller Marguerite for the coronation; and, apart from the sapphire set and the top of the bodice, the embroidered white silk dress and the large purple velvet cloak, made by the couturiers Leroy and Rimbaud, are those worn by the Empress for the ceremony of 2 December 1804.
The tapestry was begun in July 1808 and delivered in November 1810, a year after Josephine and Napoleon's divorce. Napoleon gave it to Josephine's son Eugène (1781-1824) for his Christmas present in 1810.
Last Judgment (1594) - Ferraù Fenzoni called the Faenzone (Faenza, 1562 - Faenza, 11 April 1645) counter-façade of the Todi's Cathedral
affresco di Ferraù Fenzoni detto "il Faenzone" raffigurante il Giudizio Universale, opera eseguita nel 1594 circa, che prende spunto dal Giudizio Universale di Michelangelo (1536-1541) nella Cappella Sistina.
fresco of Ferraù Fenzoni called "the Faenzone" representing the Last Judgment, work executed in 1594 approximately, that takes inspiration from the Last Judgment of Michelangelo (1536-1541) in the Sistine Chapel.
It has been a busy few weeks, planning and executing a seven part project for one of my favorite clients and squeaking in other work between those shoots. Between at project and my other responsibilities, I have pulled almost a month (maybe more, who can remember) for 7 day work weeks. So, I am headed up to lake Bruin with a few friends for a much-needed couple of days off.
Before I go, I thought I’d throw a few images up on the site that were outtakes from the recent shoots. It’s been a fun project where I had a lot of creative latitude. I feel extraordinarily fortunate to be able to make a living doing something I really love, namely taking pictures. But, when I am doing client work, I am sometimes restricted in what I can post. Such is the life of the freelancer.
Although I do plan on doing some work on a wedding that I recent photographed, this weekend will be more about play than work. Depending on the conditions, I would like to get some shooting in while I am up there. Readers of this blog won’t be surprised to know that I love north Louisiana and the photographs I am occasionally able to capture from the mystical, empty place.
I hope you all have a good weekend and just to keep this site active (I’ve been slack about posting, I know). Here are some of the shots I took recently but which probably won’t make the cut with the client.
Check out more at my blog, for lots of photos, recipes, tech talk, travel writing and other ramblings. I appreciate any feedback but, please do not post graphic awards or invitations in the comments, I'm just not crazy about them. Also, if you want to use any of my Commercial Commons licensed photos please link the attribution back to my blog (listed above) and use my full name, Frank McMains. Thanks! Sorry, but you have to pay to use fully copyright protected photos.
Again for model year 1963 minor restyled details were executed by Brooks Stevens (1911-1995) like a renewed grille and dashboard. Stevens also used thinner upper door frames to improve the visibility. More striking was the elimination of the outdated semi-panoramic windshield. All these measures gave the Lark a more modern look.
Despite all affords and the good reputation and reliability of Studebaker, and the fact that the Lark was relatively cheap (special the V8 versions), sales went down year by year.
You can find a very interesting article about the history of the Lark here: www.indieauto.org/2021/04/16/1964-studebaker-brooks-steve...
2779 cc L6 or 4248 cc V8 engine.
C. 1180/1250 kg.
Production Studebaker Lark series: 1959-1966.
Production Studebaker Lark 2nd generation: Autumn 1961-1963.
Production Studebaker Lark Six and Eight this version: Autumn 1962-1963.
New US reg. number.
Picture was taken from:
Cars of the Sizzling '60s, a Decade of Great Rides and Good Vibrations, by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, Publications International LTD, Lincolnwood, 1997.
Original photographer, place and date unknown.
Book collection Sander Toonen (1998).
Halfweg, July 10, 2024.
© 2024 Sander Toonen, Halfweg | All Rights Reserved
F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, execute formation maneuvers after refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, March 4, 2015, during Exercise Iron Hand over southern France. Through forward presence and ready forces, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa executes missions in support of regional and global operations to provide global vigilance, global reach and global power for national objectives across an area spanning 104 countries. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kate Maurer/Released)
Day 163-365 - The Real Thing
Quick idea, quickly executed in our stunning local scenery
Sunlight and SB-900 high for fill flash
Not a well-executed photo, spur of the moment spin and shoot, too much shake and contrast for my liking, but a fond memory. One that might be worth sharing.
Walking along Place Saint Michel and across from the landmark fountain, a section of Paris where the dominant language is definitely English and that could be labeled “tourist central.” Suddenly a waitress in this establishment called out “Take my Picture” in French. Then I turned to see her with a big smile and arms outstretched, snap! This view pretty much sums up most of my interactions with Parisians.
I’m sure that under one of my many Paris photos I’ve mentioned this before, the fact that one of my favorite activities during my three month Paris stay was reading Ernest Hemingway’s “A Movable Feast” reading that book under the allées of the Luxembourg Gardens. I don’t know if I’d ever gotten around to mentioning how the book was named.
In the introduction Hemingway’s son explains that the title was because Ernest Hemingway believed that anyone who spends an amount of time in Paris that experience will follow wherever they go. I couldn’t agree more. And I’m counting the days until I go back, 230 days.
The species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is native to eastern North America, including Ontario in Canada and the United States as far west as Colorado.
The genus name, Celithemis, is a combination of the Greek words kelis, spotted (referring to the wing spots on most members of the genus), and themis, law, decree, order, presumably because this genus can be “ordered” or classified according to the pattern and number of spots on the wings, which are diagnostic.
Eponina, the specific name, was the wife of Julius Sabinus, a Gaulish chief who attempted to overthrow the Roman occupation and was forced to flee, enduring a decade of privation and hardship, alleviated only by the devotion of his wife. When they were finally captured and sent to Rome, Vespasian executed Sabinus, and Eponina asked to be executed as well, a request that was granted. Plutarch called this the darkest deed of Vespasian’s reign, “there was nothing during Vespasian’s reign to match the horror of this atrocious deed, and that, in retribution for it, the vengeance of the gods fell upon Vespasian, and in a short time after wrought the extirpation of his entire family.”
The English name for this genus, the pennants, is also descriptive: it refers to their habit of perching, flag like, on vertical stems. And, if you’ll recall, pennants are small flags, appropriate because most species in this genus are rather small.
Laocoön and His Sons - a probable marble copy executed between the 1st century BC and I century AD of an original bronze of 150 BC - Pio-Clementine Museum of Vatican Museums
Il gruppo statuario raffigura la fine di Laocoonte e dei suoi due figli Antifante e Timbreo mentre vengono stritolati da due serpenti marini
The statuary group depicts the end of Laocoonte and its two sons Antifante and Timbreo while being crushed by two sea serpents
With tongues flickering in their mouths red,
They like the twin killing stings in their head.
We fled away all bloodless for fear.
But with a braid to Laocoon to tear
They start attacking, and his two sons sing
First the other serpent latched on like a ring,
And with their cruel bite, and sting they fell,
Of tender limbs took many a sorry morsel;
Next they the priest invaded both to entwine,
Whence with his weapons did his body pine
His children for to help and rescue.
Both they about him looped in knots through,
And twice circled his middle round about,
And twice folded their scaly skin but doubt,
About his crown, both neck and head they scrag
The rifles are aimed at the medal worn around the victims neck - the poles behind the statue represent the names, and ages of those executed - during WW1 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers were shot for desertion, cowardice, striking a senior officer, disobeying a lawful command, casting away arms, and sleeping on post.
It is now recognised that several were under age when they volunteered and many were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, which was not recognised as a medical condition until 1980.
The six trees facing the memorial represent where the firing squad
stood.
A LOT OF THE POLES WHICH STATE THE NAMES OF THOSE EXECUTED SAY AGE UNKNOWN WHICH POSSIBLY INDICATES THAT THEY WERE VERY YOUNG
In 2006 a posthumous pardon was granted for the men....❤️
✔ -EC- RUTH DRESS // FATPACK
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Today the Cow Tower stands in the north-east corner of Norwich like a lost red brick Roman 'Pharos' or lighthouse, yet it has two possible claims to fame. Firstly it may be Britain's oldest 'pillbox' or defensive bunker for the firing guns, secondly it represents one of the first extensive uses of structural brick in Britain. Externally it resembles a Martello Tower or a Pictish broch; it even has the same tapering sides as both types of buildings. Yet other features, such as the cross-shaped gun loops, place it firmly in the Medieval period.
www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/albums/7215766430910... to see the full set.
The Cow Tower was built between 1398 and 1399. Norwich was a prosperous city in the late 14th century, with a population of around 5,000 involved in key medieval industries and forming a centre for international trade. Between 1297 and 1350 the city had erected a semi-circle of defensive stone walls and ditches which assisted with collecting taxes, advertised the status of Norwich as a great city and also defended it against invasion or civil disorder. Remember that the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was within living memory when Cow Tower was built and Norwich had suffered during that.
Gunpowder weapons had begun to be introduced into England in the early 14th century, initially being used as battlefield or siege weapons but rapidly being adapted for defensive purposes from the 1360s. Although they were expensive, by the 1380s their potential value in defending castles and city walls was well understood and specialised features had begun to be built. By 1385 Norwich had fifty artillery pieces for use along its walls. In Kent, at Bodiam, Cooling and the West Gate at Canterbury, gun loops had been added to new buildings between 1380 to 1385. Firearms were here to stay. Cow Tower is a logical development. A free-standing tower just for gunpowder weapons.
The stone walls of Norwich describe a rough letter 'C' with a bend in the River Wensum covering the north-east gap in the 'C'. When first built Cow Tower was called the Dungeon (from Donjon) but was then called the "tower in the Hospital meadows", as the surrounding land was then part of St Giles' Hospital. It was intended to function as a specialised artillery and handgun tower, housing gunpowder weaponry capable of suppressing attackers on the far side of the river and disrupting any assault river crossing.
There are fragmentary references to an earlier tower in the area, responsible for collecting tolls and acting as a prison. This prison function could be the origin of the 'Dungeon' name but it is unclear if this was on the same site as the Cow Tower or merely refers to a different tower in the general area. Although the Cow Tower was not directly attached to the city walls, a protective timber palisade did link the tower with the city wall to the north-west, and ran south to meet Bishop Bridge. With the eye of faith today it is still just possible to see an raised bank fringing the river to the south of Cow Tower which was either the earth revetment to this palisade or else a simple earth bank to prevent flooding. It may even have functioned as both. The present footpath runs along the top of it and is about seven feet above the adjacent former meadow, now a sports field.
The city's accounts show details of payments for the construction of the tower between 1398 and 1399, including charges for 36,850 bricks, stone, sand, lime, a hoist and various equipment. One reason for the tower's height is that it stands on low-lying meadow facing a steep rise about 300 metres away on the other side of the Wensum. The city fathers may have feared that an attacker would set up camp on this rise and use artillery to bombard the city. In 1549 Robert Kett exploited this very weakness when he led an uprising in Norfolk. His army camped on the north-east side of the river, overlooking Cow Tower. Two rebel attacks were then made across the river into the hospital meadows, in an attempt to take nearby Bishop Bridge. Kett had brought artillery, which he turned on the Cow Tower, damaging the latter's parapets. The rebellion failed and the tower does not seem to have required extensive repairs. The hill opposite is now called Kett's Hill.
Cow Tower is a three-storey circular building with a protruding stair turret at the rear, the main building being 11.2 metres across and 14.6 metres tall, tapering towards the top. The walls, 1.8 metres thick at the base, are made of a core of flint rubble stone, faced on the inside and outside with brick. Various putlog holes can still be seen in the walls.
The brickwork, particularly on the stairwell, is well executed. Archaeologist T. P. Smith considers the tower to feature some "of the finest medieval brickwork" in England. It is the earliest known use of brick in an external load-bearing capacity in Norwich. The use of brick in this sort of fortification was both prestigious and practical, as brick absorbed the impact of artillery fire better than stone.
The quatrefoil gunports in the lower levels could have been used for both handgonnes and crossbows with some overlapping fields of fire. The roof was reinforced with large timber joists and could have supported heavier bombards; the tower's considerable height would allowed these bombards to reach across the river to the higher ground (Kett's Hill) which overlooks the city.
The parapet was crenellated with nine wide splayed embrasures and those embrasures facing out across the river were constructed flush with the floor of the roof, giving the bombards plenty of room to fire and the ability to depress to hit the river in front of the tower itself. Cow Tower has a simple ground floor entrance next to the stairwell turret and - while this is relatively poorly defended - objects could have been dropped from the roof on to anyone trying to force these doors. This is not a castle, it was a local defence 'hard point' capable of proving a severe nuisance to an attacker… and thus my analogy to a modern pillbox in the opening paragraph.
The interior has fireplaces and toilets. The ground floor may have formed a dining area with the floors above being used for military purposes and sleeping. The walls of the ground floor have curious diagonal chasing and sockets cut into them. These may have contained timbers to support brickwork that in turn supported the first floor or they are the remains of a magazine retrofitted in the tower in the 16th century.
Cow Tower is managed by English Heritage and Norwich City Council. The tower is now only a shell as the floors and the roof have been lost. The interior is visible through an iron gate. The riverside walk goes past and around it.
After executing a pop-up slide into second base, the runner for the Napa Silverados Minor League Baseball club was called out stealing second on the low throw from the Pacifics catcher.
Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II USM @321mm
Exposure: 1/2000 sec @ f/5.6 ISO400
This image is © Douglas Bawden Photography, please do not use without prior permission.
Enjoy my photos and please feel free to comment. The only thing that I ask is no large or flashy graphics in the comments.
EXPLORE # 152
This is Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. Shown at the background is a part of the Rizal Shrine where the national hero's belongings were kept after his execution and also numerous artworks about him. The footprints were made of copper retracing his path towards the execution site (Bagumbayan) now called Luneta. Rizal was executed December 30, 1896 at the age of 35. Below is his poem written in Spanish, "Mi Ultimo Adios", " and the English translation,. "My Last Farewell."
Mi Ultimo Adiós
¡Adiós, Patria adorada, región del sol querida,
Perla del mar de oriente, nuestro perdido Edén!
A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,
Y fuera más brillante, más fresca, más florida,
También por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.
En campos de batalla, luchando con delirio,
Otros te dan sus vidas sin dudas, sin pesar;
El sitio nada importa, ciprés, laurel o lirio,
Cadalso o campo abierto, combate o cruel martirio,
Lo mismo es si lo piden la patria y el hogar.
Yo muero cuando veo que el cielo se colora
Y al fin anuncia el día tras lóbrego capuz;
si grana necesitas para teñir tu aurora,
Vierte la sangre mía, derrámala en buen hora
Y dórela un reflejo de su naciente luz.
Mis sueños cuando apenas muchacho adolescente,
Mis sueños cuando joven ya lleno de vigor,
Fueron el verte un día, joya del mar de oriente,
Secos los negros ojos, alta la tersa frente,
Sin ceño, sin arrugas, sin manchas de rubor
Ensueño de mi vida, mi ardiente vivo anhelo,
¡Salud te grita el alma que pronto va a partir!
¡Salud! Ah, que es hermoso caer por darte vuelo,
Morir por darte vida, morir bajo tu cielo,
Y en tu encantada tierra la eternidad dormir.
Si sobre mi sepulcro vieres brotar un día
Entre la espesa yerba sencilla, humilde flor,
Acércala a tus labios y besa al alma mía,
Y sienta yo en mi frente bajo la tumba fría,
De tu ternura el soplo, de tu hálito el calor.
Deja a la luna verme con luz tranquila y suave,
Deja que el alba envíe su resplandor fugaz,
Deja gemir al viento con su murmullo grave,
Y si desciende y posa sobre mi cruz un ave,
Deja que el ave entone su cántico de paz.
Deja que el sol, ardiendo, las lluvias evapore
Y al cielo tornen puras, con mi clamor en pos;
Deja que un ser amigo mi fin temprano llore
Y en las serenas tardes cuando por mí alguien ore,
¡Ora también, oh Patria, por mi descanso a Dios!
Ora por todos cuantos murieron sin ventura,
Por cuantos padecieron tormentos sin igual,
Por nuestras pobres madres que gimen su amargura;
Por huérfanos y viudas, por presos en tortura
Y ora por ti que veas tu redención final.
Y cuando en noche oscura se envuelva el cementerio
Y solos sólo muertos queden velando allí,
No turbes su reposo, no turbes el misterio,
Tal vez acordes oigas de cítara o salterio,
Soy yo, querida Patria, yo que te canto a ti.
Y cuando ya mi tumba de todos olvidada
No tenga cruz ni piedra que marquen su lugar,
Deja que la are el hombre, la esparza con la azada,
Y mis cenizas, antes que vuelvan a la nada,
El polvo de tu alfombra que vayan a formar.
Entonces nada importa me pongas en olvido.
Tu atmósfera, tu espacio, tus valles cruzaré.
Vibrante y limpia nota seré para tu oído,
Aroma, luz, colores, rumor, canto, gemido,
Constante repitiendo la esencia de mi fe.
Mi patria idolatrada, dolor de mis dolores,
Querida Filipinas, oye el postrer adiós.
Ahí te dejo todo, mis padres, mis amores.
Voy donde no hay esclavos, verdugos ni opresores,
Donde la fe no mata, donde el que reina es Dios.
Adiós, padres y hermanos, trozos del alma mía,
Amigos de la infancia en el perdido hogar,
Dad gracias que descanso del fatigoso día;
Adiós, dulce extranjera, mi amiga, mi alegría,
Adiós, queridos seres, morir es descansar.
José Rizal, 1896
My Last Farewell
Farewell, beloved Country, treasured region of the sun,
Pearl of the sea of the Orient, our lost Eden!
To you eagerly I surrender this sad and gloomy life;
And were it brighter, fresher, more florid,
Even then I’d give it to you, for your sake alone.
In fields of battle, deliriously fighting,
Others give you their lives, without doubt, without regret;
The place matters not: where there’s cypress, laurel or lily,
On a plank or open field, in combat or cruel martyrdom,
It’s all the same if the home or country asks.
I die when I see the sky has unfurled its colors
And at last after a cloak of darkness announces the day;
If you need scarlet to tint your dawn,
Shed my blood, pour it as the moment comes,
And may it be gilded by a reflection of the heaven’s newly-born light.
My dreams, when scarcely an adolescent,
My dreams, when a young man already full of life,
Were to see you one day, jewel of the sea of the Orient,
Dry those eyes of black, that forehead high,
Without frown, without wrinkles, without stains of shame.
My lifelong dream, my deep burning desire,
This soul that will soon depart cries out: Salud!
To your health! Oh how beautiful to fall to give you flight,
To die to give you life, to die under your sky,
And in your enchanted land eternally sleep.
If upon my grave one day you see appear,
Amidst the dense grass, a simple humble flower,
Place it near your lips and my soul you’ll kiss,
And on my brow may I feel, under the cold tomb,
The gentle blow of your tenderness, the warmth of your breath.
Let the moon see me in a soft and tranquil light,
Let the dawn send its fleeting radiance,
Let the wind moan with its low murmur,
And should a bird descend and rest on my cross,
Let it sing its canticle of peace.
Let the burning sun evaporate the rains,
And with my clamor behind, towards the sky may they turn pure;
Let a friend mourn my early demise,
And in the serene afternoons, when someone prays for me,
O Country, pray to God also for my rest!
Pray for all the unfortunate ones who died,
For all who suffered torments unequaled,
For our poor mothers who in their grief and bitterness cry,
For orphans and widows, for prisoners in torture,
And for yourself pray that your final redemption you’ll see.
And when the cemetery is enveloped in dark night,
And there, alone, only those who have gone remain in vigil,
Disturb not their rest, nor the mystery,
And should you hear chords from a zither or psaltery,
It is I, beloved Country, singing to you.
And when my grave, then by all forgotten,
has not a cross nor stone to mark its place,
Let men plow and with a spade scatter it,
And before my ashes return to nothing,
May they be the dust that carpets your fields.
Then nothing matters, cast me in oblivion.
Your atmosphere, your space and valleys I’ll cross.
I will be a vibrant and clear note to your ears,
Aroma, light, colors, murmur, moan, and song,
Constantly repeating the essence of my faith.
My idolized country, sorrow of my sorrows,
Beloved Filipinas, hear my last good-bye.
There I leave you all, my parents, my loves.
I’ll go where there are no slaves, hangmen nor oppressors,
Where faith doesn’t kill, where the one who reigns is God.
Goodbye, dear parents, brother and sisters, fragments of my soul,
Childhood friends in the home now lost,
Give thanks that I rest from this wearisome day;
Goodbye, sweet foreigner, my friend, my joy;
Farewell, loved ones, to die is to rest.
José Rizal, 1896
(Modern English translation by Edwin Agustín Lozada)
Pickering, North Yorkshire.
Legend has it that King Peredurus lost his prized ring. He accused a local girl of stealing it and ordered her executed. However, the ring was found by his cook in the stomach of a pike that had been caught by a fisherman.. so the girl was saved, and as a good tale should end.... the King married her.
The pike had been caught in the river that runs through the town, hence Pike-ring became Pickering.
Think, plan, execute, rethink, adjust the plan and re-execute.
Stopped down much more than my usual settings for this deca exposure in order to hold back the ultra bright LEDs so as to keep me and the background plenty dark.
Headache extraordinaire and ridiculously soaked in the process !
Hit L for audience participation.
Slight crop and signed.
Ambassador Joseph Wilson had already earned a footnote in history before his wife was revealed as a CIA agent, prompting a furious political storm in Washington. As acting ambassador to Iraq in the run-up to the first Gulf War, he was the last US diplomat to meet with Saddam Hussein, in 1991. He very publicly defied the Iraqi strongman by giving refuge to more than 100 US citizens at the embassy and in the homes of US diplomats - at a time when Saddam Hussein was threatening to execute anyone who harboured foreigners. He then addressed journalists wearing a hangman's noose instead of a necktie. He later told the Washington Post newspaper that the message to Saddam Hussein was: "If you want to execute me, I'll bring my own [expletive] rope."
I had plans to execute some photo shoot ideas, but the mosquitoes were too vicious outside. I'll have to settle for editing old photos for now. Any who, this is one of the lovely Laura-Kate I took a few weeks ago.
Recently, I've had this desperation to improve and learn new concepts and techniques in photography. I have been taking photos for years, but I've never actively sought to learn. I am someone who is easily discouraged, so I am often frustrated when I cannot configure a photo to look as it does in my imagination. I have much to discover before I can reach the proficiency I desire.
"Stavovské divadlo (original name Hraběcí Nostic's National Theater, Gräflich Nostitzsches Nationaltheater, under socialism Tylovo divadlo) is a theater in Prague in the Old Town, building No. 540/I at Ovocné trhu 11, in the Prague 1 district.
The building was built as a stage for the public by the enlightened patriot Count František Antonín Nostic-Rieneck. The layout plans of the theater were sketched by Count Kašpar Heřman Künigel, the building was designed and executed by the court builder Anton Haffenecker in 1781–1783. The construction of one of the first classicist buildings for the public in Prague took only two years.
An interesting feature of the buildings is that Count Nostic allegedly had a miniature of this theater built at his summer residence. And even these two buildings were supposed to be connected by an underground passage.
The original building differed from its current form. The theater had large semi-circular windows penetrating the floors. The building was symmetrical from the front side of the Havel Monastery with the back tract to the rest of the Fruit Market. The front elevation was not divided into two floors as it is today, but inside there was one tall salon extending from the first floor to the top.
The original auditorium had only three rows of boxes and one gallery, so it was one floor lower than today's. It had a flat parterre, as was the custom in the 18th century, and had a flat ceiling.
The Old Town of Prague (Czech: Staré Město pražské, German: Prager Altstadt) is a medieval settlement of Prague, Czech Republic. It was separated from the outside by a semi-circular moat and wall, connected to the Vltava river at both of its ends. The moat is now covered up by the streets (from north to south-west) Revoluční, Na Příkopě, and Národní—which remain the official boundary of the cadastral community of Old Town. It is now part of Prague 1.
Notable places in the Old Town include Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock. The Old Town is surrounded by the New Town of Prague. Across the river Vltava connected by the Charles Bridge is the Lesser Town of Prague (Czech: Malá Strana). The former Jewish Town (Josefov) is located in the northwest corner of Old Town heading towards the Vltava.
Prague (/ˈprɑːɡ/ PRAHG; Czech: Praha [ˈpraɦa]; German: Prag [pʁaːk]; Latin: Praga) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters.
Prague is a political, cultural, and economic hub of central Europe, with a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectures. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and residence of several Holy Roman Emperors, most notably Charles IV (r. 1346–1378) and Rudolf II (r. 1575–1611).
It was an important city to the Habsburg monarchy and Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city played major roles in the Bohemian and the Protestant Reformations, the Thirty Years' War and in 20th-century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia between the World Wars and the post-war Communist era.
Prague is home to a number of well-known cultural attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of 20th-century Europe. Main attractions include Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with the Prague astronomical clock, the Jewish Quarter, Petřín hill and Vyšehrad. Since 1992, the historic center of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
The city has more than ten major museums, along with numerous theatres, galleries, cinemas, and other historical exhibits. An extensive modern public transportation system connects the city. It is home to a wide range of public and private schools, including Charles University in Prague, the oldest university in Central Europe.
Prague is classified as a "Alpha-" global city according to GaWC studies. In 2019, the city was ranked as 69th most livable city in the world by Mercer. In the same year, the PICSA Index ranked the city as 13th most livable city in the world. Its rich history makes it a popular tourist destination and as of 2017, the city receives more than 8.5 million international visitors annually. In 2017, Prague was listed as the fifth most visited European city after London, Paris, Rome, and Istanbul.
Bohemia (Latin Bohemia, German Böhmen, Polish Czechy) is a region in the west of the Czech Republic. Previously, as a kingdom, they were the center of the Czech Crown. The root of the word Czech probably corresponds to the meaning of man. The Latin equivalent of Bohemia, originally Boiohaemum (literally "land of Battles"), which over time also influenced the names in other languages, is derived from the Celtic tribe of the Boios, who lived in this area from the 4th to the 1st century BC Bohemia on it borders Germany in the west, Austria in the south, Moravia in the east and Poland in the north. Geographically, they are bounded from the north, west and south by a chain of mountains, the highest of which are the Krkonoše Mountains, in which the highest mountain of Bohemia, Sněžka, is also located. The most important rivers are the Elbe and the Vltava, with the fertile Polabean Plain extending around the Elbe. The capital and largest city of Bohemia is Prague, other important cities include, for example, Pilsen, Karlovy Vary, Kladno, Ústí nad Labem, Liberec, Hradec Králové, Pardubice and České Budějovice, Jihlava also lies partly on the historical territory of Bohemia." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
Eamonn Ceannt sitting with a set of "uileann pipes" is today's offering. Eamonn Ceannt was of course one of the executed leaders of the 1916 Rising and apparently an exponent of that strange instrument the "elbow" pipes. This was a lot safer than yesterdays image which left Morning Mary with egg all over her face - seeing a hunt where there was none! Sorry :-)
As well as linking a number of examples of the unique sound of the uileann pipes, our ever-dutiful contributors have confirmed that Éamonn Ceannt, together with Edward Martyn founded 'Cumann na bPíobairí' (the Pipers Club) in 1900. We have other materials in the catalogue relating to Ceannt and this organization from the period. Similar and related clubs are keeping the instrument relevant today....
Photographers: Arnall
Collection: Irish Political Figures Photographic Collection
Date: c.1906
NLI Ref: NPA POLF8
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Michael executes his version of a human flag pole. He's not entirely horizontal but is working up to it.
Michael lives within driving distance of Miami Beach and comes to Muscle Beach to practice his calisthenic and gymnastic moves alongside others.
WZQ_3977_rot2_cr
My son Archie suggested that we demonstrate the folly of Executing Order 66 at the annual Jedi picnic.
Feel free to suggest a caption.
Grille exécutée par Fray Francisco de Salamanca et Juan de Avila.
Fondé au XIIIe siècle après la découverte d'une statue de la Vierge et symbole de la "Hispanidad", il fut le plus important monastère d'Espagne durant quatre siècles.
C'est là que vint Colomb après son voyage de 1492 pour rendre compte aux Rois Catholiques de son voyage vers les Indes... et c'est là, en 1496, que furent baptisés les premiers Indiens ramenés en Europe.
Street art is visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues. The term gained popularity during the graffiti art boom of the early 1980s and continues to be applied to subsequent incarnations. Stencil graffiti, wheatpasted poster art or sticker art, and street installation or sculpture are common forms of modern street art. Video projection, yarn bombing and Lock On sculpture became popularized at the turn of the 21st century.
The terms "urban art", "guerrilla art", "post-graffiti" and "neo-graffiti" are also sometimes used when referring to artwork created in these contexts.[1] Traditional spray-painted graffiti artwork itself is often included in this category, excluding territorial graffiti or pure vandalism.
Street art is often motivated by a preference on the part of the artist to communicate directly with the public at large, free from perceived confines of the formal art world.[2] Street artists sometimes present socially relevant content infused with esthetic value, to attract attention to a cause or as a form of "art provocation".[3]
Street artists often travel between countries to spread their designs. Some artists have gained cult-followings, media and art world attention, and have gone on to work commercially in the styles which made their work known on the streets.
On most railroad photo shoots, run-bys are initiated out of sight of the photo line from around a curve or behind a stand of trees. This serves two purposes. It gives the locomotive crew time to gently accelerate their train to the proper speed and it allows videographers to shoot the entire pass from the time the train becomes visible until it is past the viewer. In some situations however, there is not enough time to go through this process.
This image, from the November, 2022 photo shoot with Norfolk & Western #611 at the Strasburg Rail Road clearly illustrates such a situation. We are just moments after sunrise in the Fairview section of the line and the rays of the rising sun are casting golden light on the subject and its exhaust plume. This color light will last only a couple of minutes. Backing the 611 and her train out of sight beyond Esbenshade Crossing will consume more time than we have. Therefore, the Photo Line Coordinator has called for a "hard start", meaning he's asked the locomotive crew to stop where they are and bring the train forward as expeditiously as possible. Just a second or two after the throttle is opened, the locomotive belches a tall, vertical plume, while steam from her cylinder cocks totally obscures the running gear as the big Northern makes a max effort to get underway. One minute later, this train will be running past the photo line and the desired shot will be achieved.
The Birth of Venus is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid 1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea fully-grown (called Venus Anadyomene and often depicted in art). The painting is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
Although the two are not a pair, the painting is inevitably discussed with Botticelli's other very large mythological painting, the Primavera, also in the Uffizi. They are among the most famous paintings in the world, and icons of the Italian Renaissance; of the two, the Birth is better known than the Primavera. As depictions of subjects from classical mythology on a very large scale they were virtually unprecedented in Western art since classical antiquity, as was the size and prominence of a nude female figure in the Birth. It used to be thought that they were both commissioned by the same member of the Medici family, but this is now uncertain.
They have been endlessly analysed by art historians, with the main themes being: the emulation of ancient painters and the context of wedding celebrations (generally agreed), the influence of Renaissance Neo-Platonism (somewhat controversial), and the identity of the commissioners (not agreed). Most art historians agree, however, that the Birth does not require complex analysis to decode its meaning, in the way that the Primavera probably does. While there are subtleties in the painting, its main meaning is a straightforward, if individual, treatment of a traditional scene from Greek mythology, and its appeal is sensory and very accessible, hence its enormous popularity.
In the centre the newly born goddess Venus stands nude in a giant scallop shell. The size of the shell is purely imaginary, and is also found in classical depictions of the subject. At the left the wind god Zephyr blows at her, with the wind shown by lines radiating from his mouth. He is in the air, and carries a young female, who is also blowing, but less forcefully. Both have wings. Vasari was probably correct in identifying her as "Aura", personification of a lighter breeze. Their joint efforts are blowing Venus towards the shore, and blowing the hair and clothes of the other figures to the right.
At the right a female figure who may be floating slightly above the ground holds out a rich cloak or dress to cover Venus when she reaches the shore, as she is about to do. She is one of the three Horae or Hours, Greek minor goddesses of the seasons and of other divisions of time, and attendants of Venus. The floral decoration of her dress suggests she is the Hora of Spring.
Alternative identifications for the two secondary female figures involve those also found in the Primavera; the nymph held by Zephyr may be Chloris, a flower nymph he married in some versions of her story, and the figure on land may be Flora. Flora is generally the Roman equivalent of the Greek Chloris; in the Primavera Chloris is transformed into the figure of Flora next to her, following Ovid's Fasti, but it is hard to see that such a transformation is envisaged here. However, the roses blown along with the two flying figures would be appropriate for Chloris.
The subject is not strictly the "Birth of Venus", a title given to the painting only in the nineteenth century (though given as the subject by Vasari), but the next scene in her story, where she arrives on land, blown by the wind. The land probably represents either Cythera or Cyprus, both Mediterranean islands regarded by the Greeks as territories of Venus.
The painting is large, but slightly smaller than the Primavera, and where that is a panel painting, this is on the cheaper support of canvas. Canvas was increasing in popularity, perhaps especially for secular paintings for country villas, which were decorated more simply, cheaply and cheerfully than those for city palazzi, being designed for pleasure more than ostentatious entertainment.
The painting is on two pieces of canvas, sewn together before starting, with a gesso ground tinted blue. There are differences to Botticelli's usual technique, working on panel supports, such as the lack of a green first layer under the flesh areas. There are a number of pentimenti revealed by modern scientific testing. The Hora originally had "low classical sandals", and the collar on the mantle she holds out is an afterthought. The hair of Venus and the flying couple was changed. There is heavy use of gold as a pigment for highlights, on hair, wings, textiles, the shell and the landscape. This was all apparently applied after the painting was framed. It was finished with a "cool gray varnish", probably using egg yolk.
As in the Primavera, the green pigment – used for the wings of Zephyr, Zephyr's companion, and the leaves of the orange trees on the land – has darkened considerably with exposure to light over time, somewhat distorting the intended balance of colours. Parts of some leaves at the top right corner, normally covered by the frame, have been less affected. The blues of the sea and sky have also lost their brightness
Although the pose of Venus is classical in some respects, and borrows the position of the hands from the Venus Pudica type in Greco-Roman sculptures (see section below), the overall treatment of the figure, standing off-centre with a curved body of long flowing lines, is in many respects from Gothic art. Kenneth Clark wrote: "Her differences from antique form are not physiological, but rhythmic and structural. Her whole body follows the curve of a Gothic ivory. It is entirely without that quality so much prized in classical art, known as aplomb; that is to say, the weight of the body is not distributed evenly either side of a central plumb line. .... She is not standing but floating. ... Her shoulders, for example, instead of forming a sort of architrave to her torso, as in the antique nude, run down into her arms in the same unbroken stream of movement as her floating hair."
Venus' body is anatomically improbable, with elongated neck and torso. Her pose is impossible: although she stands in a classical contrapposto stance, her weight is shifted too far over the left leg for the pose to be held. The proportions and poses of the winds to the left do not quite make sense, and none of the figures cast shadows. The painting depicts the world of the imagination rather than being very concerned with realistic depiction.
Ignoring the size and positioning of the wings and limbs of the flying pair on the left, which bother some other critics, Kenneth Clark calls them:
...perhaps the most beautiful example of ecstatic movement in the whole of painting. ... the suspension of our reason is achieved by the intricate rhythms of the drapery which sweep and flow irresistibly around the nude figures. Their bodies, by an endless intricacy of embrace, sustain the current of movement, which finally flickers down their legs and is dispersed like an electric charge.
Botticelli's art was never fully committed to naturalism; in comparison to his contemporary Domenico Ghirlandaio, Botticelli seldom gave weight and volume to his figures and rarely used a deep perspectival space. Botticelli never painted landscape backgrounds with great detail or realism, but this is especially the case here. The laurel trees and the grass below them are green with gold highlights, most of the waves regular patterns, and the landscape seems out of scale with the figures. The clumps of bulrushes in the left foreground are out of place here, as they come from a freshwater species
It has long been suggested that Botticelli was commissioned to paint the work by the Medici family of Florence, perhaps by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici (1463–1503) a major patron of Botticelli, under the influence of his cousin Lorenzo de' Medici, "il Magnifico". This was first suggested by Herbert Horne in his monograph of 1908, the first major modern work on Botticelli, and long followed by most writers, but more recently has been widely doubted, though it is still accepted by some. Various interpretations of the painting rely on this origin for its meaning. Although relations were perhaps always rather tense between the Magnifico and his young cousins and wards, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco and his brother Giovanni di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, it may have been politic to commission a work that glorified the older Lorenzo, as some interpretations have it. There may be a deliberate ambiguity as to which Lorenzo was intended to be evoked. In later years hostility between the two branches of the family became overt.
Horne believed that the painting was commissioned soon after the purchase in 1477 of the Villa di Castello, a country house outside Florence, by Lorenzo and Giovanni, to decorate their new house, which they were rebuilding. This was the year after their father died at the age of 46, leaving the young boys wards of their cousin Lorenzo il Magnifico, of the senior branch of the Medici family and de facto ruler of Florence. There is no record of the original commission, and the painting is first mentioned by Vasari, who saw it, together with the Primavera, at Castello, some time before the first edition of his Lives in 1550, probably by 1530–40. In 1550 Vasari was himself painting in the villa, but he very possibly visited it before that. But in 1975 it emerged that, unlike the Primavera, the Birth is not in the inventory, apparently complete, made in 1499 of the works of art belonging to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco's branch of the family. Ronald Lightbown concludes that it only came to be owned by the Medici after that. The inventory was only published in 1975, and made many previous assumptions invalid.
Horne dated the work at some point after the purchase of the villa in 1477 and before Botticelli's departure for Rome to join the painting of the Sistine Chapel in 1481. Recent scholars prefer a date of around 1484–86 on grounds of the work's place in the development of Botticelli's style. The Primavera is now usually dated earlier, after Botticelli's return from Rome in 1482 and perhaps around the time of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco's wedding in July 1482, but by some still before Botticelli's departure.
Whenever the two paintings were united at Castello, they have remained together ever since. They stayed in Castello until 1815, when they were transferred to the Uffizi. For some years until 1919 they were kept in the Galleria dell'Accademia, another government museum in Florence.
Although there are ancient and modern texts that are relevant, no single text provides the precise imagery of the painting, which has led scholars to propose many sources and interpretations. Many art historians who specialize in the Italian Renaissance have found Neoplatonic interpretations, of which two different versions have been articulated by Edgar Wind and Ernst Gombrich, to be the key to understanding the painting. Botticelli represented the Neoplatonic idea of divine love in the form of a nude Venus.
For Plato – and so for the members of the Florentine Platonic Academy – Venus had two aspects: she was an earthly goddess who aroused humans to physical love or she was a heavenly goddess who inspired intellectual love in them. Plato further argued that contemplation of physical beauty allowed the mind to better understand spiritual beauty. So, looking at Venus, the most beautiful of goddesses, might at first raise a physical response in viewers which then lifted their minds towards the godly. A Neoplatonic reading of Botticelli's Birth of Venus suggests that 15th-century viewers would have looked at the painting and felt their minds lifted to the realm of divine love.
The composition, with a central nude figure, and one to the side with an arm raised above the head of the first, and winged beings in attendance, would have reminded its Renaissance viewers of the traditional iconography of the Baptism of Christ, marking the start of his ministry on earth. In a similar way, the scene shows here marks the start of Venus's ministry of love, whether in a simple sense, or the expanded meaning of Renaissance Neoplatonism.
More recently, questions have arisen about Neoplatonism as the dominant intellectual system of late 15th-century Florence, and scholars have indicated that there might be other ways to interpret Botticelli's mythological paintings. In particular, both Primavera and Birth of Venus have been seen as wedding paintings that suggest appropriate behaviors for brides and grooms.
The laurel trees at right and laurel wreath worn by the Hora are punning references to the name "Lorenzo", though it is uncertain whether Lorenzo il Magnifico, the effective ruler of Florence, or his young cousin Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco is meant. In the same way the flowers in the air around Zephyr and on the textiles worn and carried by the Hora evoke the name of Florence
Tundra Swans ~ November 14, 2017
by John Williams
I
This is the Autumn marsh
In the Great Basin of North America
The last of the Cascades behind
A smatter of clouds line the ridge
A short-lived sun heading that way
II
I’m walking through
The tightness in my hip
With a half-assed
(pardon the pun)
Theory about why
Suddenly my knees don’t
Hurt and recalling
From time to time
That simply noticing
Is a whole hell
Of a lot better than
The hell of trying to
Figure things out
III
Simply noticing my hip
Simply noticing cattails, tules,
Salt, wheat and canary grasses
So many shades of browns
Latigo leather brown
Dark bay horse brown
Burnt sienna, bistre and chestnut
Cured tobacco leaves
Sunlit browns and backlit browns
All perfect complements
To blue canal, ponds, lakes
Cerulean to denim
Steel to cobalt blue and even darker
Blues in the shadows
Taking notice too of Tundra Swans
A hemline of hundreds
Their ambient clamor
From a multitude of murmurs
Noting as well the shades of swans
Some immaculate white
Many two-toned or
Mottled with platinum blotches
A few the duskiest slate grey
Uncanny impulses
Send wedges up and down wind
Crossing patterns
Or solo transits
Transversing duos and trios too
Or sedentary swans
Afloat for hours
Stretching preening
At times Squabbling
Necks protracted
Or just adrift dreaming?
IV
What thought dawns
In what kind of a mind
To switch instantly
From complete aplomb
To a wild, raucous scramble
As one swan
Deserts the placid bevy
Executes a precise bank
And navigates
With inscrutable certainty
To some secret beloved lagoon?
< Executed under spirit guidance searching for a sense of wholeness, balance, within >
" Art is an outlet towards regions that are not governed by time and space "
- Marcel Duchamp 1960s
( Michael St.Mark 2024 )
< ink and graphite on paper >
180 x 250mm
nfs
I told you that our whole family (I'm still working on Abigail) was going to get into my world of "characters" (though, I think Elliott might be more an influence on me, than vice versa). I might try to get everyone I know to do this ...
.
The Dying Gaul (in Italian: Galata Morente) is an ancient Roman marble copy of a lost Hellenistic sculpture that is thought to have been executed in bronze, which was commissioned some time between 230 BC and 220 BC by Attalus I of Pergamon to celebrate his victory over the Celtic Galatians in Anatolia. The present base was added after its rediscovery. The identity of the sculptor of the original is unknown, but it has been suggested that Epigonus, the court sculptor of the Attalid dynasty of Pergamon, may have been its sculptor.
The statue depicts a dying Celt with remarkable realism, particularly in the face, and may have been painted. He is represented as a Gallic warrior with a typically Gallic hairstyle and moustache. The figure is naked save for a neck torc. He lies on his fallen shield while his sword and other objects lie beside him.
The Dying Gaul became one of the most celebrated works to have survived from antiquity and was engraved and endlessly copied by artists, for whom it was a classic model for depiction of strong emotion, and by sculptors. It shows signs of having been repaired, with the head seemingly having been broken off at the neck, though it is unclear whether the repairs were carried out in Roman times or after the statue's 17th century rediscovery.
The statue is part of the collection of the Capitoline Museums, Rome.
(From: Wikipedia)
Some days when you're travelling are just a chore — especially in a group. Others are interesting in a touristy kind of way — if you can switch off the group. But today is truly exciting. Today the group is GONE, I'm refreshed by North Ronaldsay and about to execute a rough plan that will deliver long held ambitions. Driving where and when I please I'll skirt the coast west of Kirkwall and then via the Stones of Stennes, cross between the Loch of Harray and the Loch of Stennes to the Ring of Brodgar, on to the legendary Skara Brae and pop in on Unstan Chambered Cairn. Thus fulfilled, tired and happy I'll return to Kirkwall to see what urban adventures it can share. Honestly it's not that well planned. What you just read is a record of what came of travelling, in part, aimlessly about and discovering the Mainland of Orkney along the way — another archipelago!!!
Don't ask me for a chronology of Neolithic structures on Orkney. Let's say they are old and accept that reliable dates for some of them don't or can't exist. My reasoning includes the very real likelihood that these things were built in multiple phases or over a long time. Even the fabulous Stonehenge is like that and just out of interest, the last recognised phase of building at Stonehenge, the one preceding the 1950s reconstruction, is younger than the youngest dates proposed for the places I'm visiting. It isn't just that chronology which now makes archaeologists point to the north for an origin of the great stone monuments. Isotope geochemistry has revealed a lot about southward movements. I'm interested in this because when I visited Stonehenge the archaeologist asked a simple question: how do we know they were smart? His answer: because they were your ancestors. It's true that my Wiltshire ancestry put me near Stonehenge. It might be a stretch, overreach even, to suppose that lineage stretches back over 5000 years to Neolithic Orkney. But one thing is for certain, we all have genes going back that far and further so as improbable as it is, it is a possibility.
I'm beginning this monumental day at the Stones of Stennes for no other reason than it's nearest to Kirkwall. Coincidentally, it is thought to be the oldest henge structure in Britain. I'll now reveal something which might make some a little squeamish. During the last Ice Age all human life in Britain was extinguished. As the ice began to retreat but before the sea level rose, Mesolithic people made their way from Europe to what is now Orkney — about 9000 yrs ago. Not a lot is preserved because they didn't build like their successors and back then, Orkney was a single landmass. The melting ice changed all that and drowned a lot of land where Mesolithic people likely lived. Despite the hubris of Brexit, the British were exquisitely European.
New people with new tools, new livestock, a culture of cropping and permanent settlement arrived about 6000 years ago — Neolithic settlers. It has been reasoned that their practices destroyed Orkney's tree cover necessitating their adoption of stone as a building material. Those durable materials are why we have so much physical evidence of how these, our putative British ancestors, lived. So it shouldn't be surprising that here at Stennes, what is preserved is stone.
Now, not all of the supposed twelve Stones of Stennes are preserved. It is rumoured that an outsider came into the community in the early 19th century, started knocking down the stones and breaking them up to build from them. Some of this may be true. I'll let you decide. Now there's really just what you see here. They're big, even if smaller than the stones of Stonehenge. Oh, and what you see here is a partial reconstruction. Apparently the ditch and bank were reconstructed in the 1980s. Nevermind! All of the great cathedrals of Britain are the result of building, building, building, rebuilding, remodelling, renovation, repair and maintenance. Why should this site be any different?