The Archer Pavilion in Wrest Park, Bedfordshire — a place in the care of English Heritage — is one of the most spectacular garden buildings of the English Baroque. Both the pavilion and Thomas Archer, the architect that designed it, are ripe for reappraisal, says Helen Lawrence-Beaton. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
Category Archives: History
Views: “L’Estaque Aux Toits Rouges” by Paul Cézanne
L’Estaque aux toits rouges by Paul Cézanne is one of the finest views of L’Estaque, the Provençal fishing village where the artist forged a radical new way of depicting the world around him.
Exhibited in 1936 and hidden away ever since, this remarkable piece will finally come back on view as part of The Cox Collection: The Story of Impressionism, taking place at Christie’s New York on 11 November.
While Cézanne is primarily associated with Aix-en-Provence, the village of L’Estaque near Marseille was a place that he returned to again and again when he sought sanctuary. His relationship with the village began when he holidayed there as a child with his mother. Then, in 1870, when Cézanne left Paris to avoid conscription into the army following the start of the Franco-Prussian War, he escaped to L’Estaque.
Learn More: https://www.christies.com/features/ce…
Art: Jacqueline Roque – Picasso’s Ultimate Muse
Picasso’s stunning painting ‘Femme Accroupie’, offered in Sotheby’s upcoming Modern Art Evening Sale (9 October | Hong Kong), is a portrait of his ultimate muse and wife, Jacqueline Roque. In this latest Expert Voices, Sotheby’s Chairman Brooke Lampley tells us of the huge artistic inspiration Jacqueline had on Picasso. Discover how this work was the final summation of an entire series of portraits of her, and how it was inspired by master artists of previous centuries.
Art Insider: Van Gogh’s Creative Spark In Paris
Vincent Van Gogh was a master of creating sumptuous still lifes. In this latest Expert Voices, Sotheby’s specialist Simon Stock describes how his painting “Nature Morte: Vase Aux Glaïeuls”, offered in Sotheby’s upcoming Modern Art Evening Sale (9 October | Hong Kong), perfectly captured the essence of the artist’s first summer in Paris in 1886. Discover how the artist infused his inspiration of Japanese wood block prints into his paintings, and how he painstakingly captured the joy of living in his still lifes, but also the transience of life.
English Country Houses: Blenheim Palace (1725)
Vast and impersonal country houses, built to create an impression on visitors rather than bestow creature comforts on inhabitants, had been a feature of the English landscape long before Blenheim Palace. Yet this huge complex, the house alone encompassing seven acres of Oxfordshire on completion in 1725, bore comparison with the largest palaces of Europe.
Set to become the historic seat of the Dukes of Marlborough after Queen Anne gifted the manor of Woodstock to the 1st Duke, John Churchill, in 1705, as a reward for his military triumphs, it’s the only English country house — those of bishops aside — that has by longstanding popular consent been accorded the honorific title of palace (it was once described by some as Blenheim Castle).
Architectural Tour: The Pena Palace In Portugal
In 1836, Queen Maria, The Second, of Portugal married a German prince named Ferdinand. As a love letter to his new wife and Portuguese subjects, the King of Portugal built something that would embrace and celebrate Portugal’s cultural DNA – the Pena Palace. From above, one can see the incredibly nuanced construction of the castle’s domes to reflect Portugal’s rich history and the neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic and neo-Indian architectural influences. King Ferdinand’s attention to detail charmed his people and the Royal Family, who soon made the Pena Palace their summer residence, which would remain the case for the next six decades.
Views: How Sperm Whales Outsmarted Hunters
The sperm whale is the world’s largest toothed predator. It also has the biggest brain of any animal on earth.. This mind has helped them outwit their natural predators, but what happened when sperm whales came up against humans?
The sperm whale or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.
View: Wisconsin Magazine Of History – Summer 2021
The Cotswolds: History Of Village Of Charlbury
Nestling in the Evenlode Valley, sequestered down winding B roads but with its own railway station, Charlbury is a vibrant yet picturesque Oxfordshire town. A centre for festivals, full of welcoming pubs, and ideal for walking and cycling, there’s always something going on in Charlbury.
Views: The Ancient ‘Salt Pans’ Of Ston, Croatia
4,000 years ago, in the ancient city of Ston, vast stone walls over 7 kilometres long zigzagged across the hills to enclose a precious Croatian secret. Now, we know that the people of the town were protecting one of the Europe’s most spectacular natural wonders – 50 giant pans of fresh salt, hidden beneath the lagoons.
Once harvest time would arrive, the water would evaporate, leaving behind salt so valuable that the town would have to keep thieves at bay. Join this unique aerial tour of Croatia, where incredible drone photography reveals nature’s beauty and historic landmarks side-by-side.
Boomers Daily 