1500-1719
I’m going to be good and not just recommend three hundred gold-heavy paintings of saints and a Shakespeare play but I have to admit that I don’t have too many interests outside of that during these years. I’m no expert on this era. Before my time, mate. So, rather than desperately searching for stuff to make a full list, here are sixteen absolute corkers.
In 1500, and the first ever cook book printed in English (and still the cook book with the best name) This is the Boke of Cokery was published. Were the recipes any good? I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never oketually loked at it.
In the 1510s, Jacopo de’ Barbari painted this picture of a sparrowhawk.
Most of the Benin Bronzes are from this era. All of them are magnificent. There is currently a superb exhibition at the World Museum in Liverpool that examines their (and other stolen art and objects) place in British culture.
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van zeven smarten by Adriaen Isenbrant from 1530 is an exquisite painting of Mary as Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows surrounded by pictures of her own suffering, which nowadays would be called postmodernism. More traditional-seeming in form but more modern in look is Maerten van Heemskerck’s Portrait of a Lady Spinning.
Do you know about John Heywood’s collection of proverbs? Did you know that in 1546, one man would collect every little adage your gran you used to utter and that you increasingly find yourself saying? Out of sight out of mind, Two heads are better than one, Better late than never, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a million others. Even, Love me, love my dog. If he had lived in the same era as inspirational paintings you buy in The Range, he would be the richest man in the world.
Of course, if you want to read something with a bit more of a narrative through line, Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso is 38,736 lines worth of adventure, romance, high fantasy and humanity. If you fancy giving it a go, and you should because it is a lot of fun, I have a word of warning: if you read any translation except that of Barbara Reynolds, you, and I can’t stress this enough, are wasting your fucking time.
The Art Institute of Chicago have an Inca vase that is from roughly this period that looks like a person with their hands on their hips. Pretty cute.
Somebody invented the ruff, as in the big thing that goes round your neck. Due a comeback imo.
It was also a good time for excellent buildings. St Basil’s Cathedral, the Blue Mosque, Rushton Triangular Lodge, the Badshahi Mosque and Trashigang Dzong. And if you prefer the decoration to the architecture, what about the plaster ceilings at Llanhydrock, a detail of which is the featured image of this post.
And that’ll do, I think. for now.
Oh yeah, and Richard II is my favourite Shakespeare play, just for the record.
Next time 1720-1879
Benjamin Judge's judgements 