Hall of Fame and Bavaria at the Theresienwiese

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form the most famous landmarks on the edge of the Theresienwiese and are well worth a visit.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form on the Theresien height an ensemble in style of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, which was commissioned by King Ludwig I there. Together with his architect Leo von Klenze King Ludwig I shaped the cityscape of Munich like no other. He was a friend of the monasteries and the academic spirit, and he turned his attention to painting and poetry.

As crown prince Ludwig after the death of his father in 1825 took over the throne of Bavaria he was already dreaming of his "Athens on the Isar" with monumental squares and buildings. Whereas his childhood and youth was influenced by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars, as crown prince he longed for a "Bavarian of all tribes" and a "bigger German nation." In this phase, Ludwig was planning a patriotic monument in the capital city of Munich and for this purpose he already in 1809 by historian Lorenz Westenrieder he had made a list of famous Bavarian representatives of all classes and professions. Approximately 20 years later this list was on his behalf by his Interior Minister Eduard von Schenk - in the meantime Ludwig was King of Bavaria - renewed and expanded.

For the tender for a Hall of Fame above the Theresienwiese with space for 200 busts King Ludwig I invited the best and most prestigious builders of those times:

Friedrich von Gärtner,

Leo von Klenze,

Joseph Daniel Ohlmüller and

Georg Friedrich Ziebland.

Hall of Fame after the scetch of Leo von Klenze

Design by Leo von Klenze

As the court master builder of that time of the king, Leo von Klenze had significant advantages because he on the one hand with the wishes of his client was very familiar and on the other hand also could examine the designs of its competitors in detail. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of Klenze won the tender of the Hall of Fame in March 1834. He planned the Hall of Fame with a Doric portico in the background and a colossal statue in the foreground.

The construction of the Hall of Fame in the years 1843-1853 actually took place according to the planning of Klenze. After completion of the Hall of Fame, in 1853 the busts of 74 especially venerable Bavarians were set up, in 1868 another 10 were added. The bust of King Ludwig I was only in 1888 in the Hall of Fame erected to commemorate his 100th birthday and supplemented with the following inscription:

"To King Ludwig I to celebrate his 100th birthday, the grateful Munich."

The Hall of Fame itself is 68 meters long, 32 meters wide and stands on a 4.3 meter high pedestal. The roof is supported by the back wall and 48 Doric columns that have a height of about 7 meters and a diameter of 1.25 meters.

Since the Hall of Fame and the in it set up busts in 1944 during an air raid in WW2 were severely damaged, it was not until 1966 when the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided the reconstruction of the Hall of Fame and the continuation of honouring of Bavarian personalities by setting up of their busts. The renovation was completed in 1972 and the Hall of Fame on 26 October 1972 with the preserved and renovated busts could be reopened.

For the selection of the personalities the Bavarian Council of Ministers is responsible, which is advised by a committee of experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Palace Department, the House of Bavarian History, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University).

Bavaria © 2009 Bavaria

The colossal statue of Bavaria forms an artistic unity with the Hall of Fame in the background. The first sketches of Bavaria von Klenze already in his design of the whole ensemble on the model of ancient colossal statues of antiquity had produced. It was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus of Phidias and especially the Athena Parthenos. Theoretically, it is even possible that a part of the bronze for the Bavaria was once part of the Colossus of Rhodes. After Klenze was awarded the contract for the construction of the ensemble consisting of Hall of Fame and Bavaria, he made more sketches on the Greek model.

Since the statue should be cast according to both of Klenze`s ideas and Ludwig`s wishes in bronze, he included the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler, the ore caster Johann Baptist Stiglmaier as well as whose nephew Ferdinand von Miller in the further design and manufacture of the Bavaria statue. While Schwanthaler with his first sketches still held to the classical model in the sense of Klenze, he gave the statue in the further course of his designs increasingly a "Germanic" appearance with typical "German" character. The head and the raised hand he adorned with a wreath of oak and at her side appeared the drawn sword as a sign of her ability to defend herself. At her feet placed Schwanthaler a lion, that always have served as heraldic animal of the Wittelsbach.

The manufacturing of the final designs for the Bavaria statue followed in the years 1839 to 1843. Schwanthaler however the beginning of the foundry did not live because he shortly before that died in April 1844. As first thing, the head of Bavaria was cast in September 1844, in January and March 1845 followed the arms, on 11 October 1845, the breast piece. The last major casting for the bottom part took place on 1 December 1849. The erection and unveiling of Bavaria occurred during Oktoberfest (Munich Beer Festival) 1850. The cost for the production of the statue Ludwig after his abdication as king of Bavaria on 20 March 1848 largely paid from private sources. A special feature of Bavaria is the spiral staircase in its interior, where you can climb up into her head to enjoy from there an incomparable view of the Oktoberfest.

bavarianspaces.de/veranstaltungen/oktoberfest/ruhmeshalle code ...

Hall of Fame and Bavaria at the Theresienwiese

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form the most famous landmarks on the edge of the Theresienwiese and are well worth a visit.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form on the Theresien height an ensemble in style of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, which was commissioned by King Ludwig I there. Together with his architect Leo von Klenze King Ludwig I shaped the cityscape of Munich like no other. He was a friend of the monasteries and the academic spirit, and he turned his attention to painting and poetry.

As crown prince Ludwig after the death of his father in 1825 took over the throne of Bavaria he was already dreaming of his "Athens on the Isar" with monumental squares and buildings. Whereas his childhood and youth was influenced by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars, as crown prince he longed for a "Bavarian of all tribes" and a "bigger German nation." In this phase, Ludwig was planning a patriotic monument in the capital city of Munich and for this purpose he already in 1809 by historian Lorenz Westenrieder he had made a list of famous Bavarian representatives of all classes and professions. Approximately 20 years later this list was on his behalf by his Interior Minister Eduard von Schenk - in the meantime Ludwig was King of Bavaria - renewed and expanded.

For the tender for a Hall of Fame above the Theresienwiese with space for 200 busts King Ludwig I invited the best and most prestigious builders of those times:

Friedrich von Gärtner,

Leo von Klenze,

Joseph Daniel Ohlmüller and

Georg Friedrich Ziebland.

Hall of Fame after the scetch of Leo von Klenze

Design by Leo von Klenze

As the court master builder of that time of the king, Leo von Klenze had significant advantages because he on the one hand with the wishes of his client was very familiar and on the other hand also could examine the designs of its competitors in detail. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of Klenze won the tender of the Hall of Fame in March 1834. He planned the Hall of Fame with a Doric portico in the background and a colossal statue in the foreground.

The construction of the Hall of Fame in the years 1843-1853 actually took place according to the planning of Klenze. After completion of the Hall of Fame, in 1853 the busts of 74 especially venerable Bavarians were set up, in 1868 another 10 were added. The bust of King Ludwig I was only in 1888 in the Hall of Fame erected to commemorate his 100th birthday and supplemented with the following inscription:

"To King Ludwig I to celebrate his 100th birthday, the grateful Munich."

The Hall of Fame itself is 68 meters long, 32 meters wide and stands on a 4.3 meter high pedestal. The roof is supported by the back wall and 48 Doric columns that have a height of about 7 meters and a diameter of 1.25 meters.

Since the Hall of Fame and the in it set up busts in 1944 during an air raid in WW2 were severely damaged, it was not until 1966 when the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided the reconstruction of the Hall of Fame and the continuation of honouring of Bavarian personalities by setting up of their busts. The renovation was completed in 1972 and the Hall of Fame on 26 October 1972 with the preserved and renovated busts could be reopened.

For the selection of the personalities the Bavarian Council of Ministers is responsible, which is advised by a committee of experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Palace Department, the House of Bavarian History, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University).

Bavaria © 2009 Bavaria

The colossal statue of Bavaria forms an artistic unity with the Hall of Fame in the background. The first sketches of Bavaria von Klenze already in his design of the whole ensemble on the model of ancient colossal statues of antiquity had produced. It was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus of Phidias and especially the Athena Parthenos. Theoretically, it is even possible that a part of the bronze for the Bavaria was once part of the Colossus of Rhodes. After Klenze was awarded the contract for the construction of the ensemble consisting of Hall of Fame and Bavaria, he made more sketches on the Greek model.

Since the statue should be cast according to both of Klenze`s ideas and Ludwig`s wishes in bronze, he included the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler, the ore caster Johann Baptist Stiglmaier as well as whose nephew Ferdinand von Miller in the further design and manufacture of the Bavaria statue. While Schwanthaler with his first sketches still held to the classical model in the sense of Klenze, he gave the statue in the further course of his designs increasingly a "Germanic" appearance with typical "German" character. The head and the raised hand he adorned with a wreath of oak and at her side appeared the drawn sword as a sign of her ability to defend herself. At her feet placed Schwanthaler a lion, that always have served as heraldic animal of the Wittelsbach.

The manufacturing of the final designs for the Bavaria statue followed in the years 1839 to 1843. Schwanthaler however the beginning of the foundry did not live because he shortly before that died in April 1844. As first thing, the head of Bavaria was cast in September 1844, in January and March 1845 followed the arms, on 11 October 1845, the breast piece. The last major casting for the bottom part took place on 1 December 1849. The erection and unveiling of Bavaria occurred during Oktoberfest (Munich Beer Festival) 1850. The cost for the production of the statue Ludwig after his abdication as king of Bavaria on 20 March 1848 largely paid from private sources. A special feature of Bavaria is the spiral staircase in its interior, where you can climb up into her head to enjoy from there an incomparable view of the Oktoberfest.

bavarianspaces.de/veranstaltungen/oktoberfest/ruhmeshalle code ...

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The Postcard

A carte postale published by Neurdein et Cie of Paris.

It was posted via the Army Post Office on Wednesday the 8th. August 1917. On the back there is a signed red elliptical censor's stamp numbered 3044.

The card was sent to:

Mrs. Charles Constable,

27 Meadow Road,

Tonbridge,

Kent,

England.

The brief message on the back of the card was as follows:

"France Tuesday 7.8.17.

Dear E,

Was in here yesterday.

Love Charlie".

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24 m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople.

You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13 m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Torpedoing of HMS Dunraven

So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?

Well, on the 8th. August 1917, the Royal Navy vessel HMS Dunraven was torpedoed and shelled in the Bay of Biscay by German submarine SM UC-71, killing one crew member.

Survivors were rescued by another Royal Navy vessel before Dunraven sank two days later.

The Sinking of an American Schooner

Also on that day, American schooner George A. Marsh sank during a storm on Lake Ontario with the loss of 12 lives, including those of seven children.

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

A postally unused carte postale published by Lévy et Neurdein Réunis, 44, Rue Letellier, Paris.

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral, which is shown in the photograph, was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than lifesize kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13 m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale published by E. Régnaut.

On the back of the card is printed:

'Cathédrale d'Amiens.

Stalles du Choeur (1508-1519).

La robe de Joseph présentée

a Jacob (Détail)'

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"...the noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Postcard

A carte postale published by L. Caron of Amiens.

The card was posted in Amiens on Monday the 3rd. October 1904 to:

Miss S.E. Burgess,

Church Square,

West Hartlepool,

Angleterre.

The message side of the divided back was left blank.

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over three billion table tennis balls, or sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24 m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13 m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The 1904 Fatal Welsh Railway Crash

So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?

Well, on the 3rd. October 1904, there was a serious railway accident at Llanelli - Loughor in Wales.

A train, operated by Great Western Railway, derailed killing 5 people and injuring 94.

Although the accident investigation could not establish a Primary Cause, Secondary Causes were deemed to be excessive speed, poor rolling stock stability, and an inadequate speed limit.

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#drawing #draw #sketch #art #artist #arte #artoftheday #artistic #artsy #illustration #photooftheday #vsco #painting #instaart #instaartist #worldofpencils #instalike #talnts #talented #art_spotlight #arts_gallery #worldofartists #nawden #artfido #artcollective #vscocam #sketching #dibujo by @artistic_exposure_ bit.ly/1X9XHGD

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Théopompe (en grec ancien Θεόπομπος / Theópompos), né à Chios v. 378, est un historien grec.

Il fut l'élève d'Isocrate. Sa famille fut contrainte de quitter la cité en raison de la préférence affichée de son père pour Sparte. Il se fit orateur et remporta de nombreux succès. En particulier, il remporta le premier prix du concours organisé par Artémise II, reine de Carie, en l'honneur de feu Mausole son époux. Il rencontra Alexandre le Grand, dont la faveur lui permit de regagner sa cité natale. À la mort de ce dernier, il fut contraint une nouvelle fois de fuir en raison de ses sympathies pour Sparte. Il se réfugia d'abord à Alexandrie auprès de Ptolémée Ier, mais l'accueil plus que réservé qu'il rencontra le mit de nouveau sur la route. Nous ne savons rien de sa carrière ultérieure.

Il fut de son temps très apprécié pour ses qualités d'orateur. Il rédigea de nombreux discours, essentiellement des panégyriques. Son œuvre essentielle, néanmoins, est historique. Ses Helléniques (Ἑλληνικαὶ Ἱστορίαι / Hellênikaì Historíai), en douze volumes, continuent l'ouvrage de Thucydide. Elles couvrent la période allant de 411 à 394. Ses Philippiques (Φιλιππικά / Philippiká) en 58 volumes décrivent la vie et le règne de Philippe II de Macédoine. Ses œuvres historiques furent très influencées par la technique rhétorique qui surchargeaient le cours du récit, notamment par l'usage de nombreuses digressions morales et géographiques, et l'emploi de nombreux discours reconstitués.

......................................

A far more elaborate work was the history of Philip's reign (360‑336), with digressions on the names and customs of the various races and countries of which he had occasion to speak, which were so numerous that Philip V of Macedon reduced the bulk of the history from 58 to 16 books by cutting out those parts which had no connection with Macedonia. It was from this history that Trogus Pompeius (of whose Historiae Philippicae we possess the epitome by Justin) derived much of his material. Fifty-three books were extant in the time of Photius (9th century), who read them, and has left us an epitome of the 12th book. Several fragments, chiefly anecdotes and strictures of various kinds upon the character of nations and individuals, are preserved by Athenaeus, Plutarch and others. Of the Letter to Alexander we possess one or two fragments cited by Athenaeus, criticizing severely the immorality and dissipations of Harpalus.

The artistic unity of his work suffered severely from the frequent and lengthy digressions, of which the most important was On the Athenian Demagogues in the 10th book of the Philippica, containing a bitter attack on many of the chief Athenian statesmen, and generally recognized as having been freely used by Plutarch in several of the Lives.

Another fault of Theopompus was his excessive fondness for romantic and incredible stories; a collection of some of these was afterwards made and published under his name. He was also severely blamed in antiquity for his censoriousness, and throughout his fragments no feature is more striking than this. On the whole, however, he appears to have been fairly impartial. Philip himself he censures severely for drunkenness and immorality, while Demosthenes receives his warm praise.

(Wikipedia)

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-------------

Goodmorning👋! I know it’s not Thursday, but i feel like posting some of my favorite past sketches. I hope that i can bring some type of flavor to your timeline!🎨 #art_collective#artofdrawingg#art#artist#artistsoninstagram#art_spotlight#arts_help#art_empire#artistic_unity_#artistic_share#penandink#micron#blackandwhite#sketch#sketchbook#sketchdaily#portrait#blackworkers_tattoo#blackwomen#artsplug#artsy#art_spy#dailyarts#worldofartists#worldofpens#bestartfeatures#justartinspiration

by @callmesense on Instagram.

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Postcard

A carte postale bearing no publisher's name.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24 m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople.

You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13 m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

L'Ange Pleureur

The weeping angel is a 17th. century sculpture on a tomb in the ambulatory of the Cathedral, directly behind the altar. It was created by Nicholas Blasset in 1628.

Postcards of the angel were popular amongst troops in the Great War.

The weeping angel became a mascot for the British soldiers, and later it came to represent the huge loss and futility of the battles that raged over the Somme countryside not far from the magnificent cathedral.

The lack of documentation concerning the construction of the Gothic cathedral may be in part the result of fires that destroyed the chapter archives in 1218 and again in 1258—a fire that damaged the cathedral itself. Bishop Evrard de Fouilly initiated work on the cathedral in 1220. Robert de Luzarches was the architect until 1228, and was followed by Thomas de Cormont until 1258. His son, Renaud de Cormont, acted as the architect until 1288. The chronicle of Corbie gives a completion date for the cathedral of 1266. Finishing works continued, however. Its floors are covered with a number of designs, such as the swastika (to symbolize Jesus' triumph over death). The labyrinth was installed in 1288. The cathedral contains the alleged head of John the Baptist, a relic brought from Constantinople by Wallon de Sarton as he was returning from the Fourth Crusade.

The construction of the cathedral at this period can be seen as resulting from a coming together of necessity and opportunity. The destruction of earlier buildings and attempts at rebuilding by fire forced the fairly rapid construction of a building that, consequently, has a good deal of artistic unity. The long and relatively peaceful reign of Louis IX of France brought a prosperity to the region, based on thriving agriculture and a booming cloth trade, that made the investment possible. The great cathedrals of Reims and Chartres are roughly contemporary.

The initial impetus for the building of the cathedral came from the installation of the reputed head of John the Baptist on 17 December 1206. The head was part of the loot of the Fourth Crusade, which had been diverted from campaigning against the Turks to sacking the great Christian city of Constantinople. A sumptuous reliquary was made to house the skull. Although later lost, a 19th century replica still provides a focus for prayer and meditation in the North aisle.

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale published by Catala Frères of Paris.

Although the card was not posted, someone has written on the back in ink:

"All Love.

2/9/16".

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral, which is shown in the photograph, was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than lifesize kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

'The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God'.

Leefe Robinson

So what else happened on the day that the card was written?

Well, on Saturday the 2nd. September 1916, Royal Flying Corps pilot Lieutenant Leefe Robinson, flying a Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2, shot down the German Army airship SL 11, near London, killing her entire crew of 16.

Leefe Robinson was the second pilot to shoot down an airship, and the first to do it over Great Britain, receiving the Victoria Cross for his action three days later.

Tattoos: 53.7k Likes, 645 Comments - Artistic Unity (@artistic_unity_) on Instagram: “Which one is your favorite tattoo 😍 By @soltattoo . . Follow us @artistic_unity_ for more!”

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale which was published by Lévy Fils et Cie of Paris.

Visé Paris No. 97

The reference to 'Visé Paris' followed by a unique reference number means that the image has been inspected by the military authorities in the French capital and deemed not to be a security risk.

'Visé Paris' signifies that the card was published during or soon after the end of the Great War.

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral, which is shown in the photograph, was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than lifesize kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

An Éditions Gaby carte postale published by G. Artaud, Éditeur, Avenue de la Close, Nantes.

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over three billion table tennis balls, or sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"...the noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale published by C.N. The card has a divided back.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24 m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople.

You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13 m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Weeping Angel

The weeping angel is a 17th. century sculpture on a tomb in the ambulatory of Amiens Cathedral, directly behind the altar. It was created by Nicholas Blasset in 1628.

Postcards of the angel were popular amongst troops in the Great War .

The weeping angel became a mascot for the British soldiers, and later it came to represent the huge loss and futility of the battles that raged over the Somme countryside not far from the magnificent cathedral.

Hall of Fame and Bavaria at the Theresienwiese

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form the most famous landmarks on the edge of the Theresienwiese and are well worth a visit.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form on the Theresien height an ensemble in style of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, which was commissioned by King Ludwig I there. Together with his architect Leo von Klenze King Ludwig I shaped the cityscape of Munich like no other. He was a friend of the monasteries and the academic spirit, and he turned his attention to painting and poetry.

As crown prince Ludwig after the death of his father in 1825 took over the throne of Bavaria he was already dreaming of his "Athens on the Isar" with monumental squares and buildings. Whereas his childhood and youth was influenced by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars, as crown prince he longed for a "Bavarian of all tribes" and a "bigger German nation." In this phase, Ludwig was planning a patriotic monument in the capital city of Munich and for this purpose he already in 1809 by historian Lorenz Westenrieder he had made a list of famous Bavarian representatives of all classes and professions. Approximately 20 years later this list was on his behalf by his Interior Minister Eduard von Schenk - in the meantime Ludwig was King of Bavaria - renewed and expanded.

For the tender for a Hall of Fame above the Theresienwiese with space for 200 busts King Ludwig I invited the best and most prestigious builders of those times:

Friedrich von Gärtner,

Leo von Klenze,

Joseph Daniel Ohlmüller and

Georg Friedrich Ziebland.

Hall of Fame after the scetch of Leo von Klenze

Design by Leo von Klenze

As the court master builder of that time of the king, Leo von Klenze had significant advantages because he on the one hand with the wishes of his client was very familiar and on the other hand also could examine the designs of its competitors in detail. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of Klenze won the tender of the Hall of Fame in March 1834. He planned the Hall of Fame with a Doric portico in the background and a colossal statue in the foreground.

The construction of the Hall of Fame in the years 1843-1853 actually took place according to the planning of Klenze. After completion of the Hall of Fame, in 1853 the busts of 74 especially venerable Bavarians were set up, in 1868 another 10 were added. The bust of King Ludwig I was only in 1888 in the Hall of Fame erected to commemorate his 100th birthday and supplemented with the following inscription:

"To King Ludwig I to celebrate his 100th birthday, the grateful Munich."

The Hall of Fame itself is 68 meters long, 32 meters wide and stands on a 4.3 meter high pedestal. The roof is supported by the back wall and 48 Doric columns that have a height of about 7 meters and a diameter of 1.25 meters.

Since the Hall of Fame and the in it set up busts in 1944 during an air raid in WW2 were severely damaged, it was not until 1966 when the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided the reconstruction of the Hall of Fame and the continuation of honouring of Bavarian personalities by setting up of their busts. The renovation was completed in 1972 and the Hall of Fame on 26 October 1972 with the preserved and renovated busts could be reopened.

For the selection of the personalities the Bavarian Council of Ministers is responsible, which is advised by a committee of experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Palace Department, the House of Bavarian History, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University).

Bavaria © 2009 Bavaria

The colossal statue of Bavaria forms an artistic unity with the Hall of Fame in the background. The first sketches of Bavaria von Klenze already in his design of the whole ensemble on the model of ancient colossal statues of antiquity had produced. It was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus of Phidias and especially the Athena Parthenos. Theoretically, it is even possible that a part of the bronze for the Bavaria was once part of the Colossus of Rhodes. After Klenze was awarded the contract for the construction of the ensemble consisting of Hall of Fame and Bavaria, he made more sketches on the Greek model.

Since the statue should be cast according to both of Klenze`s ideas and Ludwig`s wishes in bronze, he included the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler, the ore caster Johann Baptist Stiglmaier as well as whose nephew Ferdinand von Miller in the further design and manufacture of the Bavaria statue. While Schwanthaler with his first sketches still held to the classical model in the sense of Klenze, he gave the statue in the further course of his designs increasingly a "Germanic" appearance with typical "German" character. The head and the raised hand he adorned with a wreath of oak and at her side appeared the drawn sword as a sign of her ability to defend herself. At her feet placed Schwanthaler a lion, that always have served as heraldic animal of the Wittelsbach.

The manufacturing of the final designs for the Bavaria statue followed in the years 1839 to 1843. Schwanthaler however the beginning of the foundry did not live because he shortly before that died in April 1844. As first thing, the head of Bavaria was cast in September 1844, in January and March 1845 followed the arms, on 11 October 1845, the breast piece. The last major casting for the bottom part took place on 1 December 1849. The erection and unveiling of Bavaria occurred during Oktoberfest (Munich Beer Festival) 1850. The cost for the production of the statue Ludwig after his abdication as king of Bavaria on 20 March 1848 largely paid from private sources. A special feature of Bavaria is the spiral staircase in its interior, where you can climb up into her head to enjoy from there an incomparable view of the Oktoberfest.

bavarianspaces.de/veranstaltungen/oktoberfest/ruhmeshalle code ...

Pl. LXXI in:

FRARY, I.T. (1950). Thomas Jefferson. Architect and Builder. Garrett and Massie, Richmond, Virginia.

---

The mansion at Bremo was built by General John Hartwell Cocke during a period of several years, ending in 1819, under conditions which made possible its exceptional design and execution. The Bremo estate was part of a land grant to Richard Cocke in the latter part of the seventeenth century, and consisted of a very large tract extending along the hills and fertile lowlands bordering on the James River in what are now Fluvanna and Buckingham Counties.

The original building on this estate was a small, stone hunting lodge (1725) , afterwards amplified into the Lower Bremo residence with its charming Tudor gables and multiple chimneys. General Cocke made his home at Lower Bremo and at Recess while planning and building the more formal residence at Bremo, which he undertook in the grand manner on his marriage to Anne Blaws Barraud.

The sketches and studies for the mansion show the elaborate consideration which was given the classic design, and account for certain of the most effective details, notably the counter-sunk panels in the north elevation of the wings. The credit for the superb outline and proportion of the structure must, however, be given to Thomas Jefferson, whose original plans for Bremo were, during the present generation, seen at the University by students of Jefferson's architecture. These original drawings have been lost or were destroyed in the fire in 1894; but there has never been any doubt of Jefferson's responsibility. There has been an impression that the general's descendants desired to ascribe to General Cocke himself the credit for the design. This is erroneous. That the plans were, in the main, the work of Jefferson, has been a matter of unbroken tradition and acknowledgment in the family.

In executing the work, General Cocke proceeded with the utmost pains to do justice to the conception. The brick was molded in copper and hardwood molds by hand. The care with which the brick were laid is attested by the fact that the fine-drawn mortar joints still bear the original tool marks and that, with the exception of the flattened roof over the peristyle connecting the wings with the main house, the entire structure stands intact today in all of the magnificence of its classic perfection in 1819.

The mansion consists of a central mass, with tall columns perfectly proportioned, supporting the front with pedestal and with slenderer columns supporting the porticos on each side. From each of these porticos a gallery, flanked by columns on the south side, and on the north by the brick wall retaining the main lawn, extends to a wing. The wings are parallel with the main axis, simple and impressive in design. Their north ends are relieved by a graceful, single panel, and on the south, overlooking the lovely low grounds along the James and the Buckingham hills in the distance, the wings end in porticos supported by simple, brick arches. The massive dignity of the central unit is relieved and idealized by the perfection of its balance, and thrown into charming relief by the broad moulding at the cornice, with a balustrade around the entire roof above.

The huge barn, in the near distance, flanking the old canal, would be an outstanding structure in its own right were its glory not so overwhelmed by the mansion on the hill. We have here, also, the stately columns, the vast doors with wrought-iron straps ten feet long, the clock tower, in which the sweet-toned convent bell, presented by Lafayette, once reckoned time for the plantation.

One of the problems interesting the present owners is the restoration of Temperance Spring, a replica in miniature of one of the classic temples near Rome. The uniquely beautiful winding stone stairs to the flat roof of the temple, supported by columns and pilasters of Italian marble, leave little to be done to restore the monument to its original loveliness; but the passage of more than a century and the surrender of the canal, on whose banks it stood, to the railroad, has made desirable the removal of this little gem of the Bremo estate to a location over another spring under the great trees at the foot of the lawn.

A well-known New York architect writes that he considers Bremo "the most magnificent conception of a house" that he has seen in America. Another says:

"It is hard to say which is the more notable, the extreme, classic monumentality of the house itself, the superb, unified general disposition, the completeness of the establishment in every detail of its plantation buildings, or the remarkable and beautiful character of these outbuildings themselves.

"Jefferson's manuscript design, which was preserved in my memory, and seen by those who have described it to me, was, I think, the finest of all his works in classic architecture, in its unity and beauty. I do not even except Monticello, for that, as we have it, was the fruit of his remodellings of 1796 to 1809, and drafted on his first design of 1769, and thus does not possess quite the artistic unity of Bremo. While rendering his due to Jefferson, I do not forget what it meant to him to have at Bremo such a client as General Cocke, with the courage to carry out the scheme in all its magnificence, and an independent knowledge and skill in architecture to which no doubt must be referred not only the execution of Jefferson's design, but the design of the superb series of outbuildings." (www.oldandsold.com)

✰ This photo was featured on The Epic Global Showcase here: bit.ly/1SVbwFL

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Traditional painting I did of Jonathan Rhys Meyers with watercolors, colored pencils and ink. 💕 #artistuniversity #artisticdreamerss #artist_sharing #art_theatre #art_conquest #art_spy #artists_rescue #artist_4_shoutout #artofdrawing #artofinstagram #arts_gallery #art_worldly #artspipl #arts_help #artspix #artbros #artistic_unity_ #artscloud #art_isnotacrime_ #artmagzz #artmagazine #art_assistance #artsssupport #artsharez #aartistic_dreamers #aurorawienhold #jonathanrhysmeyers #tudors #kinghenry #thetudors

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The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale published by L. Caron of Amiens.

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24 m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13 m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale published by E. Régnaut.

Amiens

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale published by L. Caron of Amiens.

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"...the noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Screens

The screens are built solidly of marble from Siena, Italy, which encloses in its rich black veining almost every variety of yellow, from cream-colored to dark topaz. Like the peers, the screens are erected upon the Tennessee marble base, in this case however, very much lower—four feet to the other’s eleven. The arcading of the screens is into stories, the first of the three and the second of seven arches. At the top of each screen the gallery is railed in by a heavy balustrade—still of the same Siena marble—connected with which are two marble pedestals that bear bronze statues of illustrious men. The screens are alike on every side of the octagon but two, the west and the east—the former the entrance from the Great Hall, and the latter affording a way through to the east side of the building. In both instances, therefore, the central arch is accentuated by freestanding columns. In the second story of the west screen, also, still another modification has been made to allow space for a large clock—the three middle arches giving place to a rich architectural setting ornamented with bronze statuary.

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

Hall of Fame and Bavaria at the Theresienwiese

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form the most famous landmarks on the edge of the Theresienwiese and are well worth a visit.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form on the Theresien height an ensemble in style of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, which was commissioned by King Ludwig I there. Together with his architect Leo von Klenze King Ludwig I shaped the cityscape of Munich like no other. He was a friend of the monasteries and the academic spirit, and he turned his attention to painting and poetry.

As crown prince Ludwig after the death of his father in 1825 took over the throne of Bavaria he was already dreaming of his "Athens on the Isar" with monumental squares and buildings. Whereas his childhood and youth was influenced by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars, as crown prince he longed for a "Bavarian of all tribes" and a "bigger German nation." In this phase, Ludwig was planning a patriotic monument in the capital city of Munich and for this purpose he already in 1809 by historian Lorenz Westenrieder he had made a list of famous Bavarian representatives of all classes and professions. Approximately 20 years later this list was on his behalf by his Interior Minister Eduard von Schenk - in the meantime Ludwig was King of Bavaria - renewed and expanded.

For the tender for a Hall of Fame above the Theresienwiese with space for 200 busts King Ludwig I invited the best and most prestigious builders of those times:

Friedrich von Gärtner,

Leo von Klenze,

Joseph Daniel Ohlmüller and

Georg Friedrich Ziebland.

Hall of Fame after the scetch of Leo von Klenze

Design by Leo von Klenze

As the court master builder of that time of the king, Leo von Klenze had significant advantages because he on the one hand with the wishes of his client was very familiar and on the other hand also could examine the designs of its competitors in detail. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of Klenze won the tender of the Hall of Fame in March 1834. He planned the Hall of Fame with a Doric portico in the background and a colossal statue in the foreground.

The construction of the Hall of Fame in the years 1843-1853 actually took place according to the planning of Klenze. After completion of the Hall of Fame, in 1853 the busts of 74 especially venerable Bavarians were set up, in 1868 another 10 were added. The bust of King Ludwig I was only in 1888 in the Hall of Fame erected to commemorate his 100th birthday and supplemented with the following inscription:

"To King Ludwig I to celebrate his 100th birthday, the grateful Munich."

The Hall of Fame itself is 68 meters long, 32 meters wide and stands on a 4.3 meter high pedestal. The roof is supported by the back wall and 48 Doric columns that have a height of about 7 meters and a diameter of 1.25 meters.

Since the Hall of Fame and the in it set up busts in 1944 during an air raid in WW2 were severely damaged, it was not until 1966 when the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided the reconstruction of the Hall of Fame and the continuation of honouring of Bavarian personalities by setting up of their busts. The renovation was completed in 1972 and the Hall of Fame on 26 October 1972 with the preserved and renovated busts could be reopened.

For the selection of the personalities the Bavarian Council of Ministers is responsible, which is advised by a committee of experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Palace Department, the House of Bavarian History, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University).

Bavaria © 2009 Bavaria

The colossal statue of Bavaria forms an artistic unity with the Hall of Fame in the background. The first sketches of Bavaria von Klenze already in his design of the whole ensemble on the model of ancient colossal statues of antiquity had produced. It was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus of Phidias and especially the Athena Parthenos. Theoretically, it is even possible that a part of the bronze for the Bavaria was once part of the Colossus of Rhodes. After Klenze was awarded the contract for the construction of the ensemble consisting of Hall of Fame and Bavaria, he made more sketches on the Greek model.

Since the statue should be cast according to both of Klenze`s ideas and Ludwig`s wishes in bronze, he included the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler, the ore caster Johann Baptist Stiglmaier as well as whose nephew Ferdinand von Miller in the further design and manufacture of the Bavaria statue. While Schwanthaler with his first sketches still held to the classical model in the sense of Klenze, he gave the statue in the further course of his designs increasingly a "Germanic" appearance with typical "German" character. The head and the raised hand he adorned with a wreath of oak and at her side appeared the drawn sword as a sign of her ability to defend herself. At her feet placed Schwanthaler a lion, that always have served as heraldic animal of the Wittelsbach.

The manufacturing of the final designs for the Bavaria statue followed in the years 1839 to 1843. Schwanthaler however the beginning of the foundry did not live because he shortly before that died in April 1844. As first thing, the head of Bavaria was cast in September 1844, in January and March 1845 followed the arms, on 11 October 1845, the breast piece. The last major casting for the bottom part took place on 1 December 1849. The erection and unveiling of Bavaria occurred during Oktoberfest (Munich Beer Festival) 1850. The cost for the production of the statue Ludwig after his abdication as king of Bavaria on 20 March 1848 largely paid from private sources. A special feature of Bavaria is the spiral staircase in its interior, where you can climb up into her head to enjoy from there an incomparable view of the Oktoberfest.

bavarianspaces.de/veranstaltungen/oktoberfest/ruhmeshalle code ...

Hall of Fame and Bavaria at the Theresienwiese

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form the most famous landmarks on the edge of the Theresienwiese and are well worth a visit.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form on the Theresien height an ensemble in style of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, which was commissioned by King Ludwig I there. Together with his architect Leo von Klenze King Ludwig I shaped the cityscape of Munich like no other. He was a friend of the monasteries and the academic spirit, and he turned his attention to painting and poetry.

As crown prince Ludwig after the death of his father in 1825 took over the throne of Bavaria he was already dreaming of his "Athens on the Isar" with monumental squares and buildings. Whereas his childhood and youth was influenced by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars, as crown prince he longed for a "Bavarian of all tribes" and a "bigger German nation." In this phase, Ludwig was planning a patriotic monument in the capital city of Munich and for this purpose he already in 1809 by historian Lorenz Westenrieder he had made a list of famous Bavarian representatives of all classes and professions. Approximately 20 years later this list was on his behalf by his Interior Minister Eduard von Schenk - in the meantime Ludwig was King of Bavaria - renewed and expanded.

For the tender for a Hall of Fame above the Theresienwiese with space for 200 busts King Ludwig I invited the best and most prestigious builders of those times:

Friedrich von Gärtner,

Leo von Klenze,

Joseph Daniel Ohlmüller and

Georg Friedrich Ziebland.

Hall of Fame after the scetch of Leo von Klenze

Design by Leo von Klenze

As the court master builder of that time of the king, Leo von Klenze had significant advantages because he on the one hand with the wishes of his client was very familiar and on the other hand also could examine the designs of its competitors in detail. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of Klenze won the tender of the Hall of Fame in March 1834. He planned the Hall of Fame with a Doric portico in the background and a colossal statue in the foreground.

The construction of the Hall of Fame in the years 1843-1853 actually took place according to the planning of Klenze. After completion of the Hall of Fame, in 1853 the busts of 74 especially venerable Bavarians were set up, in 1868 another 10 were added. The bust of King Ludwig I was only in 1888 in the Hall of Fame erected to commemorate his 100th birthday and supplemented with the following inscription:

"To King Ludwig I to celebrate his 100th birthday, the grateful Munich."

The Hall of Fame itself is 68 meters long, 32 meters wide and stands on a 4.3 meter high pedestal. The roof is supported by the back wall and 48 Doric columns that have a height of about 7 meters and a diameter of 1.25 meters.

Since the Hall of Fame and the in it set up busts in 1944 during an air raid in WW2 were severely damaged, it was not until 1966 when the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided the reconstruction of the Hall of Fame and the continuation of honouring of Bavarian personalities by setting up of their busts. The renovation was completed in 1972 and the Hall of Fame on 26 October 1972 with the preserved and renovated busts could be reopened.

For the selection of the personalities the Bavarian Council of Ministers is responsible, which is advised by a committee of experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Palace Department, the House of Bavarian History, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University).

Bavaria © 2009 Bavaria

The colossal statue of Bavaria forms an artistic unity with the Hall of Fame in the background. The first sketches of Bavaria von Klenze already in his design of the whole ensemble on the model of ancient colossal statues of antiquity had produced. It was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus of Phidias and especially the Athena Parthenos. Theoretically, it is even possible that a part of the bronze for the Bavaria was once part of the Colossus of Rhodes. After Klenze was awarded the contract for the construction of the ensemble consisting of Hall of Fame and Bavaria, he made more sketches on the Greek model.

Since the statue should be cast according to both of Klenze`s ideas and Ludwig`s wishes in bronze, he included the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler, the ore caster Johann Baptist Stiglmaier as well as whose nephew Ferdinand von Miller in the further design and manufacture of the Bavaria statue. While Schwanthaler with his first sketches still held to the classical model in the sense of Klenze, he gave the statue in the further course of his designs increasingly a "Germanic" appearance with typical "German" character. The head and the raised hand he adorned with a wreath of oak and at her side appeared the drawn sword as a sign of her ability to defend herself. At her feet placed Schwanthaler a lion, that always have served as heraldic animal of the Wittelsbach.

The manufacturing of the final designs for the Bavaria statue followed in the years 1839 to 1843. Schwanthaler however the beginning of the foundry did not live because he shortly before that died in April 1844. As first thing, the head of Bavaria was cast in September 1844, in January and March 1845 followed the arms, on 11 October 1845, the breast piece. The last major casting for the bottom part took place on 1 December 1849. The erection and unveiling of Bavaria occurred during Oktoberfest (Munich Beer Festival) 1850. The cost for the production of the statue Ludwig after his abdication as king of Bavaria on 20 March 1848 largely paid from private sources. A special feature of Bavaria is the spiral staircase in its interior, where you can climb up into her head to enjoy from there an incomparable view of the Oktoberfest.

bavarianspaces.de/veranstaltungen/oktoberfest/ruhmeshalle code ...

The lack of documentation concerning the construction of the Gothic cathedral may be in part the result of fires that destroyed the chapter archives in 1218 and again in 1258—a fire that damaged the cathedral itself. Bishop Evrard de Fouilly initiated work on the cathedral in 1220. Robert de Luzarches was the architect until 1228, and was followed by Thomas de Cormont until 1258. His son, Renaud de Cormont, acted as the architect until 1288. The chronicle of Corbie gives a completion date for the cathedral of 1266. Finishing works continued, however. Its floors are covered with a number of designs, such as the swastika (to symbolize Jesus' triumph over death). The labyrinth was installed in 1288. The cathedral contains the alleged head of John the Baptist, a relic brought from Constantinople by Wallon de Sarton as he was returning from the Fourth Crusade.

The construction of the cathedral at this period can be seen as resulting from a coming together of necessity and opportunity. The destruction of earlier buildings and attempts at rebuilding by fire forced the fairly rapid construction of a building that, consequently, has a good deal of artistic unity. The long and relatively peaceful reign of Louis IX of France brought a prosperity to the region, based on thriving agriculture and a booming cloth trade, that made the investment possible. The great cathedrals of Reims and Chartres are roughly contemporary.

The initial impetus for the building of the cathedral came from the installation of the reputed head of John the Baptist on 17 December 1206. The head was part of the loot of the Fourth Crusade, which had been diverted from campaigning against the Turks to sacking the great Christian city of Constantinople. A sumptuous reliquary was made to house the skull. Although later lost, a 19th century replica still provides a focus for prayer and meditation in the North aisle.

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✰ This photo was featured on The Epic Global Showcase here: bit.ly/1Oj3D07

-------------

》Featuring The Amazing: @sine_art ┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄

Colourful Fig Leaf in progress 🍃☀️😇 The leaf is from Greece 👌 I use triplus fineliners from STAEDTLER ⭐️ . . . . . #artscloud#artsogram#creativempire#sharingart#instaartexplorer#arrtposts#artistic_unity_#artistic_dome#art_assistance#artdesires#artistuniversity#mizu_art#art_4share#iartpost#artshub#daily_artistiq#artopia_gallery#worldofpencils#artnerd2016

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Hall of Fame and Bavaria at the Theresienwiese

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form the most famous landmarks on the edge of the Theresienwiese and are well worth a visit.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form on the Theresien height an ensemble in style of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, which was commissioned by King Ludwig I there. Together with his architect Leo von Klenze King Ludwig I shaped the cityscape of Munich like no other. He was a friend of the monasteries and the academic spirit, and he turned his attention to painting and poetry.

As crown prince Ludwig after the death of his father in 1825 took over the throne of Bavaria he was already dreaming of his "Athens on the Isar" with monumental squares and buildings. Whereas his childhood and youth was influenced by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars, as crown prince he longed for a "Bavarian of all tribes" and a "bigger German nation." In this phase, Ludwig was planning a patriotic monument in the capital city of Munich and for this purpose he already in 1809 by historian Lorenz Westenrieder he had made a list of famous Bavarian representatives of all classes and professions. Approximately 20 years later this list was on his behalf by his Interior Minister Eduard von Schenk - in the meantime Ludwig was King of Bavaria - renewed and expanded.

For the tender for a Hall of Fame above the Theresienwiese with space for 200 busts King Ludwig I invited the best and most prestigious builders of those times:

Friedrich von Gärtner,

Leo von Klenze,

Joseph Daniel Ohlmüller and

Georg Friedrich Ziebland.

Hall of Fame after the scetch of Leo von Klenze

Design by Leo von Klenze

As the court master builder of that time of the king, Leo von Klenze had significant advantages because he on the one hand with the wishes of his client was very familiar and on the other hand also could examine the designs of its competitors in detail. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of Klenze won the tender of the Hall of Fame in March 1834. He planned the Hall of Fame with a Doric portico in the background and a colossal statue in the foreground.

The construction of the Hall of Fame in the years 1843-1853 actually took place according to the planning of Klenze. After completion of the Hall of Fame, in 1853 the busts of 74 especially venerable Bavarians were set up, in 1868 another 10 were added. The bust of King Ludwig I was only in 1888 in the Hall of Fame erected to commemorate his 100th birthday and supplemented with the following inscription:

"To King Ludwig I to celebrate his 100th birthday, the grateful Munich."

The Hall of Fame itself is 68 meters long, 32 meters wide and stands on a 4.3 meter high pedestal. The roof is supported by the back wall and 48 Doric columns that have a height of about 7 meters and a diameter of 1.25 meters.

Since the Hall of Fame and the in it set up busts in 1944 during an air raid in WW2 were severely damaged, it was not until 1966 when the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided the reconstruction of the Hall of Fame and the continuation of honouring of Bavarian personalities by setting up of their busts. The renovation was completed in 1972 and the Hall of Fame on 26 October 1972 with the preserved and renovated busts could be reopened.

For the selection of the personalities the Bavarian Council of Ministers is responsible, which is advised by a committee of experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Palace Department, the House of Bavarian History, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University).

Bavaria © 2009 Bavaria

The colossal statue of Bavaria forms an artistic unity with the Hall of Fame in the background. The first sketches of Bavaria von Klenze already in his design of the whole ensemble on the model of ancient colossal statues of antiquity had produced. It was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus of Phidias and especially the Athena Parthenos. Theoretically, it is even possible that a part of the bronze for the Bavaria was once part of the Colossus of Rhodes. After Klenze was awarded the contract for the construction of the ensemble consisting of Hall of Fame and Bavaria, he made more sketches on the Greek model.

Since the statue should be cast according to both of Klenze`s ideas and Ludwig`s wishes in bronze, he included the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler, the ore caster Johann Baptist Stiglmaier as well as whose nephew Ferdinand von Miller in the further design and manufacture of the Bavaria statue. While Schwanthaler with his first sketches still held to the classical model in the sense of Klenze, he gave the statue in the further course of his designs increasingly a "Germanic" appearance with typical "German" character. The head and the raised hand he adorned with a wreath of oak and at her side appeared the drawn sword as a sign of her ability to defend herself. At her feet placed Schwanthaler a lion, that always have served as heraldic animal of the Wittelsbach.

The manufacturing of the final designs for the Bavaria statue followed in the years 1839 to 1843. Schwanthaler however the beginning of the foundry did not live because he shortly before that died in April 1844. As first thing, the head of Bavaria was cast in September 1844, in January and March 1845 followed the arms, on 11 October 1845, the breast piece. The last major casting for the bottom part took place on 1 December 1849. The erection and unveiling of Bavaria occurred during Oktoberfest (Munich Beer Festival) 1850. The cost for the production of the statue Ludwig after his abdication as king of Bavaria on 20 March 1848 largely paid from private sources. A special feature of Bavaria is the spiral staircase in its interior, where you can climb up into her head to enjoy from there an incomparable view of the Oktoberfest.

bavarianspaces.de/veranstaltungen/oktoberfest/ruhmeshalle code ...

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

Hall of Fame and Bavaria at the Theresienwiese

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form the most famous landmarks on the edge of the Theresienwiese and are well worth a visit.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria form on the Theresien height an ensemble in style of the ancient Acropolis in Athens, which was commissioned by King Ludwig I there. Together with his architect Leo von Klenze King Ludwig I shaped the cityscape of Munich like no other. He was a friend of the monasteries and the academic spirit, and he turned his attention to painting and poetry.

As crown prince Ludwig after the death of his father in 1825 took over the throne of Bavaria he was already dreaming of his "Athens on the Isar" with monumental squares and buildings. Whereas his childhood and youth was influenced by the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars, as crown prince he longed for a "Bavarian of all tribes" and a "bigger German nation." In this phase, Ludwig was planning a patriotic monument in the capital city of Munich and for this purpose he already in 1809 by historian Lorenz Westenrieder he had made a list of famous Bavarian representatives of all classes and professions. Approximately 20 years later this list was on his behalf by his Interior Minister Eduard von Schenk - in the meantime Ludwig was King of Bavaria - renewed and expanded.

For the tender for a Hall of Fame above the Theresienwiese with space for 200 busts King Ludwig I invited the best and most prestigious builders of those times:

Friedrich von Gärtner,

Leo von Klenze,

Joseph Daniel Ohlmüller and

Georg Friedrich Ziebland.

Hall of Fame after the scetch of Leo von Klenze

Design by Leo von Klenze

As the court master builder of that time of the king, Leo von Klenze had significant advantages because he on the one hand with the wishes of his client was very familiar and on the other hand also could examine the designs of its competitors in detail. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of Klenze won the tender of the Hall of Fame in March 1834. He planned the Hall of Fame with a Doric portico in the background and a colossal statue in the foreground.

The construction of the Hall of Fame in the years 1843-1853 actually took place according to the planning of Klenze. After completion of the Hall of Fame, in 1853 the busts of 74 especially venerable Bavarians were set up, in 1868 another 10 were added. The bust of King Ludwig I was only in 1888 in the Hall of Fame erected to commemorate his 100th birthday and supplemented with the following inscription:

"To King Ludwig I to celebrate his 100th birthday, the grateful Munich."

The Hall of Fame itself is 68 meters long, 32 meters wide and stands on a 4.3 meter high pedestal. The roof is supported by the back wall and 48 Doric columns that have a height of about 7 meters and a diameter of 1.25 meters.

Since the Hall of Fame and the in it set up busts in 1944 during an air raid in WW2 were severely damaged, it was not until 1966 when the Bavarian Council of Ministers decided the reconstruction of the Hall of Fame and the continuation of honouring of Bavarian personalities by setting up of their busts. The renovation was completed in 1972 and the Hall of Fame on 26 October 1972 with the preserved and renovated busts could be reopened.

For the selection of the personalities the Bavarian Council of Ministers is responsible, which is advised by a committee of experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Palace Department, the House of Bavarian History, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University).

Bavaria © 2009 Bavaria

The colossal statue of Bavaria forms an artistic unity with the Hall of Fame in the background. The first sketches of Bavaria von Klenze already in his design of the whole ensemble on the model of ancient colossal statues of antiquity had produced. It was modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus of Phidias and especially the Athena Parthenos. Theoretically, it is even possible that a part of the bronze for the Bavaria was once part of the Colossus of Rhodes. After Klenze was awarded the contract for the construction of the ensemble consisting of Hall of Fame and Bavaria, he made more sketches on the Greek model.

Since the statue should be cast according to both of Klenze`s ideas and Ludwig`s wishes in bronze, he included the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler, the ore caster Johann Baptist Stiglmaier as well as whose nephew Ferdinand von Miller in the further design and manufacture of the Bavaria statue. While Schwanthaler with his first sketches still held to the classical model in the sense of Klenze, he gave the statue in the further course of his designs increasingly a "Germanic" appearance with typical "German" character. The head and the raised hand he adorned with a wreath of oak and at her side appeared the drawn sword as a sign of her ability to defend herself. At her feet placed Schwanthaler a lion, that always have served as heraldic animal of the Wittelsbach.

The manufacturing of the final designs for the Bavaria statue followed in the years 1839 to 1843. Schwanthaler however the beginning of the foundry did not live because he shortly before that died in April 1844. As first thing, the head of Bavaria was cast in September 1844, in January and March 1845 followed the arms, on 11 October 1845, the breast piece. The last major casting for the bottom part took place on 1 December 1849. The erection and unveiling of Bavaria occurred during Oktoberfest (Munich Beer Festival) 1850. The cost for the production of the statue Ludwig after his abdication as king of Bavaria on 20 March 1848 largely paid from private sources. A special feature of Bavaria is the spiral staircase in its interior, where you can climb up into her head to enjoy from there an incomparable view of the Oktoberfest.

bavarianspaces.de/veranstaltungen/oktoberfest/ruhmeshalle code ...

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale published by Lévy Fils et Cie of Paris. It shows the Cathedral at Amiens and the surrounding area.

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral, which is shown in the photograph, was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than lifesize kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

A postally unused carte postale published by Lévy Fils et Cie of Paris.

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over three billion table tennis balls, or sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral, which is shown in the photograph, was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than lifesize kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being "...the noblest church that the hand of man ever built for God".

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

A postally unused carte postale published by Kaltenbacher, 6, Galerie du Commerce, Amiens.

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over three billion table tennis balls, or sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high, and the curved central entrance arch is over 50 feet (15.24m) high.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place! In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than life-size kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"...the noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.

The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale that was published by G. Lelong of 21, Rue St.-Martin, Amiens.

Amiens is the chief city of Picardy, in the valley of the River Somme, and is just over 100 km north of Paris.

The Amiens name has been censored (rather ineffectually) during the Great War as a security device.

Amiens Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of our Lady of Amiens is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 cubic metres).

According to this estimate, the cathedral could comfortably accommodate well over sixty billion marbles. (Yes, billion, not million!) This number of marbles, laid end to end, would produce a line 900,000 km long - it would encircle the earth 22 times, or stretch to the moon and back nearly two and a half times. It's a big building!

The vaults of the nave are 42.3 metres high. The size of the people in the photograph at the base of the entrance steps give an idea of the sheer scale of the building.

Work on the cathedral started in 1220 and was mostly finished by 1266. The floors include a number of designs, including a swastika. The labyrinth was installed in 1288.

John The Baptist

The cathedral contains what is alleged to be the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic brought back from Constantinople. You can find out what happened to one of his fingers by searching for the tag 65SJD88. There are bits of him all over the place!

In fact the Great Mosque in Damascus also claims to hold the head of John the Baptist.

The West Front

The west front of the cathedral was built between 1220 and 1236. It shows an unusual degree of artistic unity. Its lower tier with 3 vast deep porches is capped with a gallery of larger than lifesize kings which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window.

The Rose Window

The immense rose window has a diameter of 43 feet (13 m).

Above the rose window is an open arcade - the Galerie des Sonneurs. A sonneur is a player of traditional music, primarily in Brittany, typically playing a clarinet or the Breton bagpipe.

John Buchan

In the 1919 book Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (1875-1940), the character Richard Hannay describes the cathedral as being:

"The noblest church that the

hand of man ever built for God".

The Lighting of the Main Reading Room

The soffits of the arches upholding the dome are ornamented with a row of plane coffers; the larger arches that roof the alcoves within carry a triple row of more elaborate coffers, each with a gilt rosette. The windows of stained-glass, already spoken of as enclosed by these arches, semicircular inform and measure thirty-two feet across at the base. They furnished the greater part of the light needed for the illumination of the room. No shadows are cast in any direction. Being so high above the floor, the light from them is much more effective than if they were nearer the level of the reader’s eye. They are better even than skylights, and with none of the disadvantages of skylights. Other sources of light are the various little windows pierced in the four walls of the octagon which face the interior courts; and, above, the eight windows of the lantern. It has been said that no reading room and the world is so well lighted—so steadily, abundantly, uniformly, whether on the brightest or the darkest day. Edwin Howland Blashfield’s paintings in the dome, for example, can hardly be said to receive direct light from a single window in the room, but for all that, so perfectly slight diffused, they are as easily made out as any decorations in the building.

The Semicircular Windows

It is calculated that, but putting stained-glass in the eight semicircular Windows, the amount of light admitted has been diminished almost exactly one eighth; in other words, the result is the same as if one of the eight had been quite closed.

The cartoons for the stained-glass were made by Herman T. Schladermundt, after designs prepared by the architect, Edward Pearce Casey. The ground is a crackled white, leaded throughout into small, square panes. To give an effective boldness and strength, the windows are divided vertically by heavy iron bars. The design is surrounded by a richly colored border of laurel, combined with rosettes and Roman fasces. At the top, in the middle of each window, is the great seal of the United States, four feet high, surmounted by the American Eagle, whose outstretched wings measure eight feet from tip to tip. To the right and left, following the curve of the window, are the seals of the states and territories, three on the side, or six in each window, so that forty-eight—excluding only Alaska and the Indian Territory (Alaska became a state in 1959, and the Indian Territory, along with the territory of Oklahoma, became the state of Oklahoma in 1907)—are contained in the eight windows. Torches alternate with the seals, and the fasces are introduced at the bottom.

The name of the state or territory is inscribed above each seal, with the date of the year in which it was admitted to the union or organized under a territorial form of government. The seals occur in the order of their dates, the series beginning with the 13 original states—which started the easterly window in the order in which they signed the Constitution—and continuing around the room to three territories of New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. (They did not achieve statehood until 1912, 1912, and 1907, respectively.) Taken all in all, they form one of the most interesting decorations in the library, since the artist has succeeded in making a harmonious whole out of a very heterogeneous collection of designs. The originals, of course, were separately drawn, often by persons unacquainted with heraldry and never with any thought of fitting them into a single series like the present one. The result is that these originals show the greatest diversity of treatment. The key, so to speak, is continually changing. Sometimes, for example, a figure introduced in the foreground the store by an altogether disproportionate background, while in other cases the figure overpowers everything else. Had they been copied exactly, any heraldic or artistic unity of effect would be entirely lacking. Accordingly, after getting together a complete collection of the seals—in every instance in authentic impression of the original obtained from the state secretary—Schladermundt redrew, and often almost redesigned, is material to bring it into accordance with his decorative scheme. In many cases, particularly in the seals 13 original states, the original has hardly been changed at all. Indeed, in the seal of the state of Washington, which consists merely of a portrait of Washington himself, Schladermundt has unobtrusively added the Washington arms in the upper corner of the design in order to suggest the desirable heraldic conventionality more fully; occasionally, too, it has been necessary to omit certain minor details as being unsuited to the breadth of treatment necessary and stained-glass, but as a rule, Schladermundt has followed very carefully the specifications contained in the authoritative legislative enactments.