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I wonder who would have lived this view the most: a warrior on the lookout, or a lonely princess, or one of the Maharajah's concubines?
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Nikon D800
24-70 f/2.8
For a surprise birthday celebration.. hues of yellow with a pop of grey. Love that colour combo! Featuring a hand sculpted sugar peony on top.
Nestled in the vibrant heart of Osaka, the Daimaru Shinsaibashi Building stands as a testament to the city's rich architectural heritage. This iconic structure, completed in 1933, is a stunning example of Art Deco design, characterized by its bold geometric patterns, lavish ornamentation, and a sense of modernity that was ahead of its time. As you approach the building, the first thing that catches your eye is the magnificent entrance. The facade is adorned with intricate stone carvings, including elegant motifs and geometric designs that reflect the meticulous craftsmanship of the era. The entrance itself is a masterpiece, featuring a series of stained glass panels in warm hues of yellow and orange, arranged in a repetitive star pattern. These panels not only add a touch of color but also create a welcoming glow that beckons visitors inside. The ornate metalwork on the doors and surrounding areas further enhances the building's grandeur, showcasing the attention to detail that went into its construction. Inside, the Daimaru Shinsaibashi Building continues to impress with its opulent interiors, including a grand lobby with a stunning mural depicting the history of transportation. This building is not just an architectural gem; it also holds historical significance as a cultural and social landmark in Osaka. Whether you're an architecture enthusiast, a history buff, or simply someone who appreciates beauty, the Daimaru Shinsaibashi Building is a must-visit landmark that embodies the spirit of Osaka's architectural innovation and cultural heritage.
I captured this hand-held long exposure shot at a Washington DC Metro station, showcasing the dynamic motion of a passing train. The blurred lights and streaks of color convey a sense of speed and energy, which contrasts with the geometric patterns of the station's vaulted ceiling. This image encapsulates city life's bustling atmosphere and rhythmic flow, transforming an everyday commute into a vibrant urban scene.
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Built by the Public Works Department for a princely £7,000.00, the Mount Buffalo Chalet was opened in 1910 by the Victorian State Government as Australia’s first ski lodge, and it quickly became a popular destination within the alpine region. Initially leased to private enterprise as a guest house, The Chalet was taken over by Victorian Railways in October 1924. Described as the “last word in luxury”, The Chalet featured large sitting rooms, ample fireplaces, a smoking room, well ventilated rooms of capacious size and hot and cold baths. They offered holiday packages with train services running to Porpunkah railway station and then a connecting Hoys Roadlines service. It was a very popular destination for newlyweds as the perfect place for a honeymoon, and over the years traditions began to emerge such as an elegant dress code within The Chalet, a dinner gong to announce dinner, costume parties and grand balls in The Chalet’s ballroom.
Originally intended to be built in granite, cost blowouts of £3,000.00 meant that instead The Chalet was built of timber. To this day, it is still the largest timber construction in Victoria. It was designed in the fashionable Arts and Crafts style of the period. Reminiscent in style to northern European Chalet architecture, the Mt Buffalo Chalet is built on a coursed random rubble plinth, with a series of hipped and gabled corrugated iron roofs. Originally designed as a symmetrical, gabled roof building, early additions were carried out in a similar style and continued the symmetry of the front facade. The second storey addition to the central wing altered the appearance of the building, however the bungalow character was retained. Slender rough cast render chimneys with tapering tops and random coursed rubble bases, a decorative barge board over the main entry, decorative timber brackets supporting timber shingled gable ends, exposed rafters and double hung, paned windows are all typical architectural details of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was constructed over a thirty year period during which time extensions, extra wings and outbuildings were added and removed with the changing times and its tourism demands. Improvements were made soon after construction and these included a golf links in 1911, a north wing addition in 1912 and a south wing and billiard room in 1914. Heating and lighting in The Chalet was improved and upgraded in 1919. Between 1921 and 1922, an addition to the south wing increased bedroom and bathroom facilities. The billiard room was moved to the front of the house and the terraced garden, with rubble granite retaining walls, was laid out at the front of The Chalet. The present dining room, the kitchen and billiard room wings were constructed in 1925, and the original dining room was converted to a ballroom, with a stage. Balustrading along the front of the building was removed and large windows inserted to provide uninterrupted views. Between 1937 and 1938 major alterations were made with the extension of the south wing and a second storey added to the central wing of the building. At this time the provisions for two hundred guests at The Chalet was noted as more than equalling the best Melbourne hotels. Internally, some remnants of decoration remain, reflecting various stages of The Chalet’s development, and these can be viewed through The Chalet’s large windows, where several suites, the lounge and the dining room are all set up to display what the accommodation was like. The formal terraced gardens built around the Mount Buffalo Chalet were seen as a civilising image within the context of the wild and relatively harsh Australian landscape. The key built features if the gardens seen today remain intact. The garden’s shape and form remain largely unchanged from when they were created including the stonewalling, terracing, central set of stairs and exposed bedrock.
The Mount Buffalo Chalet is lovingly sometimes referred to as the “Grand Old Lady”. If nothing else, she is a unique survivor of the earliest days of recreational skiing in Australia. It was included on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1992 and is maintained today as a time capsule to show what life was like when tourism was done on a grand scale.
The Louvre in Abu Dhabi - celebrating its one-year anniversary shortly - is a wonderful gallery on many levels. But for me, the utterly astonishing roof structure alone is worth the visit - a wonderful mashing up of traditional Islamic geometric forms, modern architecture and materials, and sensitivity to nature and the setting. This shot is taken looking straight up.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi
UAE
Leica M10
A closer look upward in this Portuguese restaurant reveals not a simple ceiling, but a masterpiece of architectural texture—a marriage of craftsmanship and time. Here, stone and plaster tell a quiet story of human touch: every groove, every line, every chiselled surface shaped by centuries of local building tradition. The tactile rhythm of the pattern evokes both the discipline of masonry and the poetry of design, as if the structure itself were breathing the memory of its builders.
In Portugal, architecture has long celebrated surfaces as storytelling tools. The interplay between rough and smooth, matte and sheen, is as deliberate as any tilework in Lisbon or fresco in Sintra. This ceiling detail exemplifies heritage architecture at its most intimate scale—where beauty is not found in ornament but in texture, proportion, and the dance of light across uneven stone. Morning sunlight brushes gently across the ridged plaster, emphasizing the geometric hatching and concentric curves that might once have echoed the rhythms of the vaulted ceilings above.
The warm palette of ochres and creams reflects the earthy tones of Portuguese clay and limestone—materials abundant across the Iberian Peninsula and beloved for their durability and honesty. These surfaces are not perfect; they are preserved, proudly bearing the patina of time. That authenticity connects diners beneath it to something deeper than décor: the enduring artistry of historic preservation and architectural reuse.
Such interiors reveal how Portugal integrates the old with the new. Many contemporary restaurants are built within historic frameworks—former stables, convents, or warehouses—lovingly adapted into vibrant dining spaces. This commitment to adaptive reuse ensures the nation’s architectural legacy remains part of its living culture. The effect is both physical and emotional: dining beneath such craftsmanship feels like an act of gratitude, an acknowledgment of beauty that endures through centuries.
Photographically, the appeal lies in the structure’s architectural symmetry and its tactile rhythm. The precision of the composition—half smooth limestone, half patterned brick—draws the viewer into a dialogue between permanence and imperfection. It’s a study in contrast, but also in continuity, as tradition literally supports the present-day space.
In the end, this ceiling detail is less about design and more about devotion—to craft, to place, to history. The stones may be silent, but their surface hums with centuries of Portuguese artistry.
2011 - Bass wood and acrylic paint
Artist: Luis Tomasello, Argentina, born 1915
When Luis Tomasello changed from painting on flat surfaces to making reliefs, he said: "I discovered the wonderful world of light. The reflection of color on the surface fascinates me and that is what I've worked in from that time on."
Tomasello's Chromoplastic Mural consists of 672 white geometric forms (polyhedra) placed in a repetitive pattern to create a grid with equally proportioned spaces between the forms. The flourescent orange plane of each angled shape reflects off the surface of the white wall, producing a glowing atmosphere of colored light. Form and color are intimately interrelated and the artist's mural-like reliefs exist in the realm between painting and sculpture.
Tomasello is primarily associated with Kinetic art, a 1960s movement prevalent in Paris, especially connected to the Denise Rene Gallery. Kinetic art refers to work that moves or that gives the sensation of movement through its optical effects. It also depends on you, the spectator, to actively participate because as we move in relation to the overall work, the light, colors and surfaces appear to change dramatically. In 1965, Tomasello's work was included in an exhibition on Op art, or Optical art, which became well-known in New York through William Seitz's show, The Responsive Eye, at The Museum of Modern Art.
Tomasello currently lives and works in Paris, France. Edit: Mr. Tomasello passed away in January, 2014.
If you read this far, I didn't make all that up, it was on the plaque beside the mural. :)
Pl. X: Egyptian No. 7 (1-5. From mummy cases in the Louvre, at a late period. Geometrical arrangements of the single lotus-leaf. 6. from a tomb at Thebes. Each circle is formed of four lotus-flowers and four buds, the intermediate star probably intended for four lotus-leaves. 7 From a tomb at Thebes. 8, 9. From a mummy case. 10-24. From ceilings of tombs in various parts of Egypt. In nos. 10, 13-16, 18-23, are various examples of an ornament representing the unwinding of a pile of rope, which may have given the first suggestion of the volute. In no. 24 the continuous blue line is evidently from the same type.)
Owen Jones (British designer, 1809-1874)
1856 57 cm (page height) x 39 cm (page width)
From: Jones, Owen. The grammar of ornament ; Illustrated by examples from various styles of ornament. One hundred and twelve plates, London: B. Quaritch, 1868
See MCAD Library's catalog record for this book.
Glowing softly against a deep blue sky, the newly rebuilt St. Thomas’ Parish Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. offers a striking example of contemporary sacred architecture. Located at the corner of 18th and Church Streets NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, this modernist structure is a bold departure from traditional ecclesiastical design—yet no less reverent. Clean lines, rhythmic textures, and a glowing vertical tower capped by a radiant cross define its facade, guiding the eye upward in quiet awe.
The building, completed in 2019, replaces a historic church destroyed by fire decades earlier. Rather than recreate the past, the parish chose to move forward—commissioning a design that reflects today’s values of openness, inclusivity, and light. A translucent glass tower bathes the entrance in gentle illumination, while the shimmering metal and ceramic cladding hints at warmth and resilience. The exterior pattern, evocative of stained glass or liturgical rhythm, invites interpretation and contemplation.
At ground level, the welcoming glass entryway and gentle lighting signal transparency—both literal and metaphorical. This is a place of gathering, healing, and forward movement. Around the corner, a preserved stone arch from the original church remains as a nod to legacy, but the message here is clear: faith can be contemporary, community-centered, and architecturally ambitious.
This photo captures the spiritual quiet and urban sophistication of a church confidently situated in both the present and the future.
Architectural Survey Appendix (Historic Documentation Format):
Name: St. Thomas’ Parish Episcopal Church
Address: 1517 18th Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Date of Construction: 2019 (Rebuilt)
Architect: Hickok Cole Architects
Style: Contemporary / Modernist Sacred Architecture
Architectural Features: Illuminated vertical glass tower, cross motif, geometric metal cladding, asymmetrical elevation, glass entry pavilion
Building Material: Metal panels, glass curtain wall, ceramic rainscreen
Number of Stories: 3
Historic Integrity: Contemporary reconstruction with preserved elements from prior structure
Current Use: Active Episcopal parish
Contributing Structure: No (modern rebuild outside original period of significance)
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com.
Otto Friedrich Carl Lendecke (1886-1918) was an Austrian painter, sculptor and illustrator of the impressionist and modern art era. He served as a soldier in the Austrian army in World War I until 1909, and debuted as a sculptor in 1911. He drew fashion illustrations for journals such as Jugend, Meggendorfer Blätter, and Licht und Schatten. He also made watercolors and linocuts for Viennese Fashion, and was accepted into the artistic advisory board of the magazine. We have digitally enhanced his fashion illustrations, and they are available to download for free under the CC0 license.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: https://www.rawpixel.com/board/1325425/otto-friedrich-carl-lendecke-fashion-costume-designs-public-domain-graphics?sort=curated&mode=shop&page=1
By capturing this building from this particular vantage point, I wanted to transcend ordinary architecture to reveal its sculptural dimension. The upward angle and black and white treatment transform this urban facade into an abstract composition where concrete dialogues with space. The contrast between smooth surfaces and the rhythmic central band creates a visual tension that guides the eye towards infinity. I chose to isolate the subject against a dark background to amplify its presence and verticality, thus transforming an everyday architectural element into a meditation on urban geometry. This image is part of my ongoing exploration of the hidden poetry in modern architecture and how light can reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary.
A massive steel gantry crane towers over the waterfront promenade at Pier 70, its lattice framework silhouetted against the deepening twilight sky. This industrial monument represents San Francisco's shipbuilding legacy, when cranes like these lifted heavy materials and ship components across the bustling waterfront during the district's operational years.
The crane's skeletal steel structure dominates the composition, its A-frame legs straddling what were once railway tracks that carried materials throughout the shipyard. The exposed steel lattice construction—designed for strength while minimizing wind resistance—creates geometric patterns against the blue hour sky. A second identical crane stands in the distance, emphasizing the scale of industrial operations that once defined this San Francisco Bay waterfront.
The wide concrete promenade stretches toward the crane, showing Pier 70's transformation from working industrial site to public waterfront space. White railings along the left protect pedestrians from the water's edge, while the broad paved surface accommodates walkers, runners, and cyclists exploring this newly accessible area. Contemporary residential buildings visible in the background show the mixed-use development bringing residents to the historic Dogpatch district.
Street lamps create starbursts of light as evening settles, illuminating the pathway while the sky transitions from blue to subtle pink tones. The white warehouse structure on the right with its exterior lighting represents adaptive reuse—industrial buildings repurposed for contemporary functions while maintaining the district's authentic character. The empty promenade at this twilight hour creates a contemplative atmosphere, allowing the preserved industrial infrastructure to command full attention.
These gantry cranes stand as sculptural monuments to San Francisco's maritime and industrial history, preserving the scale and character of Pier 70's shipbuilding past while serving new roles as landmarks, public art, and educational reminders of the working waterfront that built America's Pacific naval fleet.
Closeup of a portion of the east facade of the Banco Santander Building at 45 E 53rd Street, NYC (seen from Park Avenue)
[G85-1010199 DxO-PScc]
Built by the Public Works Department for a princely £7,000.00, the Mount Buffalo Chalet was opened in 1910 by the Victorian State Government as Australia’s first ski lodge, and it quickly became a popular destination within the alpine region. Initially leased to private enterprise as a guest house, The Chalet was taken over by Victorian Railways in October 1924. Described as the “last word in luxury”, The Chalet featured large sitting rooms, ample fireplaces, a smoking room, well ventilated rooms of capacious size and hot and cold baths. They offered holiday packages with train services running to Porpunkah railway station and then a connecting Hoys Roadlines service. It was a very popular destination for newlyweds as the perfect place for a honeymoon, and over the years traditions began to emerge such as an elegant dress code within The Chalet, a dinner gong to announce dinner, costume parties and grand balls in The Chalet’s ballroom.
Originally intended to be built in granite, cost blowouts of £3,000.00 meant that instead The Chalet was built of timber. To this day, it is still the largest timber construction in Victoria. It was designed in the fashionable Arts and Crafts style of the period. Reminiscent in style to northern European Chalet architecture, the Mt Buffalo Chalet is built on a coursed random rubble plinth, with a series of hipped and gabled corrugated iron roofs. Originally designed as a symmetrical, gabled roof building, early additions were carried out in a similar style and continued the symmetry of the front facade. The second storey addition to the central wing altered the appearance of the building, however the bungalow character was retained. Slender rough cast render chimneys with tapering tops and random coursed rubble bases, a decorative barge board over the main entry, decorative timber brackets supporting timber shingled gable ends, exposed rafters and double hung, paned windows are all typical architectural details of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was constructed over a thirty year period during which time extensions, extra wings and outbuildings were added and removed with the changing times and its tourism demands. Improvements were made soon after construction and these included a golf links in 1911, a north wing addition in 1912 and a south wing and billiard room in 1914. Heating and lighting in The Chalet was improved and upgraded in 1919. Between 1921 and 1922, an addition to the south wing increased bedroom and bathroom facilities. The billiard room was moved to the front of the house and the terraced garden, with rubble granite retaining walls, was laid out at the front of The Chalet. The present dining room, the kitchen and billiard room wings were constructed in 1925, and the original dining room was converted to a ballroom, with a stage. Balustrading along the front of the building was removed and large windows inserted to provide uninterrupted views. Between 1937 and 1938 major alterations were made with the extension of the south wing and a second storey added to the central wing of the building. At this time the provisions for two hundred guests at The Chalet was noted as more than equalling the best Melbourne hotels. Internally, some remnants of decoration remain, reflecting various stages of The Chalet’s development, and these can be viewed through The Chalet’s large windows, where several suites, the lounge and the dining room are all set up to display what the accommodation was like. The formal terraced gardens built around the Mount Buffalo Chalet were seen as a civilising image within the context of the wild and relatively harsh Australian landscape. The key built features if the gardens seen today remain intact. The garden’s shape and form remain largely unchanged from when they were created including the stonewalling, terracing, central set of stairs and exposed bedrock.
The Mount Buffalo Chalet is lovingly sometimes referred to as the “Grand Old Lady”. If nothing else, she is a unique survivor of the earliest days of recreational skiing in Australia. It was included on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1992 and is maintained today as a time capsule to show what life was like when tourism was done on a grand scale.
Pl. VIII: Egyptian No. 5 (The whole of the ornaments on this plate are from mummy-cases in the British Museum and the Louvre, and like those of the last plate are mostly composed of the lotus-flower and single leaves of the same plant. In number 2, above the lotus-leaves, is a white ornament on a black ground, very common in the tombs, suggested by the interwoven strands of a rope; and no. 7 we have the chequered pattern, one of the earliest ornaments, evidently derived from the weaving together of different-coloured strands. In the lower part of no. 18 we have another very common ornament, derived from feathers.)
Owen Jones (British designer, 1809-1874)
1856 57 cm (page height) x 39 cm (page width)
From: Jones, Owen. The grammar of ornament ; Illustrated by examples from various styles of ornament. One hundred and twelve plates, London: B. Quaritch, 1868
See MCAD Library's catalog record for this book.
Built by the Public Works Department for a princely £7,000.00, the Mount Buffalo Chalet was opened in 1910 by the Victorian State Government as Australia’s first ski lodge, and it quickly became a popular destination within the alpine region. Initially leased to private enterprise as a guest house, The Chalet was taken over by Victorian Railways in October 1924. Described as the “last word in luxury”, The Chalet featured large sitting rooms, ample fireplaces, a smoking room, well ventilated rooms of capacious size and hot and cold baths. They offered holiday packages with train services running to Porpunkah railway station and then a connecting Hoys Roadlines service. It was a very popular destination for newlyweds as the perfect place for a honeymoon, and over the years traditions began to emerge such as an elegant dress code within The Chalet, a dinner gong to announce dinner, costume parties and grand balls in The Chalet’s ballroom.
Originally intended to be built in granite, cost blowouts of £3,000.00 meant that instead The Chalet was built of timber. To this day, it is still the largest timber construction in Victoria. It was designed in the fashionable Arts and Crafts style of the period. Reminiscent in style to northern European Chalet architecture, the Mt Buffalo Chalet is built on a coursed random rubble plinth, with a series of hipped and gabled corrugated iron roofs. Originally designed as a symmetrical, gabled roof building, early additions were carried out in a similar style and continued the symmetry of the front facade. The second storey addition to the central wing altered the appearance of the building, however the bungalow character was retained. Slender rough cast render chimneys with tapering tops and random coursed rubble bases, a decorative barge board over the main entry, decorative timber brackets supporting timber shingled gable ends, exposed rafters and double hung, paned windows are all typical architectural details of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was constructed over a thirty year period during which time extensions, extra wings and outbuildings were added and removed with the changing times and its tourism demands. Improvements were made soon after construction and these included a golf links in 1911, a north wing addition in 1912 and a south wing and billiard room in 1914. Heating and lighting in The Chalet was improved and upgraded in 1919. Between 1921 and 1922, an addition to the south wing increased bedroom and bathroom facilities. The billiard room was moved to the front of the house and the terraced garden, with rubble granite retaining walls, was laid out at the front of The Chalet. The present dining room, the kitchen and billiard room wings were constructed in 1925, and the original dining room was converted to a ballroom, with a stage. Balustrading along the front of the building was removed and large windows inserted to provide uninterrupted views. Between 1937 and 1938 major alterations were made with the extension of the south wing and a second storey added to the central wing of the building. At this time the provisions for two hundred guests at The Chalet was noted as more than equalling the best Melbourne hotels. Internally, some remnants of decoration remain, reflecting various stages of The Chalet’s development, and these can be viewed through The Chalet’s large windows, where several suites, the lounge and the dining room are all set up to display what the accommodation was like. The formal terraced gardens built around the Mount Buffalo Chalet were seen as a civilising image within the context of the wild and relatively harsh Australian landscape. The key built features if the gardens seen today remain intact. The garden’s shape and form remain largely unchanged from when they were created including the stonewalling, terracing, central set of stairs and exposed bedrock.
The Mount Buffalo Chalet is lovingly sometimes referred to as the “Grand Old Lady”. If nothing else, she is a unique survivor of the earliest days of recreational skiing in Australia. It was included on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1992 and is maintained today as a time capsule to show what life was like when tourism was done on a grand scale.
Harpa Concert Hall, Reykjavík, Iceland. The glass facade is inspired by the basalt columns found in Iceland.
Built by the Public Works Department for a princely £7,000.00, the Mount Buffalo Chalet was opened in 1910 by the Victorian State Government as Australia’s first ski lodge, and it quickly became a popular destination within the alpine region. Initially leased to private enterprise as a guest house, The Chalet was taken over by Victorian Railways in October 1924. Described as the “last word in luxury”, The Chalet featured large sitting rooms, ample fireplaces, a smoking room, well ventilated rooms of capacious size and hot and cold baths. They offered holiday packages with train services running to Porpunkah railway station and then a connecting Hoys Roadlines service. It was a very popular destination for newlyweds as the perfect place for a honeymoon, and over the years traditions began to emerge such as an elegant dress code within The Chalet, a dinner gong to announce dinner, costume parties and grand balls in The Chalet’s ballroom.
Originally intended to be built in granite, cost blowouts of £3,000.00 meant that instead The Chalet was built of timber. To this day, it is still the largest timber construction in Victoria. It was designed in the fashionable Arts and Crafts style of the period. Reminiscent in style to northern European Chalet architecture, the Mt Buffalo Chalet is built on a coursed random rubble plinth, with a series of hipped and gabled corrugated iron roofs. Originally designed as a symmetrical, gabled roof building, early additions were carried out in a similar style and continued the symmetry of the front facade. The second storey addition to the central wing altered the appearance of the building, however the bungalow character was retained. Slender rough cast render chimneys with tapering tops and random coursed rubble bases, a decorative barge board over the main entry, decorative timber brackets supporting timber shingled gable ends, exposed rafters and double hung, paned windows are all typical architectural details of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was constructed over a thirty year period during which time extensions, extra wings and outbuildings were added and removed with the changing times and its tourism demands. Improvements were made soon after construction and these included a golf links in 1911, a north wing addition in 1912 and a south wing and billiard room in 1914. Heating and lighting in The Chalet was improved and upgraded in 1919. Between 1921 and 1922, an addition to the south wing increased bedroom and bathroom facilities. The billiard room was moved to the front of the house and the terraced garden, with rubble granite retaining walls, was laid out at the front of The Chalet. The present dining room, the kitchen and billiard room wings were constructed in 1925, and the original dining room was converted to a ballroom, with a stage. Balustrading along the front of the building was removed and large windows inserted to provide uninterrupted views. Between 1937 and 1938 major alterations were made with the extension of the south wing and a second storey added to the central wing of the building. At this time the provisions for two hundred guests at The Chalet was noted as more than equalling the best Melbourne hotels. Internally, some remnants of decoration remain, reflecting various stages of The Chalet’s development, and these can be viewed through The Chalet’s large windows, where several suites, the lounge and the dining room are all set up to display what the accommodation was like. The formal terraced gardens built around the Mount Buffalo Chalet were seen as a civilising image within the context of the wild and relatively harsh Australian landscape. The key built features if the gardens seen today remain intact. The garden’s shape and form remain largely unchanged from when they were created including the stonewalling, terracing, central set of stairs and exposed bedrock.
The Mount Buffalo Chalet is lovingly sometimes referred to as the “Grand Old Lady”. If nothing else, she is a unique survivor of the earliest days of recreational skiing in Australia. It was included on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1992 and is maintained today as a time capsule to show what life was like when tourism was done on a grand scale.
Discover the elegance of San Francisco’s modern architecture through this captivating black and white abstract. This image highlights the intricate play of light and shadow across the facade of a contemporary building, showcasing its geometric precision and sleek design. Perfect for those who appreciate architectural photography, this piece exemplifies urban sophistication with its stark contrasts and bold lines.
Plate IV: Egyptian No. 1, The Lotus and the Papyrus, types of Egyptian ornament.
(1. The lotus drawn from nature. 2. Egyptian representation of the lotus. 3. Another in a different stage of growth. 4. Three papyrus plants, and three full-blown lotus flowers with two buds, held in the hand of a king as an offering to a God. 5. A full-blown lotus and two buds, bound together with ribbons, the type of the capitals of Egyptian columns. 6. The lotus and buds in the form of a column, bound round with matting, from a painting representing the portico of a temple. 7. The base of the stem of the papyrus drawn from nature; the type of the bases and shafts of Egyptian columns. 8. Expanding bud of the papyrus, drawn from nature. 9. Another, in a less advanced stage of growth. 10 Egyptian representation of the papyrus plant; the complete type of the capital, shaft, and base of the Egyptian column. 11. The same, in combination with lotus buds, grapes, and ivy. 12. A combination of the lotus and papyrus, representing a column bound with matting and ribbons. 13. Egyptian representation of the lotus and buds. 14. and 15. Representations of the papyrus, from an Egyptian painting. 16. Representation of plants growing in the desert. 17. Representation of the lotus and papyrus growing in the nile. 18. Another variety of desert plants.)
Owen Jones (British designer, 1809-1874)
1856 57 cm (page height) x 39 cm (page width)
From: Jones, Owen. The grammar of ornament ; Illustrated by examples from various styles of ornament. One hundred and twelve plates, Folio ed., London: B. Quaritch, 1910
See MCAD Library's catalog record for this book.
The Ben Youssef Madrasa was an Islamic college in Marrakesh, Morocco, named after the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf (reigned 1106–1142), who expanded the city and its influence considerably. It is the largest Medrasa in all of Morocco. The college was founded during the period of the Marinid (14th century) by the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hassan and allied to the neighbouring Ben Youssef Mosque. The building of the madrasa was re-constructed by the Saadian Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib (1557–1574). In 1565 the works ordered by Abdallah al-Ghalib were finished, as confirmed by the inscription in the prayer room. Its 130 student dormitory cells cluster around a courtyard richly carved in cedar, marble and stucco. The carvings contain no representation of humans or animals as required by Islam, and consist entirely of inscriptions and geometric patterns. This madrasa was one of the largest theological colleges in North Africa and may have housed as many as 900 students. One of its best known teachers was Mohammed al-Ifrani (1670-1745).
Closed down in 1960, the building was refurbished and reopened to the public as an historical site in 1982.
Year Made: 1930's
Glassmaker: unknown
Color: clear
Product: nail polish
Bottler: unknown
Volume: 1/4 fluid ounce
Height: 2 1/4 inches
Diameter 1 7/8 inches x 1 1/16 inches
Weight: 1.3 ounces
Seams: 2 seams to the top
Label Type: none
Closure Type: screw-on cap
Notes: There is no embossing on this bottle which makes it impossible to determine a glass maker or the product company.
Built by the Public Works Department for a princely £7,000.00, the Mount Buffalo Chalet was opened in 1910 by the Victorian State Government as Australia’s first ski lodge, and it quickly became a popular destination within the alpine region. Initially leased to private enterprise as a guest house, The Chalet was taken over by Victorian Railways in October 1924. Described as the “last word in luxury”, The Chalet featured large sitting rooms, ample fireplaces, a smoking room, well ventilated rooms of capacious size and hot and cold baths. They offered holiday packages with train services running to Porpunkah railway station and then a connecting Hoys Roadlines service. It was a very popular destination for newlyweds as the perfect place for a honeymoon, and over the years traditions began to emerge such as an elegant dress code within The Chalet, a dinner gong to announce dinner, costume parties and grand balls in The Chalet’s ballroom.
Originally intended to be built in granite, cost blowouts of £3,000.00 meant that instead The Chalet was built of timber. To this day, it is still the largest timber construction in Victoria. It was designed in the fashionable Arts and Crafts style of the period. Reminiscent in style to northern European Chalet architecture, the Mt Buffalo Chalet is built on a coursed random rubble plinth, with a series of hipped and gabled corrugated iron roofs. Originally designed as a symmetrical, gabled roof building, early additions were carried out in a similar style and continued the symmetry of the front facade. The second storey addition to the central wing altered the appearance of the building, however the bungalow character was retained. Slender rough cast render chimneys with tapering tops and random coursed rubble bases, a decorative barge board over the main entry, decorative timber brackets supporting timber shingled gable ends, exposed rafters and double hung, paned windows are all typical architectural details of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was constructed over a thirty year period during which time extensions, extra wings and outbuildings were added and removed with the changing times and its tourism demands. Improvements were made soon after construction and these included a golf links in 1911, a north wing addition in 1912 and a south wing and billiard room in 1914. Heating and lighting in The Chalet was improved and upgraded in 1919. Between 1921 and 1922, an addition to the south wing increased bedroom and bathroom facilities. The billiard room was moved to the front of the house and the terraced garden, with rubble granite retaining walls, was laid out at the front of The Chalet. The present dining room, the kitchen and billiard room wings were constructed in 1925, and the original dining room was converted to a ballroom, with a stage. Balustrading along the front of the building was removed and large windows inserted to provide uninterrupted views. Between 1937 and 1938 major alterations were made with the extension of the south wing and a second storey added to the central wing of the building. At this time the provisions for two hundred guests at The Chalet was noted as more than equalling the best Melbourne hotels. Internally, some remnants of decoration remain, reflecting various stages of The Chalet’s development, and these can be viewed through The Chalet’s large windows, where several suites, the lounge and the dining room are all set up to display what the accommodation was like. The formal terraced gardens built around the Mount Buffalo Chalet were seen as a civilising image within the context of the wild and relatively harsh Australian landscape. The key built features if the gardens seen today remain intact. The garden’s shape and form remain largely unchanged from when they were created including the stonewalling, terracing, central set of stairs and exposed bedrock.
The Mount Buffalo Chalet is lovingly sometimes referred to as the “Grand Old Lady”. If nothing else, she is a unique survivor of the earliest days of recreational skiing in Australia. It was included on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1992 and is maintained today as a time capsule to show what life was like when tourism was done on a grand scale.
A geometric pattern on the floor.
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Creator: George Jackman for Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.
Location: Ascot, Brisbane, Queensland.
Date: Undated
View this image at the State Library of Queensland: hdl.handle.net/10462/deriv/119892
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