Joos van Craesbeeck

Joos van Craesbeeck ("c". 1605/06 – "c". 1660) was a Flemish baker and a painter who played an important role in the development of Flemish genre painting in the mid-17th century through his tavern scenes and dissolute portraits. His genre scenes depict low-life figures as well as scenes of middle-class people. He created a few religiously themed compositions.
Life.
Joos van Craesbeeck was born in Neerlinter (now a village in Flemish Brabant, Belgium). His father was also called Joos and is believed to have been a baker. His mother's name was Gertruid van Callenborch. In 1630 or 1631 Joos van Craesbeeck married Johanna Tielens. His wife's father was a baker but her family also counted artists among its members: the landscape painter Jan Tielens was her uncle while two of her uncles on her mother's side were the sculptors Melchior and Caspar Grison.
The Tielens family was also responsible for the operation of the bakery in Antwerp Citadel. When the painter Adriaen Brouwer was imprisoned in the citadel, van Craesbeeck likely got to know him. Based on information provided by contemporary Flemish biographer Cornelis de Bie in his book "Het Gulden Cabinet" van Craesbeeck is believed to have become Brouwer's pupil and best friend. Their relationship was described by de Bie as 'Soo d’oude songhen, soo pypen de jonghen' (As the old ones sang, so the young ones chirp'). The stylistic similarities of van Craesbeeck's early work with that of Brouwer seems to corroborate such pupilage.
Van Craesbeeck became a master in Antwerp's Guild of Saint Luke in 1633–1634 as a baker and painter. In 1637 he was widowed and obtained an inheritance. That year he is recorded as the owner of a new house with a bakery in Antwerp. From this time onwards he was able to dedicate himself full-time to painting.
The movements of van Craesbeek between 1637 and 1651, the year he became master in the Brussels Guild of Saint Luke are not clear. It is likely that his move to Brussels was linked to that of David Teniers the Younger who settled in Brussels on 7 September 1650. In 1653, Adriaen Rombouts was his pupil.
The death date of van Craesbeeck is not known with certainty but it must be situated between 1660 and 1661 since in 1660 a Lucas Viters was registered as his pupil at the Guild and a year later Cornelis de Bie reported him as deceased.
Work.
Evolution.
Joos van Craesbeeck painted mainly genre scenes and a few religiously themed compositions. His genre scenes depict low-life figures as well as scenes of middle-class people. The chronology of his work is difficult to establish since only one painting, the now missing "Self-portrait in front of a Mirror", is signed. In addition to the one painting signed with his full name, there are about 30 other paintings with the monogram cb or jvcb. Despite the difficulty of dating his paintings, it is believed that his earliest works are largely indebted to the subject matter and style of Brouwer. In these early works he relied on the types of Brouwers and he followed Brouwer's palette in its subtle harmonies with occasional gleaming highlights. Like Brouwer he applied colour very thinly leaving parts of the ground visible.
After Brouwer's death in 1638 van Craesbeeck turned to other artists for inspiration and borrowed ideas from contemporary Dutch painters. Antwerp painters remained, however, his main source of inspiration. He was able to find his own individual interpretation of the everyday subjects, which formed the bulk of his output. His palette became dominated by browns and greys.
In a still later phase when he was a resident of Brussels, he painted his mature work, which was largely independent of Brouwer. A set of works from this period is characterized by its vivid colours and the use of his own repertory of figures: bearded men with flat or fur-decked caps, women with white bonnets or conspicuous straw hats.
Tronies.
His master Brouwer played an important role in the development of the genre of the 'tronie'. The term tronie typically refers to figure studies not intended to depict an identifiable person, but rather to investigate varieties of expression. Tronies are thus a form of genre painting in a portrait format. Van Craesbeeck was also a talented practitioner of the genre.
Many of his tronies are in fact self-portraits. He painted at least five presumed self-portraits in which he depicts himself in a 'dissolute' manner. The dissolute self-portrait was a form of self representation of artists that arose in Dutch and Flemish genre painting in the 17th century. It was an inversion of the Renaissance ideal of the 'pictor doctus', which regarded the artist as an intellectual and gentleman. This ideal was replaced by the new model of the prodigal artist characterized by his creative inspiration and talents. These self-portraits aimed to emphasize the artists' dissolute nature by creating associations with traditional moral themes such as the "Five Senses" and the "Prodigal Son in the tavern". Van Craesbeeck painted himself four times in low-life guises. These self-portraits can also be regarded as tronies, since they depict the artist with exaggerated expressions, and often represent one of the five senses. In his self-portraits, van Craesbeeck typically represented the sense of 'taste', which he expressed by painting himself as a drinker or a smoker. An example is "The Smoker" in the Louvre Museum. Most frequently he depicted himself as a drinker as in the . This painting shows him grinning, with bulging eyes, untamed hair and dressed in peasant's clothes. He is clutching a full glass of wine. The rough style of these self-portraits is typical for the peasant vernacular of the genre. His lively, boorish expressions show his deep understanding of the peasant character.
Van Craesbeeck often developed on the theme of the five senses. His composition the "Painter’s Studio" is a tableau vivant showing figures symbolizing the Five Senses seated around a table while the artist is working at his easel. Each figure in the group represents one of the senses: a lute-player (Hearing), a man holding a wineglass (Taste), a man with a pipe (Smell), an intimate couple (Touch) and a woman reading (Sight).
Tavern scenes.
He painted many tavern interiors. Some of these works are a reflection of the new themes that had been introduced in genre painting by the Northern followers of Caravaggio such as that of the musician.
An example is the "Lute Player" (Liechtenstein Museum), which shows two women entertaining a cavalier, who seems to have passed out with a full glass of wine in front of him. A flute hanging above the head of an old man leaning over the shoulder of the female lute player symbolises the man's thoughts. Van Craesbeeck modernized the pattern introduced by the Caravaggisti of showing figures seated around a table with those in front shown in silhouette by more full describing the interior space, showing the effect of the daylight and opting for a more vertical format.
Paintings such as are typical of his small, theatrical images of peasant brawls crowded with violent expressive figures already depicted by Brouwers. A tiny skeleton placed inside a tankard in the lower right foreground plays the role of death in the composition.
Guardroom scene.
Van Craesbeeck also painted "", which falls within the genre of the guardroom scene. A guardroom scene typically depicts an interior scene with officers and soldiers engaged in merrymaking. Guardroom scenes often included mercenaries and prostitutes dividing booty, harassing captives or indulging in other forms of reprehensible activities.
"Piskijken".
He also painted a few paintings in the subgenre referred to as "piskijken" ("pee looking"), which typically shows a woman with a doctor or quack performing a pregnancy test by looking at a sample of her urine. An example is "" (Brukenthal Museum), which shows in the background a young woman who seems to have collapsed and is being comforted. In the foreground stands a person (a doctor or a quack?) who is holding up a vial with the woman's urine. A shadow of a foetus is visible in the vial, a sign that the young woman is pregnant.


Anthoni Schoonjans

Anthoni Schoonjans, nicknamed Parhasius (1655 – 13 August 1726) was a Flemish painter known for his portraits as well as his history paintings. After training in Antwerp he had an international career, which saw him work in various countries in Europe including France, Italy, Germany, Austria, The Dutch Republic and Denmark. He was a court painter in Vienna, Copenhagen, Berlin and Düsseldorf.
Life.
Schoonjans was born in Ninove as the son of Joannes Schoonians, a wine merchant, and Anna de Gruytere and was baptized on 5 March 1655. He became in the Guild year 1668-1669 in Antwerp an apprentice of Erasmus Quellinus II and that master's son Jan-Erasmus Quellinus. From 1674 to 1677 the artist resided in Reims and he also spent some time in Paris.
In 1674 his mother met up with her son Anthoni in Reims. He left France and from 6 January 1675 he resided in Rome, where he familiarised himself with the Italian Baroque. He shared in Rome a residence with the flower painter Carel de Vogelaer in Via Margutta. Like his masters had done before him, he joined in 1674 the Bentvueghels, the society of mainly Flemish and Dutch artists working in Rome, and took the nickname "Parrhasius", likely after the famous painter of the late 5th century BC who worked in Athens. In the year 1686 Antoon Schoonjans was mentioned in Lyon.
By 1693 Schoonjans had moved to Vienna where he became the court painter of Emperor Leopold I in 1695. He was not a member of the court. During this period the Swiss painter Georg Gsell was his pupil. In April 1796 Schoonjans traveled to Frankfurt am Main, Kassel and Hamburg together with the Flemish painter Jan Frans van Douven. On 26 April 1796 he arrived at the final destination of his trip, Copenhagen. Schoonjans had been invited by the Danish court to paint portraits of the royal family. He later returned to Vienna where in 1695 he married the opera singer Maria Regina Schweizer. He painted an altarpiece of the for the St. Roch's Church and a "Visitation of Mary" for the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
In 1702 Schoonjans and his wife traveled to Berlin, apparently at the invitation of Queen Sophie Charlotte of Prussia. Reportedly the Austrian emperor was upset about Schoonjans' trip to Berlin. The couple was joined in Berlin by the composer Giovanni Bononcini. During his stay in Berlin, Schoonjans promised Queen Sophie Charlotte to paint the ceiling, rooms and galleries of Charlottenburg Palace, her residence in Berlin. In May 1703 he traveled to The Hague where he stayed with a goldsmith named Spyk whom he knew from his time in Rome. He later left for Amsterdam where he stayed for one year, The Dutch artist biographer Jan van Gool described in his "Nieuw Schouburg" this period of Schoonjans' life in The Dutch Republic and noted with contempt "the unsympathetic character of the painter". Sophie Charlotte asked through various intermediaries to call this "bizarre" man to return to Berlin. The Queen was not only or primarily interested in seeing the painter return but was more keen to welcome back his wife whose singing skills she enjoyed particularly. For the Queen, Schoonjans painted portraits of her son as well as of the composers Giovanni Bononcini and Attilio Ariosti.
In 1704 Schoonjans traveled to England where he painted the stairwell in Montagu House, Bloomsbury and also made a portrait of a certain doctor Peeters. In 1706 Antoon Schoonjans is reported to have given some lessons to the Dutch floral painter Margareta Haverman.
Later Schoonjans moved to Düsseldorf to work at the court of Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine who was a known art lover and had invited a great number of Dutch and Flemish painters to his court. He painted the portrait of the monarch and his wife. During this period he made many drawings, many of which are still in the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf. After the death of Elector Johann Wilhelm in 1716, Schoonjans returned to Vienna. He also worked in Slovenia in the "Križanke Church" together with Johann Michael Rottmayr. In 1726 he is recorded in Brno (Czech Republic) where he painted a "St. John of Nepomuk". He spent his final years in retirement in Perchtoldsdorf.
Schoonjans stayed also in Vienna where he died on 13 August 1726, reportedly in a fire in his house.
Work.
Anthoni Schoonjans painted history pieces, mythological scenes, religious subjects and portraits.


The Anatomy of Revolution

The Anatomy of Revolution is a 1938 book by Crane Brinton outlining the "uniformities" of four major political revolutions: the English Revolution of the 1640s, the American, the French, and the 1917 Russian Revolution. Brinton notes how the revolutions followed a life-cycle from the Old Order to a moderate regime to a radical regime, to Thermidorian reaction. The book has been called "classic, "famous" and a "watershed in the study of revolution", and has been influential enough to have inspired advice given to US President Jimmy Carter by his National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski during the Iranian Revolution.
Revised editions of Brinton's book were published in 1952 and 1965, and it remains in print.
Brinton summarizes the revolutionary process as moving from "financial breakdown, [to] organization of the discontented to remedy this breakdown ... revolutionary demands on the part of these organized discontented, demands which if granted would mean the virtual abdication of those governing, attempted use of force by the government, its failure, and the attainment of power by the revolutionists. These revolutionists have hitherto been acting as an organized and nearly unanimous group, but with the attainment of power it is clear that they are not united. The group which dominates these first stages we call the moderates ... power passes by violent ... methods from Right to Left" (p. 253).
Themes.
According to Brinton, while "we must not expect our revolutions to be identical" (p. 226), three of the four (the English, French and Russian) began "in hope and moderation", reached "a crisis in a reign of terror", and ended "in something like dictatorship—Cromwell, Bonaparte, Stalin". The exception is the American Revolution, which "does not quite follow this pattern" (p. 24).
Fall of the old regime.
The revolutions begin with problems in the pre-revolutionary regime. These include problems functioning—"government deficits, more than usual complaints over taxation, conspicuous governmental favoring of one set of economic interests over another, administrative entanglements and confusions". There are also social problems, such as the feeling by some that careers are not "open to talents", and economic power is separated from political power and social distinction. There is a "loss of self-confidence among many members of the ruling class", the "conversion of many members of that class to the belief that their privileges are unjust or harmful to society" (p. 65). "Intellectuals" switch their allegiance away from the government (p. 251). In short, "the ruling class becomes politically inept" (p. 252).
Financial problems play an important role, as "three of our four revolutions started among people who objected to certain taxes, who organized to protest them ... even in Russia in 1917 the financial problems were real and important" (p. 78).
The revolutions' enemies and supporters disagree over whether plots and manipulation by revolutionists, or the corruption and tyranny of the old regime are responsible for the old regime's fall. Brinton argues both are right, as both the right circumstances and active agitation are necessary for the revolution to succeed (p. 85–6).
At some point in the first stages of the revolutions "there is a point where constituted authority is challenged by illegal acts of revolutionists" and the response of security forces is strikingly unsuccessful. In France in 1789 the "king didn't really try" to subdue riots effectively. In England the king "didn't have enough good soldiers". In Russia "at the critical moment the soldiers refused to march against the people" and instead joined them (p. 88).
Background of the revolutionaries.
Revolutions "are born of hope" rather than misery (p. 250).
Contrary to the belief that revolutionaries are disproportionately poor or down-and-out, "revolutionists are more or less a cross section of common humanity". While revolutionaries "behave in a way we should not expect such people to behave", this can be explained by the "revolutionary environment" rather than their background (p. 120). "'Untouchables' very rarely revolt", and successful slave revolutions, like Haiti's, are few in number (p. 250). Revolutionaries are "not unprosperous" but "feel restraint, cramp, ... rather than downright crushing oppression" (p. 250).
Revolutionary regimes.
In each revolution a short "honeymoon" period follows the fall of the old regime, lasting until the "contradictory elements" among the victorious revolutionaries assert themselves (p. 91). Power then has a tendency "to go from Right to Center to Left" (p. 123). In the process, Brinton says, 'the revolution, like Saturn, devours its children', quoting Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud (p. 121).
Moderates and dual power.
The revolutions being studied first produce a "legal" moderate government. It vies with a more radical "illegal" government in a process known as "dual power", or as Brinton prefers to call it "dual sovereignty". In England the "Presbyterian moderates in Parliament" were rivals of "the illegal government of the extremist Independents in the New Model Army" (p. 135). In France, the National Assembly was controlled by the "Girondin moderates", while the Montagnard "extremists" controlled "the Jacobin network", "the Paris commune", (p. 136) and the Societies of the Friends of the Constitution (p. 162). In Russia, the moderate provisional government of the Duma clashed with the radical Bolsheviks whose illegal government was a "network of soviets" (p. 136).
The radicals triumph because:
Radicals and "Reigns of Terror and Virtue".
In contrast to the moderates, the radicals are aided by a fanatical devotion to their cause, discipline and (in recent revolutions) a study of technique of revolutionary action, obedience to their leadership, ability to ignore contradictions between their rhetoric and action, and drive boldly ahead (p. 155–60). Even their small numbers are an advantage, giving them "the ability to move swiftly, to make clear and final decisions, to push through to a goal without regard for injured human dispositions" (p. 154).
The radicals took power in Russia with the October Revolution, in France with the purge of the Girondins, in England "Pride's Purge" (p. 163). The American Revolution never had a radical dictatorship and Reign of Terror, "though in the treatment of Loyalists, in the pressure to support the army, in some of the phases of social life, you can discern ... many of the phenomena of the Terror as it is seen in our three other societies" (p. 254).
The radical reign is one of "Terror and Virtue". Terror stemming from the abundance of summary executions, foreign and civil war, struggle for power; virtue in the form of puritanical "organized asceticism" and suppression of vices such as drunkenness, gambling and prostitution (p. 180). In its ardor, revolutionary "tragicomedy" touches the average citizen, for whom "politics becomes as real, as pressing, as unavoidable ... as food and drink", their "job, and the weather" (p. 177).
On taking power the radicals rule through dictatorship and "rough-and-ready centralization". "The characteristic form of this supreme authority is that of a committee" (p. 171). The Council of State in England, Committee of Public Safety in France.
At some point in these revolutions, the "process of transfer of power from Right to Left ceases", and groups even more radical than those in power are suppressed (p. 167). (In France, the Hébertists are sent to the guillotine (p. 168), in Russia the Kronstadt rebellion is crushed.)
At least in France and Russia, the accession of radicals is also accompanied by a decline in political participation measured in votes cast, as "ordinary, peaceful", "humdrum men and women" favoring moderation find no outlet for their political beliefs (p. 153–4).
Along with centralization, lethal force in suppression of opposition, rule by committee, radical policies include the spreading of "the gospel of their revolution" to other countries. This is found not only in the Russian and French revolutions, but even seventeenth century England, where Edward Sexby "proposed to the French radicals" in Bordeaux "a republican constitution which was to be called 'L'Accord du Peuple'—an adaptation of the English Agreement of the People" (p. 193). These attempts seldom make a significant impact as the revolutionaries "are usually too poor, and too occupied at home" (p. 213).
"Thermidor".
The radical reign of terror, or "crisis" period, is fairly soon replaced by Thermidor period, a period of relaxation from revolutionary policies or "convalescence" from the "fever" of radicalism. Thermidor is named for the period following the fall of Maximilien Robespierre in the French Revolution, in Russia the New Economic Policy of 1921 "can be called Russia's Thermidor" (p. 207), and "perhaps the best date" for that period in England is "Cromwell's dissolution of the Rump" (p. 206).
The Thermidor is characterized by
America did not have a proper Reign of Terror and Virtue, but "the decade of the 1780s displays in incomplete forms some of the marks of Thermidor", as evidenced by the complaint of historian J.F. Jameson that 'sober Americans of 1784 lamented the spirit of speculation which war and its attendant disturbances had generated, the restlessness of the young, disrespect for tradition and authority, increase of crime, the frivolity and extravagance of society' (p. 235-6).
Lasting results.
Brinton finds the lasting results of the revolutions disappointing. In France, the revolution did away with "the old overlapping jurisdictions, the confusions and the compromises inherited from, the thousand-year struggle" between Crown and feudal nobility. Weights and measure "that varied from region to region, indeed from town to town" were replaced with the metric system. Also gone was non-decimal coinage unsuited "for long division"(p. 239). Some antiquated practices were also eliminated in England (p. 239). In Russia, the Bolsheviks brought industrialization, and eventually the Sputnik space satellite (p. 240). Confiscated lands stayed in the hands of the new owners for the most part, redistributing land to many "small independent peasants" in France (p. 241–2), and Puritan businessmen and clergymen in England (p. 242).
Remaining essentially "untouched" were day-to-day social relations between husband and wife and children. Attempts at establishing new religions and personal habits come to naught. The revolutions' "results look rather petty as measured by the brotherhood of man and the achievement of justice on this earth. The blood of the martyrs seems hardly necessary to establish decimal coinage" (p. 259).
Comparisons.
Brinton concludes that despite their ambitions, the political revolutions he studied brought much less lasting social changes than the disruptions and changes of "what is loosely called the Industrial Revolution", and the top-down reforms of Mustapha Kemal's reforms in Turkey, and the Meiji Restoration or post-World War II MacArthur era in Japan (p. 246).


Seconds from Disaster

Seconds from Disaster is a US/UK-produced documentary television programme that investigates historically relevant man-made and natural disasters from the 20th and early 21st centuries. Each episode aims to explain a single incident by analyzing the causes and circumstances that ultimately effected the disaster. The program uses re-enactments, interviews, testimonies, and CGI to analyze the sequence of events second-by-second for the audience.
"Seconds from Disaster" was first broadcast on the National Geographic in 2004 and originally consisted of 45 episodes over three seasons. Following its original conclusion in 2007, the show was put on a four-year hiatus and later replaced with "Critical Situation". In 2011, National Geographic revived the show and aired another 22 episodes over three seasons until the following year. In 2018, the show revived again and aired two episodes featuring compilations about helicopter and airliner crashes. Narrators of the show are Ashton Smith, Richard Vaughan, and Peter Guinness.
Format.
"Seconds from Disaster" is characterised by an emphasis on chronological sequencing (in accordance with the show's name), the use of CGI technology and its blueprint-like CGI format. The show has little or no dialogue for the actors in the re-enactments, but instead is almost entirely dominated by the narrator.
Each episode begins with a chronological re-enactment of the disaster, which is always cut into several scenes displaying critical moments in the unfolding of the disaster with a clock appearing at the beginning of each scene. After the sequence of events, the show "winds back" the scenes to analyse the causes and events leading up to the disaster. The series uses blueprint-formatted CGI in every episode to reveal the anatomy of the disaster and the structures involved but in season 3, the blue formatting of the CGI is not used on the background and is replaced with a white background. From season 4 onwards, they used a sepia-like background. The show concludes with the original disaster scenes being rewound and played again; but this time, the clock is being replaced by a countdown timer and the conclusions reached from the analysis being put together with the sequence. Most often, the show finishes with a short moment of sentimentality (where those involved often speak of their emotions on the disaster) followed by the technological advances made to prevent similar disasters from happening again.


In the Days of McKinley

In the Days of McKinley is a book by Margaret Leech published in 1959 by Harper & Brothers Publishers which won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for History. It is a biography of the former American President William McKinley.


Bread and Roses, Too

Bread and Roses, Too is a 2006 children's historical novel written by American novelist Katherine Paterson. Set in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 in the aftermath of the Lawrence Textile Strike (also known as the Bread and Roses Strike), the book focuses on the Italian-born daughter of mill workers who finds herself becoming the protector of a boy who is afraid to return home to his abusive father.


Isle of Fire

Isle of Fire was written by Wayne Thomas Batson and published in 2008 as the sequel to his book "Isle of Swords". These books are pirate fiction novels directed primarily at young adult readers and written from a Christian perspective.
Plot summary.
Declan Ross, accepting the British offer of pardons to pirates who would turn from their illegal trade, is now attempting to convince other pirates to do the same. Meanwhile, rumors have arisen that Bartholomew Thorne, formerly thought to have been killed in a flood, is alive and plotting.
Cat, who has been staying with a group of monks for a time, has been offered the task of commanding a ship full of fighting monks on a mission to hunt down the elusive Merchant. He accepts, and with Ross's permission, takes Anne on as quartermaster.
While Ross combs the sea for news of Thorne, Cat and Anne discover the Merchant's underwater lair. Eventually, they are separated from their comrades and, in the ensuing battle with the Merchant himself, Anne escapes the lair while Cat is captured. Anne is picked up by the "Robert Bruce" and Cat, trapped in a cell on the Merchant's ship, is faced with a choice: become the evil man's apprentice or die. The Merchant arranges a meeting with Thorne himself and offers to return Cat to his father for a price. Bartholomew, however, hatefully refuses.
Meanwhile, Lady Dolphin, Commodore Blake, and their young friend Hopper sail to an island where Thorne was reportedly last seen. There the two adults are captured by the Raukar, Viking descendants who are under Thorne's leadership. Hopper is able to rescue Blake but Lady Dolphin remains a prisoner. While in Bartholomew's captivity, he and she discover that Dolphin is Thorne's daughter, the child of Heather, the wife he lost in a fire. This news confounds the terrible pirate, who, while not fond of Dolphin, now cannot seem to stay away from her.
With a Viking army, Thorne sails to London and bombs it with a destructive and mysterious weapon of the Raukar: fire rain. With vengeful satisfaction, Bartholomew wipes out and cripples the British Navy and watches the British city in burning confusion. He then sails off to personally destroy the monastery Cat formerly stayed at.
Ross and Anne sail to defend the monastery as soon as they learn of Thorne's terrible work. There before the monks' home, they confront Bartholomew in a sea battle, which further intensifies with the arrival of the Merchant's ship and a hurricane. In the ensuing fight, Cat boldly escapes the Merchant's ship, that same vessel is soon sunk, Hopper and some of Ross's crewmen rescue Dolphin, and several Raukar ships are destroyed in the hurricane. In a final confrontation on Ross's ship, Declan, Cat and Stede together kill Thorne.
The battered "Robert Bruce" and its crew ride out the rest of the hurricane in its eye and then return in triumph to the monastery. As the story ends, London is struggling to recover and rebuild itself and Cat comes to Declan with a question.
Characters.
Declan Ross - Former pirate and captain of the "Robert Bruce". He is a brave, kind man who, even during his life of piracy, discouraged violence and promoted mercy. Ross's wife Abigail died under mysterious circumstances when their daughter, Anne, was very young.
Anne Ross - Declan's daughter. Red-headed, feisty and proud, she adores the perilous sailing life.
Cat - The disowned son of Bartholomew Thorne. In this book he is struggling intensely with worry, sparked by physical and sometimes mental resemblances to his father, that he is becoming like the terrible pirate. In spite of frequenting outbursts of anger, Cat is generally a friendly person who has become especially fond of Anne. Though he lost most of his life's memories because of an injury, he is proving himself an adept seaman and a valiant fighter.
Bartholomew Thorne - The villain of this story. His cruelty on land and at sea had earned him the reputation of one of the most notorious pirates of the Caribbean. Because of a fire set by the English, Thorne's hands and voice were scarred and his favorite wife Heather was killed. Chiefly because of the death of his wife, Thorne harbors a deadly, vengeful hatred against the British.
The Merchant - Hereditary title handed down a long line of evil men who, since the time of Emperor Nero, have been dealing in weapons, poisons, and other instruments of war. The current Merchant, an extremely evil and deadly fighter, lives in an underwater network of tunnels creating a dangerous lair. He hopes to train Cat, in whom he sees much potential for malice, to be his apprentice.
Commodore Blake - A brave Commodore in British Navy, who, though formerly Ross's enemy, has befriended Declan. He loses his position, though, after some unexpected treachery from his former quartermaster.
Dolphin Blake - Friendly, spirited wife of Commodore Blake. The orphaned woman is seeking to learn more about her uncertain past.
Hopper - Orphaned boy recently taken in by the Blakes. Eager to please his new family and friends, he does all he can to be helpful to them.
Nigel - Blake's former quartermaster, who is secretly working for Thorne.
Hrothgar - Leader of the ancient Viking-like tribe of the Raukar. He rallies his massive, primitive army under Thorne when the pirate calls for his help for an attack on England.
Edward Teach - Thorne's new quartermaster.
Stede - Declan Ross's quartermaster, an intensely loyal man with a pronounced accent and a fierce "thunder gun".
Scully - A ratlike little man who works for Thorne, chiefly as a messenger and spy.
Edmund Bellamy - Though not as feared as Thorne, Bellamy nonetheless is known as an evil and dangerous pirate.
Red Eye - A "powder monkey" on the "Robert Bruce". He is so named because of a reddish-tinged, blinded eye, the result of a past incident involving some gunpowder. Though equipped with a fierce passion for all things sharp and dangerous, he a good friend and very faithful to Ross.
Jacques St. Pierre - Master of all things explosive. With a passion for "things that go BOOM!", this elegant yet naturally dangerous Frenchman is another member of Declan's crew.
Jules - Ross's largest and physically strongest crew member. Like nearly all of the men on the "Robert Bruce", he is very devoted to his captain and shipmates.
Nubby - The fierce, one-armed cook of the "Robert Bruce".
King George - The German-speaking king of England who speaks very little English. Later known as King George I one of the greediest kings in Britain.
Cover.
The majority of the cover is a picture of a Viking-like ship sailing in the foreground and towards the back, dozens of docked, burning ships. Beyond them a line of flame-assaulted buildings can be seen. This is a portrayal of one of the final scenes in the story, in which the villain Thorne has set the docks of England ablaze.
While most versions of the book have a picture of a skull with two hammers crossed behind it (as well as a raven and an hourglass above each hammer) many online pictures show instead two crossed swords, creating the symbol seen on the cover of "Isle of Swords". The crossed hammers symbolize Thorne's new alliance with the Viking tribe of the Raukar, while the skull indicates the common theme of piracy in the book. The raven represents the name of Thorne's previous ship and the hourglass most likely indicates the frequent instances, in the narrative, of time running out.
Isle of Swords.
"Isle of Swords", the first novel in the series, was published on September 11, 2007, by Thomas Nelson.
Sources.
Information taken from:


Top of the Hour

Top of the Hour is the sixteenth episode of the second season of "Scandal". It premiered on March 21, 2013 in the U.S.
Plot.
Before Olivia can go on her second date with Jake she is interrupted by a phone call from work. Before she goes she gives Jake the information found in Wendy's files pertaining to the Kashfar hostages.
She then goes to her new client Sarah Stanner (Lisa Edelstein). Stanner's home is surrounded by news outlets due to the discovery of an affair between Stanner and her former law professor who is now President Grant's nominee for Supreme Court Justice. At the top of the hour when the news outlets begin reporting Olivia and her team sneak into Stanner's home where she admits that the accusations are all true.
Huck and Quinn follow Osbourne to see if he's truly the mole. Convinced that the drops happen in plain sight they track him to a dry cleaners. Quinn picks up Osbourne's suits and finds an envelope filled with cash in the front pocket and then returns it so that he doesn't realize that anyone is following him.
Outside of the oval office where Jake and Fitz are meeting Cyrus and Mellie fight for access to the president with Cyrus ultimately winning and Mellie continuing to be shut out.
Olivia urges Stanner to come clean about her affair and release a statement to the media. With her husband's support she does so. Cyrus and the White House hit back claiming that Stanner was a deranged stalker and leaking lewd photos of her jeopardizing her career while ensuring that Fitz's nominee will go through.
Desperate to get back in Fitz's good graces Mellie delves into his schedule and discovers a series of late night private meetings. She believes that the meetings signify a renewed relationship with Olivia.
Jake goes to see Olivia at the Stanner house in order to ascertain more information on the files she leaked to him. She assures him that they are real but in the middle of their conversation they have their picture taken by a paparazzo.
Olivia and Harrison attempt to protect Stanner's career and find evidence that the affair was mutual. Unfortunately further evidence reveals that the affair went on much longer than was initially revealed causing Sarah's husband to withdraw his support and even question the paternity of their children. The further allegations also torpedo Fitz's nominee causing him to call Olivia and the two argue some more. Olivia then goes to Sarah and the two drink together while Sarah reveals that she does not know who the father of her child is.
Jake goes to see Fitz and gives him the information that Olivia gave him of the Kashfari hostages. Fitz is able to deploy a team to rescue them creating a wave of public support with the American people and re-establishing his pick for Supreme Court Justice as a viable one. Mellie, who saw Jake leave Fitz's office after the meetings, digs up information on him and gives it to Cyrus.
Meanwhile, Jake assaults the photographer who took the pictures of him with Olivia and steals the memory card with the pictures from his camera.
Harrison and Abby are unable to find any loopholes in the morality clause in order to protect Sarah's career. However Abby decides to bluff with corporation, crashing the meeting where they plan to fire Sarah and informing the members of the board that she has dirt on every single one of them. When she threatens to read it they fall for the ruse ensuring Sarah's job is safe.
Olivia has a paternity test done on Stanner's daughter Annie played by Mandalynn Carlson though Stanner's husband ultimately decides not to see the results.
Jake goes to Olivia's apartment to inform her that the Kashfar hostages are free. Olivia is shocked by the bruise on his face and lets him in after he tells her he was mugged.
Osbourne receives a call from the man who does his dry cleaning who sends him pictures of Quinn picking up his suits.
Production.
News of Lisa Edelstein's casting was released in February 2013.
Reception.
Critical reception.
After a multi-episode hiatus The A.V. Club began reviewing Scandal after having stopped early in season two. Writer Ryan McGee admitted that he had been wrong in his "hesitation about the arc that would ultimately lift Scandal from "promising" to legitimately great television." He gave the episode a B letter grade.


The Barn Burner

The Barn Burner is a novel written by Patricia Willis. Its publishing date is for the hardcover edition April 17, 2000. The Paperback edition was published on May 1, 2002.
Synopsis.
In 1933 while running from a bad situation at home and suspected of having set fire to a barn, 14-year-old Ross finds haven with a destitute but loving family which helps him make an important decision.
After a family disagreement, Ross Cooper leaves home with only a knapsack and the clothes on his back. He hopes to find work, but job prospects in the 1930s are dim, especially for someone as young and inexperienced as Ross. His troubles worsen after he is spotted fleeing a burning barn in an Ohio town where a number of barns have gone up in flames. Though a kind but destitute family takes Ross in, he yearns to hit the road again, especially when another barn is set afire and he falls under suspicion. But stronger than his wish to leave is his hope to discover the true identity of the barn burner and clear his name. This moving and fast-paced story captures the spirit of determination and hope boys like Ross needed to survive during the Great Depression.


Georg Decker

Georg Decker (7 December 1818 – 13 February 1894) was an Austro-Hungarian portrait artist.
Decker was born in Hungary to a German-speaking family, and grew up and made his career in Vienna, where he taught painting as well as working as a portrait and historical artist. Thanks to his teaching, he was sometimes referred to as "Herr Professor Georg Decker".
Appointed as a knight of the Order of Franz Joseph, Decker has been called "a renowned portraitist of Vienna's highest society".
Life.
Decker was one of the sons of the artist Johann Stephan Decker and the brother of the artists Albert (1817–1871) and Gabriel Decker (1821–1855). He was born in Pest, in the Kingdom of Hungary, but in 1821 the Decker family moved to the imperial city of Vienna, where he grew up and was taught to draw and paint in watercolour and miniature by his father. As early as 1835, a drawing by Georg Decker of the composer Wenzel Müller was lithographed by F. Wolf. He began to exhibit watercolours in 1837 and in the early 1840s was accepted as a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he learnt to paint in oils. After that, Decker painted portraits in oils, and then from the 1850s also in pastels, having studied the work of Mengs and Liotard in Dresden and been captivated by the medium. Great success in this field soon followed. By 1860, Decker was conducting a private art school and in 1861 became a member of the Vienna "Künstlerhaus".
Outside the world of art, Decker was an active member of the Vienna Chess Company ("Wiener Schachgesellschaft") while Albert Salomon Anselm von Rothschild was its driving force.
In 1851 Decker married Ottilie von Sobek, who died in 1860. In 1861 he married secondly Josefine Helene von Lucam (1829–1914).
On his son's name day on 17 April 1869, the Emperor Franz Joseph presented the ten-year old Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, with a portrait of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, victor of Aspern, by Decker. In 1872, the Emperor rewarded Decker's achievements in art by giving him the Knight's Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph.
When Decker died in 1894, the city of Vienna acquired a large number of sketches and portrait lithographs from his estate. He was buried in the Vienna Central Cemetery, and in 1909 a street in the Meidling district of Vienna was named "Deckergasse" in his honour, the mayor's year-book describing him as "the outstanding Viennese painter ("hervorragenden Wiener Maler") Georg Decker" and noting that "Deckergasse" was near "Canalettogasse". The "Deckergasse" crosses the Wilhelmsdorfer Park, which is also known as the Decker Park.


Inkan aarre

Inkan aarre (Finnish for "The treasure of the Inca") is a 2005 Finnish board game, designed by Kari Mannerla as a direct sequel to his 1951 board game "Afrikan tähti".
Game play.
"Inkan aarre" is mostly similar to "Afrikan tähti". Players take turns to move around a board of interconnected cities, picking up tokens in search for the famous treasure of the Inca, a golden sun god statue.
The board represents the continent of South America, and the currency used is the Mexican peso. All players start from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once the treasure of the Inca has been found, the first player to take either the treasure or a sun icon to Machu Picchu, Peru, wins the game.


Agustin Gasull

Agustin Gasull was a historical painter of Valencia.
Gasull studied at Rome under Carlo Maratti. His "St. Andrew," "St. Stephen," "La Vierge de I'Espérance," and "St. Joseph," which he painted for the church of San Juan del Mercado at Valencia, are admired. There are many pictures by him in other churches of the same city. He died at Valencia at the commencement of the 18th century.
References.
Attribution:


Keio Flying Squadron 2

 is a 1996 Japanese video game for the Sega Saturn. Developed by Victor Entertainment, it is a direct sequel to "Keio Flying Squadron". While the first game is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up, the second game is a platformer with shooter sections.
Like the first game, the second game refers to Japanese culture, both ancient and modern simultaneously.
Plot.
The second installment of the series continues the story of Rami Nana-Hikari's adventures as the keeper of the Secret Treasure. A year has passed since the apocalyptic disaster which left a great crater in the center of Edo City. The destruction wrought major economic consequences and while much investment was poured into the public works for the new Edo Castle, the citizens were all feeling the pinch of the recession.
Dr. Pon Eho was no exception. Although a freak of nature with an astronomical IQ of 1400, hard reality forced the genius raccoon to become a laborer in the construction of the New Castle. One day, while he was shoveling away some gravel near the center of the crater, he unearthed the Secret Treasure Scroll and one of the Six Magical Orbs! With the knowledge that the six Orbs together would bring him enormous wealth, he quickly left his job in search of the remaining five Orbs listed on the Scroll's map.
Meanwhile, Himiko Yamatai, "the Pompous Queen of the Ancients", makes a dramatic appearance at the Nana-Hikari family's dinner table and grabs the family's Magical Orb. But before she can get away, Dr. Pon ambushes her and steals it. Of course, Rami makes chase and joins the race for the great treasure, starting her on her new adventure.
This game features animated cutscenes provided by Studio Pierrot, who also provided the animation for the cutscenes in the first game.
Gameplay.
The game mainly consists of sidescrolling platformer stages. Two of the stages retain the shoot-'em-up style of the first game, but the lesser dragons can be obtained as bonuses only. Besides the platformer and shoot-'em-up stages, there are vertically scrolling special stages, an underwater stage and a rollercoaster stage, classifying the game as a multi-genre platformer.
Several bonuses can be collected including three weapons:
Rami can also bounce on the heads of enemies to defeat them. Being damaged without holding an item results in the loss of a life. Background objects can be pick up and thrown at enemies to defeat them. Some background objects can also have a utility use. There are three difficulty levels which alter how many enemies there are to defeat and how quickly weapons disappear after being damaged.
Points Orbs can be collected throughout the game. Defeating some enemies also rewards points but there are enemies such as miners that are considered passive and will instead deduct points when defeated. A reward system accessed from the main menu unlocks helpful hints and behind-the-scenes extras depending on the highest and lowest scores achieved through playing.
Characters.
Japanese names are given in the western order, given name first.
Release.
 was released in May 1996 for the Sega Saturn in Japan, in August 1996 in Europe, and Australia.
 was a "not for resale" Sega Saturn disc only available in Japan in 1996. The disc contains higher quality versions of both the opening and ending FMV sequences of the first game, demo levels from the second game, and an art gallery available both in-game and separately, being accessible on the CD via a personal computer.
 is a party game released only in Japan on the PlayStation on September 17, 1998. The title roughly translates to "Rami-chan's Big Edo Sugoroku - a Keiō Yūgekitai Sidestory." Edo is the old name of Tokyo.
Reception.
Sam Hickman wrote in "Sega Saturn Magazine" that the game has very generic and overly easy gameplay, but is still somewhat fun to play, largely due to the intriguingly strange graphics. However, she concluded that most people would not find it worth the retail price, and scored it a 78%.


Edge of the Empire (film)

Edge of the Empire is a 2010 Thai historical film directed by Nirattisai Kaljareuk. Set in southern Mongolia over 1,000 years ago, the story relates the history of the small tribe called Tai, a colony ruled by the Great Han at that time. This film shows how the Tai people, oppressed by their Han overlords, unite to fight for their freedom.
Plot.
A young warrior tries to stand up to a violent and oppressive empire in 12th-century Thailand. This is a violent 8th century uprising of a Thai tribe against the impending might of the Imperial Chinese army in a battle for supremacy between the war ravaged nations.
Reception.
The film holds a score of 5.3 out of 10 on IMDb.


History of the American Frontier

History of the American Frontier is a book by Frederic L. Paxson originally published in 1924 by Houghton Mifflin which won the 1925 Pulitzer Prize for History.


The Oregon Trail (2009 video game)

The Oregon Trail is a strategy video game developed by Gameloft New York and Gameloft Shanghai and published by Gameloft. It was released for Java ME-based mobile phones in 2009; a high-definition version was later released for iOS the same year. The game was then ported to DSiware, followed by a number of other mobile operating systems and devices. The game was followed by two sequels: "The Oregon Trail: Gold Rush" and "".
Changes from the original version.
The game expands on the 1985 game of the same name by adding more paths the player can take and minigames that can be played beyond the original version's hunting game.
Reception.
"NintendoLife" wrote "As it turns out, "The Oregon Trail" is fun enough to stand on its own outside of class even after all these years. And with improved load times and added camera functionality, the DSiWare version is the one to beat." The site gave it an 8 out of 10.
IGN gave it an 8.5 "Great" score, writing ""The Oregon" Trail may be too easy for its own good at first, but this is still a great play for any gamer. Older gamers that remember the original will get a kick out of the refresh while newcomers will enjoy a game that is always offering something new to do or look at. And everybody will love the game's awesome hand-drawn visuals that truly pop off the screen. This game is gorgeous".


Viva Villa!

Viva Villa! is a 1934 American pre-Code film directed by Jack Conway and starring Wallace Beery as Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht, adapted from the 1933 book "Viva Villa!" by Edgecumb Pinchon and O. B. Stade. The film was shot on location in Mexico and produced by David O. Selznick. There was uncredited assistance with the script by Howard Hawks, James Kevin McGuinness, and Howard Emmett Rogers. Hawks and William A. Wellman were also uncredited directors on the film.
The film is a fictionalized biography of Pancho Villa starring Beery in the titular role and featuring Fay Wray, who had played the leading lady in "King Kong" the previous year. The supporting cast includes Leo Carillo, Donald Cook, Stuart Erwin, Henry B. Walthall, Joseph Schildkraut and Katherine DeMille.
Plot.
After seeing his poor father lose his land and be whipped to death for protesting, young Pancho Villa stabs one of the killers, then heads off into the hills of Chihuahua, Mexico during the 1880s. As a grown man, Villa and a band of rebel bandits, including his trusted ally Sierra, kill wealthy landowners and become heroes to their fellow "peons."
A wealthy aristocrat, Don Felipe, arranges an introduction for Villa to the distinguished and eloquent Francisco Madero, who resents what has become of Mexico under the rule of president Porfirio Díaz and persuades Villa to help him fight for liberty, not just for personal gain. The coarse and illiterate Villa is humbled in the presence of Madero and agrees to fight for his cause. He also is attracted to Don Felipe's beautiful sister Teresa, although there are many women in Villa's life, including one he is married to, Rosita.
Villa's exploits are made even more colorful by an American newspaper reporter, Johnny Sykes, to whom Villa has taken a great liking. While drunk, Sykes is misinformed and reports that Villa has already overtaken the village of Santa Rosalia in a great victory for his men. Disobeying the orders of Madero and the arrogant General Pascal, simply to help his newspaper friend, Villa stages a raid on Santa Rosalia, as well as on Juarez.
Madero ultimately assumes office in Mexico City, then commands Villa to disband his personal army. Villa agrees, but when Sierra kills a bank teller just so Villa can withdraw his money, Villa himself ends up sentenced to death. A gloating General Pascal mocks the way Villa pleads for his life, then reads a telegram from Madero, ordering that Villa instead be exiled from the country.
Alone and drunk in El Paso, Texas, feeling forsaken by his homeland, Villa is visited by Sykes, who informs him that Madero has been assassinated by the power-mad Pascal and his men. Villa returns to Mexico and rebuilds his own army, recruiting tens of thousands to ride by his side. Together they storm the capital, where Pascal is subjected to a particularly gruesome death. Villa takes what he wants, but when Teresa resists and he physically assaults her, she draws a gun that her brother Don Felipe has given her for protection. Sierra intervenes and murders her.
Villa appoints himself president but is ineffectual, unable to restore Madero's dream of land reform for Mexico's poor. He ultimately agrees to step aside and go back to where he belongs, including to his wife. Before he can, with Sykes by his side, Villa is gunned down by Don Felipe out of revenge for his sister. Sykes vows to keep Villa's memory alive, telling his dying friend that he is no longer news, but history.
Reception.
The film was very popular at the box office.
Box office.
The film grossed a total (domestic and foreign) of $1,875,000: $941,000 from the US and Canada and $934,000 elsewhere. It made a profit of $87,000.
Awards.
The picture was nominated for the following Academy Awards:
In popular culture.
"Viva Villa!" partially inspired the creation of Elia Kazan's 1952 film "Viva Zapata!", written by John Steinbeck and starring Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn.
External links.


The Flashman Papers

The Flashman Papers is a series of novels and short stories written by George MacDonald Fraser, the first of which was published in 1969. The books centre on the exploits of the fictional protagonist Harry Flashman. He is a cowardly British soldier, rake and cad who is placed in a series of real historical incidents between 1839 and 1894. While the incidents and much of the detail in the novels have a factual background, Flashman's actions in the stories are either fictional, or Fraser uses the actions of unidentified individuals and assigns them to Flashman. Flashman is a character in the 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes, "Tom Brown's School Days"; Hughes' version of the character is a bully at Rugby School who is expelled for drunkenness. The character was then developed by Fraser, and appeared in the 1969 novel "Flashman". Fraser went on to write a total of eleven novels and one collection of short stories featuring the character.
During the course of Fraser's novels, Flashman goes from his expulsion from school into the army. Although he is a coward who tries to run away from any danger, he is involved in many famous military episodes from the 19th century, often taking actions that cause or affect subsequent events, such as his flatulence affecting the Charge of the Light Brigade, or being the person who probably shot George Armstrong Custer. When circumstances run against him and he is forced to fight, he often does so bravely and capably. Despite his cowardice and his attempts to flee, he becomes a decorated war hero and rises to the rank of brigadier-general. He also meets people who either were notable at the time—such as Benjamin Disraeli and the Duke of Wellington—or who became well-known after Flashman met them—such as Abraham Lincoln. Flashman either has, or tries to have, sex with most of the female characters: by the end of the ninth book he estimates that he has had sex with 480 women.
The publication sequence of the books differs from the fictional chronology, with the timeframe of some books overlapping. One of the novels, "Flashman and the Redskins", is in two parts: part one takes place in 1849–50, while the second covers 1875–76. Although the main series of stories finishes in 1894, Flashman lives on until 1915 and appears in his late 80s in another Fraser novel, "Mr American".
Context.
The series consists of twelve historical fiction books written by the journalist, author and screenwriter George MacDonald Fraser, that were published between 1969 and 2005. The series consists of eleven novels and one collection of short stories, spanning from 1839 to 1894; they are the memoirs of the fictional character General Sir Harry Paget Flashman, VC, KCB, KCIE. Although Flashman is fictional, the settings and history of the events, and the people with whom he interacts are all largely based around historical events and individuals, although three contain elements of other novels. Flashman first appeared in the 1857 semi-autobiographical novel "Tom Brown's School Days" by Thomas Hughes as a bully at Rugby School, who persecutes Tom Brown, and who is expelled for drunkenness: Fraser's series of novels starts with Flashman's expulsion from school. Based on a literary conceit, an explanatory note—itself also fictional—at the start of "Flashman" sets the context and explains that the memoirs had been found in an auction house in Ashby, Leicestershire, and had subsequently come into the possession of Fraser, who has acted in the role of editor. Fraser also included pages of notes and appendices at the end of each volume, providing the factual background for Flashman's endeavours.
Fraser was working as a journalist on "The Glasgow Herald" when he wrote the first novel, "Flashman"; writing in the evenings, after work, he took 90 hours in total to write the story. After the book was published, he left journalism and took up writing novels. When a break from writing was forced upon him by a broken arm, he abandoned the book until his wife read the manuscript and urged him to finish. He did not find a publisher for the novel for two years, until Barrie & Jenkins published it in 1969. When the novel was published in the US the same year, of the 34 reviews read by Alden Whitman of "The New York Times", ten of them considered the book to be a genuine autobiography. Fraser researched each novel at Trinity College, Dublin. From their first publication, the books were a commercial success, and new editions appeared on the best-sellers' lists.
Flashman.
Flashman is from a semi-aristocratic background; he recounted that his great-grandfather "made a fortune in America out of slaves and rum, and piracy, too, I shouldn't wonder". His father was "a dissolute former MP, living beyond the bounds of respectable society, and ... his mother [was] born of the self-promoting Paget family". Despite joining the army after expulsion from school, Flashman is a self-confessed coward with a false reputation for bravery, earned at the expense of others, and despite him trying to avoid danger at all costs. He is also "a scoundrel, a drunk, a liar, a cheat [and] a braggart", who was described by Fraser as "an unrepentant old cad" whose only positive features are "humour and shameless honesty as a memorialist".
Flashman is tall, weighs (12½ stone in the first book, fourteen stone in the last), has broad shoulders and is attractive to women. He was forced into marriage in the first book, after he "caddishly deflowered" Elspeth Morrison, the daughter of a wealthy Scottish textile manufacturer with whom he had been billeted. Despite being married—and the fact he deeply loves his wife—Flashman is "a compulsive womaniser" who has bedded 480 women by the tenth book in the series, which was set in 1859. Elspeth is also probably unfaithful to him on several occasions. Flashman notes that he has three "prime talents, for horses, languages, and fornication"; he was also described by the master-at-arms of the 11th Hussars as a strong swordsman and was skilled with a lance, particularly at tent pegging. When it is necessary for him to control his fear, he will perform bravely, although is more adept at saving his own skin at the expense of others.
In the course of the series, Flashman is promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and decorated numerous times by different countries. While the books cover some of the awards—such as being given the Victoria Cross for his actions during the sieges of Cawnpore and Lucknow—some stories are not known, such as how and why he served on both sides of the American Civil War and how he won the Medal of Honor.
During his travels Flashman meets people who took part in 19th-century events, including Queen Victoria, Abraham Lincoln, Otto von Bismarck, Oscar Wilde and Florence Nightingale, and he is involved as a participant in some of the century's most notable events, including the Indian Rebellion, the Taiping Rebellion, the charge of the Light Brigade, the Siege of Khartoum, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Flashman died in 1915, although the details are unknown.
Other references.
Flashman also appears in another book by Fraser, "Mr American", age 88, while his father was one of the financial backers of the bare-knuckle boxer Tom Molineaux in "Black Ajax".
Notes and references.
Notes
References


The Love of Jeanne Ney

The Love of Jeanne Ney (, released as Lusts of the Flesh in the United Kingdom) is a 1927 silent German drama film directed by G. W. Pabst from a Soviet novel by Ilya Ehrenburg.
Plot.
Jeanne (Édith Jéhanne) is the daughter of André Ney (Eugen Jensen), a French diplomat and political observer. The family is based in Russia during the post-revolutionary civil war. Her father is set up by the scheming Khalibiev (Fritz Rasp), who sells him a list of Bolshevik agents that includes Jeanne's lover, Andreas Labov (Uno Henning). The information is leaked by Alfred's Chinese servant, though Khalibiev isn't implicated. Andreas and another communist go to Jeanne's father and demand the list. He tries to shoot them and Andreas' colleague shoots him dead. Andreas has blood on his head from a near miss. The revolutionary army about to storm the city. Andreas warns Jeanne that it is she who must run, as the Red Army will soon occupy the town. She escapes with the help of an influential and senior communist, who's become smitten with her.
Jeanne flees to Paris, followed by Khalibiev and Andreas. She takes a job as a secretary under her uncle Raymond (Adolph Edgar Licho), a private detective. Khalibiev sets about seducing Raymond's blind daughter, Gabrielle (Brigitte Helm), in order to marry her, murder her and run away with a flapper he meets at a bar. The latter girl balks and warns Gabrielle and Raymond, who has meanwhile been searching for a stolen diamond with a $50,000 reward. The diamond turns out to have been swallowed by a shiny-object-loving parrot.
Raymond tries to force himself on Jeanne. That night Khalibiev sneaks in, strangles him, and steals the diamond. He frames Andreas by letting the blind Gabrielle grab his coat while he flees the scenes of the crime (he stole the coat from Andreas) and dropping a wallet with Andreas's photo. Andreas is caught delivering money for the communist party in France, which makes him look all the more suspicious.
Jeanne thinks to use Khalibiev as an alibi, as he saw her leaving the building with Andreas, without realizing he is the murderer. They travel by train with the apparent intention of clearing Andreas, but Khalibiev makes sexual advances to her. When she screams he attempts to silence her with his handkerchief, forgetting he has wrapped the stolen diamond in it. She realizes he is the murderer. He is arrested, and Andreas is freed.
Reception.
J. Hoberman lists "The Love of Jeanne Ney" among "the culminating works of silent cinema" as "an ambitious attempt to synthesize Soviet montage, Hollywood action-melodrama, and German mise-en-scène."


Self-Portrait (Rubens, Antwerp)

Self-Portrait is a 1623-1630 self-portrait by Peter Paul Rubens. Since 1972 it has hung in the Rubenshuis in Antwerp.


Jan Willems (painter)

Jan Willems ("fl" 15201547/1548) was a Flemish painter of religious works as well as a polychromer and a designer of large figures used in processions. He was the city painter of Leuven where he spent his entire known career.
Life.
Not much is known about the life of Jan Willems. He was the son of the painter Jan Willems the Elder. His father was likely his teacher. His brother Peter was also a painter. In 15th-16th century Leuven there were a few of these artists' families such as the families Bouts, Willems and Rombouts. The craft was often passed on from father to son: sons learned the trade in the workshop of the father, stayed on as a servant or master-servant and took over the workshop after the death of their father.
Artist families often intermarried in that era. Jan Willems himself married Marie Rombouts, the daughter of the city painter Jan Rombouts the Elder, who himself was related to the famous glass painter Nicolaas Rombouts. Willems was certainly already active in 1520, as the earliest document stating his name was dated to that year. The document relates to a payment made to the artist for the polychroming of a stone statue. With his brother-in-law Jan Rombouts the Younger, Jan Willems collaborated on at least one, now lost, ensemble, the Saint Severinus altarpiece, which had been commissioned by the Weavers' Guild for the St. Peter's Church in Leuven. Willems was appointed the city painter of Leuven, a post he held from 1527 to 1548. In that capacity he received a number of commissions from the city, especially in relation to the decorations for the annual Ommegang, as well as for other decorative projects of a temporary nature.
He also received a number of commissions from the local chambers of rhetoric. The artist was paid by the city for his assistance in the organisation of a passion play by the chamber of rhetoric of De Rozelieren. The nature of his assistance is not specified but likely involved the provision of decorations for the play. The chamber of rhetoric De Kersouwe paid him in 1547 for the polychroming of the statue of Saint Margaret.
With the help of assistants, Willems created the figure of the giant Megera for its first appearance in the Ommegang of Leuven of 1532. He received the commission to restore the painting of the "Last Judgment" by Dieric Bouts in the Leuven town hall. Other works by his hand have not been preserved. In addition to his work as a city painter, Willems carried out various assignments for the clergy. For the Saint Quentin's Church in Leuven, Jan Willems painted the predella and the side panels of a sculpted retable of Saint Quentin, that had been commissioned in 1538 from the Leuven sculptor Joris Asselijns. Willems was also tasked with the polychroming of the sculpture.
He was paid in 1534 for a number of painted panels for the Park Abbey in Heverlee. Willems painted the blazons for the funeral of Ambrosius van Engelen, abbot of the Park Abbey, who died in 1543.
Jan Willems died between 3 December 1547 and 14 August 1548.
Work.
The only known extant work by Jan Willems is the dated 1524-25. This large panel painting of 94 cm high by 180 cm wide is now kept in the Saint Quentin's Church in Leuven. The painting was donated to the church around 1557 as a legacy by Adriaan van Blehem, one of the most important benefactors of Saint Quentin's Church. The work reflects the growing influence of Renaissance ideas on painters in Leuven. His style is in line with that of Antwerp mannerists such as the Master of 1518 and Pieter Coecke van Aelst.


Hammer of the Scots (board game)

Hammer of the Scots is a board game designed in 2002 by Jerry Taylor and Tom Dalgliesh and published by Columbia Games. It chronicles the Wars of Scottish Independence through roughly the time period portrayed in the film "Braveheart".
Description.
"Hammer of the Scots" is a block wargame. The units are represented by wooden blocks with identifying markings on only one side. These blocks are stood up so that only the controlling player can see the identifiers, with the opposing player only seeing a blank back. This helps simulate the "fog of war".
Publication history.
"Hammer of the Scots" was designed by Jerry Taylor and Tom Dalgliesh and published by Columbia Games in 2002.
Reception.
"Hammer of the Scots" won the 2003 International Gamers Award. It was a nominee for the 2002 Charles S. Roberts Awards for Best Pre-World War II Boardgame. Gav Thorpe comments: ""Hammer" has simple rules and therefore its strength lies in the complex strategies and tactics that arise from these basic foundations."


Henry Tresham

Henry Tresham (c.1751 – 17 June 1814) was an Irish-born British historical painter active in London in the late 18th century. He spent some time in Rome early in his career, and was professor of painting at the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 1807 to 1809.
Biography.
Henry Tresham was born in about 1751. He received his first art instruction from W. Ennis, a pupil of Robert West at the Dublin Art School.
He moved to England in 1775, but spent most of the next fourteen years in Rome. There he became a friend of the British painter, Thomas Jones and the artist and dealer, Gavin Hamilton. Like many other artists in Rome he also acted as a dealer, working with Gavin Hamilton and Thomas Jenkins, and negotiating sales of antiquities to Frederick Hervey and John Campbell. He also acted as an intermediary between Campbell and the sculptor, Antonio Canova: a pastel by Hugh Douglas Hamilton of "Antonio Canova in his studio with Henry Tresham and a plaster model for Cupid and Psyche", showing a work commissioned by Campbell, is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Tresham returned to Britain in 1788. His reputation was gained primarily through large-scale history paintings, somewhat similar in style to those of Henry Fuseli. These were based on his travels to Rome.
In 1791 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy, and became a full Academician in 1799. Soon afterwards he was at the centre of a dispute over the running of the institution, having complained to the king that the law in the "Instrument of Institution" – its founding constitution – under which all its members were supposed to serve on its council in turn, was being ignored, and the vacancies balloted for instead. His appeal to the monarch was ultimately successful, and the practice of the rotation of the council members reinstated.
He was professor of painting at the Academy from 1807 to 1809. He was involved in several of the major history painting ventures of late 18th-century London, including Robert Bowyer's History Gallery, the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery and Thomas Macklin's "Holy Bible".
He died in 1814.


Johan Bernard Scheffer

Johann or Johan Bernard Scheffer (also Jean Baptist Scheffer), (1764 in Homberg, Hesse-Kassel – 30 June 1809 in Amsterdam) was a German-born painter and etcher active in the Netherlands and the father of the painter Ary Scheffer.
He was the son of Johann Werner Scheffer (1730-1799) and Catharine Maria Pfluger (1731-1799) and a pupil of Johann Friedrich August Tischbein. By 1788 he lived and worked in Utrecht and from 1790 in Dordrecht where in October 1794 he married the miniature painter Cornelia Lamme (1769-1839), daughter of the landscape painter Arie Lamme. They had three sons who survived to adulthood: the portrait painter Ary Scheffer (1795-1858), the journalist and writer Karel Arnold Scheffer (1796-1853) and the painter Hendrik Scheffer (1798-1862). The family moved in 1798 from Dordrecht to The Hague, in 1801 to Rotterdam and in 1803 to Amsterdam. Scheffer produced several large historical works, and some portraits, including one of King Louis Bonaparte of Holland. In 1808 he became court painter of Louis Bonaparte in Amsterdam, but he died only a year later at the age of 44 or 45. He was buried 5 July 1809 in the Zuiderkerk.
References.
Attribution:


The Lady of Monza

The Lady of Monza (, also known as "The Awful Story of the Nun of Monza" and "The Nun of Monza") is a 1969 Italian historical drama film directed by Eriprando Visconti. It is loosely based on the real life events of Marianna de Leyva, better known as "The Nun of Monza", whose story was made famous by Alessandro Manzoni's novel "The Betrothed".


La Dolce Viva

La Dolce Viva is a nonfiction novel written by Barbara L. Goldsmith, first published in 1968 in "New York Magazine", about a destroyed one-named actress, Viva, who is drugged out and couldn't pay her phone bill.
Barbara Goldsmith is an American author, journalist, and philanthropist. Her "La Dolce Viva" made known the sadder side of Andy Warhol’s entourage through Viva, a high on drugs “superstar.”
Summary.
"La Dolce Viva" is an interview story with "superstar" Viva, who is one of the many actresses in Andy Warhol's movies. Viva was headlined as 'The Last of Andy Warhol's "superstars", as Warhol would film them and declare them "superstars". Along with being an actress, Viva is a model who influences the fashion trends of the time.
Viva's modeling and acting career was launched with the help of Warhol and his many friends. Being in Warhol's inner circle made Viva a good choice for this interview. Viva grew up in a very Catholic home surrounded by figures of the Virgin Mary, Bibles, and pictures of First Communion. At home, religious values were imposed upon Viva from her family. Viva lived with the nuns until she was twenty years old. Once Viva turned twenty, she left the religious ways of her family and the Catholic Church and she started to explore what is now her derogatory lifestyle of sleeping around with multiple partners. The book details Viva's experience with sex, drug, and love in Warhol's factory. Along with sleeping with a different guy almost every night, Viva also was turned on to drugs by Timothy Leary. Viva started doing drugs out of curiosity but quickly became addicted and could not stop. The environment of Andy Warhol and his inner circle did not help her addiction to these drugs due to the fact that everyone else was using them as well. Once Viva became tired of drugs and sex, she decided to return home to her parents and asked to be put into a mental institution. Once viva say the institution, she became scared and begged her mother to take her home. When Viva returned home, she realized that she missed the lifestyle that she had with Warhol and decided to go back to New York with her sister. Viva started out back in New York with her sister but that quickly ended when she realized her dependency upon Warhol and she decided to leave her sister and move back into Warhol's inner circle. Her promiscuous ways and drug use led Viva to become very dependent upon men. Even though in the interview Viva tries to portray herself as an independent woman, she greatly depends on Andy Warhol to not only help pay her rent and electricity bill but to help her keep up with her lifestyle of drug use and fitting in with the crowd. Having to have Andy Warhol pay for everything Viva needed clearly shows just how dependent she was on someone else.
Tone.
In "La Dolce Viva" the tone is honest, shocking to some, and nonchalant. Her lifestyle, especially her promiscuity, was not accepted in this period in time. Throughout Goldsmith's representation of tone and mood, it is somewhat negative as they scrimmage through her apartment junk, talk about her rough life, and the need for sex and drugs.
Setting.
"La Dolce Viva" takes place mostly in Warhol's new loft studio which has been named 'The Factory', which was full of his helpers and hangers-on. Some parts of the interview took place in Viva's East 83rd Street brownstone floor-through apartment which is scattered with the mixture of clean and dirty clothes, underwear, dishes in the sink, food on the counter and stacks of old magazines and papers. Along with Andy Warhol's apartment and Viva's apartment, "La Dolce Viva" also takes place in Max's Kansas City, a restaurant where the models, actresses, and Warhol were treated like celebrities.
Characterization.
Viva's character is introduced to readers as an actress in Andy Warhol's movies and later, readers find out that she is a model who influences the fashion industry. Goldsmith uses questions that lead to showing Viva's promiscuous side and her dependency on a male figure. Viva is quoted saying "I slept with him for security reasons" during the interview and Goldsmith included this quote because it showed Viva's constant need for a man. Her disorganization and unreliability contributed to the end of her modeling aspirations. Describing Viva's messy apartment and how the dust filled your nose as you walked in and you could hardly see through the filthy windows, helps readers see how Viva lived a cluttered and messy lifestyle. The way that Viva presented herself during the interview with an outfit that did not match and hair that looked unwashed for days showed just how little she cared about her appearance.
Effects and Criticism.
"La Dolce Viva" revealed the seedier side of Andy Warhol's entourage through Viva. “I had never seen anything like it,” Tom Wolfe wrote of accompanying nude photos from Diane Arbus. According to contemporary "New York Times" review of the book, "La Dolce Viva" gave an insight to Warhol's relationship to other people. But the articles appearance in the "New York" hurt the magazine ("The Nude Photos that Nearly Destroyed New York"), and "New York"s editor, Clay Felker, was aware of the commercial risk he ran in publishing the piece. Some reviewers of "La Dolce Viva" were generally hesitant to read this piece, but then read the entire work.


The Crimes of Stephen Hawke

The Crimes of Stephen Hawke is a 1936 British historical melodrama film directed by George King and starring Tod Slaughter as the nefarious Stephen Hawke - who masquerades as the 'Spine-Breaker'. It also features Marjorie Taylor, D. J. Williams and Eric Portman. It was made at Shepperton Studios, with sets designed by Philip Bawcombe.
This is the third of Tod Slaughter's film outings, billed as a 'new-old melodrama'. In the introduction Slaughter appears in person, in a BBC studio, where he describes with relish his murderous activities in his two previous films: "Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn" (1935) and "" (1936).
In the film Slaughter plays a seemingly kindly money-lender who dotes on his daughter Julia. He has however a double life as the notorious 'Spine-Breaker', Victorian England's most maniacal serial killer. His nefarious activities are eventually detected by his daughter's suitor Matthew Trimble, the son of one of his victims, who after pursuing and failing to catch him somewhat charitably opines to his daughter:
In the end Slaughter comes out of hiding to kill another unwelcome suitor of his daughter, before falling to his death from the roof of his house in a dramatic final exit.


Kristian Zahrtmann

Exposition Universelle
Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Danish painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and Theodor Esbern Philipsen, who broke away from both the strictures of traditional Academicism and the heritage of the Golden Age of Danish Painting, in favor of naturalism and realism.
He was known especially for his history paintings, and especially those depicting strong, tragic, legendary women in Danish history. He also produced works of many other genres including landscapes, street scenes, folk scenes and portraits.
He had a far-reaching effect on the development of Danish art through his effective support of individual style among his students during the many years he taught. In addition, his bold use of color dazzled contemporaries and has been seen as an anticipation of Expressionism by art historians.
Youth and artistic training.
He was born in Rønne, Denmark, on the island of Bornholm to chief doctor for the island Carl Vilhelm Zahrtmann (1810-1896) and wife Laurine Pouline Jespersen (1822-1918). He was the eldest child among seven boys and two girls. After graduating from Rønne Realskole at seventeen years of age, he was sent to Sorø Academy, where he studied painting with landscape painter Johannes Georg Smith Harder (also known as Hans Harder). He was often a guest at the home of the Academy's Director, poet Bernhard Severin Ingemann and his wife, where he had the chance to socialize with teachers of the school and other guests, such as Hans Christian Andersen. He graduated in 1862, and received his cand. phil in 1863. During these years he lived with a family whose daughter was a painter, which inspired him also to try his luck as an artist.
After graduating he came to Copenhagen, where during the winter 1863-1864 he studied drawing at the Technical Institute under Christian Hetsch and architect Ferdinand Vilhelm Jensen. He also received private instruction from genre painter Wenzel Ulrich Tornøe during this same time. He then began his studies in October 1864 at the Royal Danish Academy of Art () where he studied under Johan Adolph Kittendorff, Wilhelm Marstrand, Jørgen Roed, Niels Simonsen, and Frederik Vermehren, a fellow graduate of Sorø Academy. Classmates included August Jerndorff, Peder Severin Krøyer, and Rasmus Frederik Hendriksen.
Artistic career begins.
He graduated from the Academy in 1868, and exhibited for the first time at Charlottenborg the following year with "En Konfirmandinde paa Bornholm" ("A Young Girl Being Confirmed on Bornholm"). He exhibited regularly at Charlottenborg 1869–1891, and sporadically afterwards.
He became friends with painter Otto Haslund and Pietro Købke Krohn, later Museum Director, with whom he shared a studio.
Leonora Christina and other historical subjects.
He had already become interested in the story of the heroic 17th century daughter of a Danish king, Leonora Christina Ulfeldt (also known as "Eleanor Christine"), before the 1869 posthumous publication of her 1674 autobiographical narrative "Jammers Minde" ("Remembrance of Misery"), which he had received as a birthday gift from Haslund and Krohn.
Countess Leonora Christina of Schleswig-Holstein, King Christian IV's daughter by his morganatic love marriage to a noble Danish maiden, had fallen from grace because of her husband Corfits Ulfeldt's high treason. She was then imprisoned for 22 years in the Blue Tower ("Blåtårn") in Copenhagen Castle, and spent her final years in the solitude of the Maribo Cloister.
Zahrtmann commemorated her story in a series of 18 large paintings over many years. The first of these paintings was made public in 1871, "Slotsfogden skjæmter med Kvinderne i den nylig fængslede Kongedatters Kammer paa Blaataarn" ("Castle Keeper Banters with Women in the Chamber of the King's Daughter in the Blue Tower"). The painting won him a Neuhausen Prize ("Neuhausenske Præmie"), was sold to Niels Laurits Høyen's influential Art Union ("Kunstforeningen"), and was followed by a series of other paintings on the same theme. These paintings established his reputation as one of the leading artists of his time.
Other pictures in the series include: "Leonora Christina forlader Fængselet" ("Leonora Christina Leaves Prison", 1873); "Leonora Christina i Fængselet" ("Leonora Christina in Prison", 1875) in the Hirschsprung Collection; "Corfits Ulfeldt og Leonora Christina" ("Corfitz Ulfeldt and Leonora Christina"); "Dronning Sophie Amalies Død" ("Queen Sophie Amalie’s Death", 1882); "Leonora Christina paa Maribo Kloster" ("Leonora Christina at Maribo Cloister", 1883), both in the collection of the Danish National Gallery; and three versions of "Leonora Christina undersøges af Sophie Amalies Tjenerinder" ("Leonora Christina Undressed and Searched by Sophie Amalie’s Maids", 1886, 1888, 1894) in the Hirschsprung Collection.
At the same time he explored other motifs, although Leonora Christina was an obsession that followed him throughout life. In 1872 he made a portrait of Georg Brandes, who summered near Zahrtmann at Christiansholm near Klampenborg north of Copenhagen.
In 1873 he won another Neuhausen Prize for "Sigbrit gennemgår toldregnskaberne med Christian II" ("Sigbrit Reviews Tax Accounts with Christian II"), and exhibited a preparatory painting for "Job og hans Venner" ("Job and His Friends"), which won him the Academy's gold medallion. The final painting of "Job and His Friends" is considered one of his masterpieces and won him the Academy's gold medallion in 1887.
In 1873 he also painted "Scene from the Court of Christian VII 1772" to retell the tragic story of Queen Caroline Matilda on the centennial of the fall of Johann Friedrich Struensee. The painting is in the Hirschsprung Collection. Characteristically for Zahrtmann, he made several other paintings over the years depicting the story of these figures.
Student travels.
He tried to extract a travel stipend from the Academy three times, which should have been due him as winner of the large gold medal, but the funds were not forthcoming until two years later. Zahrtmann spent the summer of 1873 at Hornbæk (Helsingør municipality) in the company of fellow painters Peder Severin Krøyer and Viggo Johansen.
He finally traveled to Italy in December 1875 with financing from his father, before he received a travel grant from the Academy. 1875-1878 he resided in Italy (Rome, Siena, Amalfi and Saracinesco), where he produced a number of paintings. He later returned to Italy many times, including in 1882–1884 on an Ancher Fund grant along with artists Joakim Skovgaard, Theodor Esbern Philipsen, and Viggo Pedersen. He was fascinated by everyday life there, by the strong Italian sun, the vivid colors, and the exotic splendor of Roman Catholic Church rites which he depicted in many paintings.
In June 1883 he traveled for the first time to Civita d'Antino, a mountain town he came to consider his second home. Between 1890 and 1911 he spent every summer in Civita d'Antino, living with the Cerroni family and gathering friends and students in an annual artist colony. He was named an honorary citizen of the town in 1902.
He also traveled to Greece several times, as well as to France and Portugal.
He exhibited at the World's Exhibition in Paris in 1878, 1889, and 1900, and in Chicago in 1893. He won a bronze medallion at the World Exhibition in Paris 1900.
Beyond painting.
Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler was established in the winter 1882-1883 as a protest against the Art Academy's policies and as an alternative to its educational program. It was led by Laurits Tuxen, and Peder Severin Krøyer was hired as one of its teachers. Zahrtmann taught at the school from 1885 to 1908. In 1893 he became the leader of its preparatory class, which under him turned into an independent department. He had some 200 students from the Scandinavian countries. Because of his prominence as a teacher, the school was often simply referred to as "Zahrtmann’s School". Some of his students included Funen artists Peter Hansen, Fritz Syberg, Poul S. Christiansen, Johannes Larsen, Johannes Wilhjelm, and Oluf Hartmann as well as modern painters Karl Isakson, Edvard Weie, Harald Giersing, and Olaf Rude.
He helped establish the "Free Exhibition" (Den frie Udstilling), an alternative exhibition space, which opened in 1891.
Later artistic career.
Zahrtmann made a number of portraits of his parents, including one of his father in 1887 and one of his mother, who played a significant role in his life, in 1899–1901. These, as well as a large format painting of both parents in their living room from 1895 to 1901, are in the collection of the Bornholm Art Museum.
In 1900 he overwintered in Portofino where he painted the color-drenched landscapes "Havnen i Portofino, 1900" ("Harbour in Portofino, 1900") and "Min frokostbord i Portofino, 1900" ("My Lunch Table in Portofino, 1900").
Late in life Zahrtmann produced a number of paintings of nude men, including "Prometheus" (1906), "Sokrates og Alkibiades" (1907, 1911), and "Adam i Paradis" (in two versions, 1913–14). In an era that was still shaken by the Great Scandinavian Sexual Morality Debate of the outgoing 19th century, these works were immediately scored as scandalous violations of public decency. The treatment of Adam is particularly provocative, with its vital, young, muscular Adam casually concealing his manhood with a sprig of fig leaves while leaning back in a lush, vividly colored botanic paradise, the snake arched halfway up his leg and darting its tongue. Museums primly declined to purchase these homoerotic works, and most are still in private hands. Zahrtmann never married, and rumors were rife in Copenhagen society concerning his sexual proclivities.
Zahrtmann also painted a number of self-portraits in his later years, including one painted in 1913 that is considered one of his finest works. It is in the collection of the National Historic Museum at Frederiksborg Palace.
He bought land on Fuglebakken in Frederiksberg and built a house, which was designed by Hans Koch and Zahrtmann himself. He called the house "Casa d’Antino" and moved in autumn 1912.
Zahrtmann appeared in a 1913 silent-era documentary film about himself entitled "Kristian Zahrtmann", which was directed by Sophus Wangøe, also known as Sophus Wangöe.
In June 1917 he was hospitalized with appendicitis. After an apparent improvement his condition worsened, and he died on 22 June in Frederiksberg. He was buried in Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen. A relief with the theme of "Leonora Christina Leaves the Prison" decorates his grave. The relief was drawn by architect Thorvald Bindesbøll and painter Joakim Skovgaard, and was carved from Bornholm granite by Larsen Stevns.
In Civita d’Antino a memorial plaque was set into the wall of the Cerroni house near the town gate. A monument with a statue of Zahrtmann was erected on the open plaza in front of his house, and the plaza is named after him.
A portrait of him by Vilhelm Hammershøi (1899) is found in the Hirschsprung Collection.


Lymond Chronicles

The Lymond Chronicles is a series of six novels written by Dorothy Dunnett and first published between 1961 and 1975. Set in mid-16th-century Europe and the Mediterranean area, the series tells the story of a young Scottish nobleman, Francis Crawford of Lymond, from 1547 through 1558.
Overview.
Francis Crawford of Lymond.
The six volumes follow the life and career of the charismatic Francis Crawford of Lymond, the younger son of the Crawfords of Culter, members of the landed aristocracy of the Scottish Lowlands. Brought up according to the Renaissance ideal of an educated autodidact, he is a polyglot, knowledgeable in literature, philosophy, mathematics and the sciences, a practitioner of all the martial arts, a spell-binding musician, a talented thespian, and a master strategist with a genius for imaginative tactics.
An intensely private man with a public persona, Lymond is a non-conformist who is suspicious of political and religious causes. He is driven by his demanding personal code of behaviour and responsibility, regardless of society's expectations or rules. Though a cosmopolitan military leader, diplomat and spy, he has an abiding feeling for his home country of Scotland. Despite his reluctance to relinquish his cherished independence and align himself permanently with any nation's ruler, Lymond's professional reputation increasingly makes him a sought-after ally, or a foe to be avoided, by many of the crowned heads of Europe. Still, only for goals he believes in strongly will he deploy his glittering and commanding persona, quicksilver mind, talent for dissembling what he thinks or feels, and rapier tongue; and once he dedicates himself to a goal, his will is implacable.
In his personal life, Lymond has an unusual ability to inspire intense loyalty and even love in those who are attracted to him. But the Crawford family's history begins to produce more and more tensions, and these conflicts are exacerbated by the family's shared weaknesses: immense pride and a stubborn refusal to explain the reasons for their actions.
As a whole, the "Lymond Chronicles" tell how an arrogant, brilliant, but troubled individualist, though increasingly successful professionally, becomes alienated and isolated as a result of battles with forces he can't control, as well as with himself; and how he ultimately becomes reconciled with his country, his family and friends, and himself.
History in the "Lymond Chronicles".
Dunnett paints on a large historical canvas, with details based on meticulous research in hundreds of primary and secondary sources. In addition to their original characters, the novels feature a large number of historical figures, often in important roles.
The historical setting is the incessant jockeying for power through treaties, alliances of convenience, political marriages, wars, and even piracy, among the English Tudors, the Holy Roman Empire of the Habsburgs, the French Valois, the Ottoman Empire of Suleiman the Magnificent, and their respective secular and religious allies, including the Stewarts of Scotland, the Knights of St. John, the corsairs of North Africa, and Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia. Each of the six books has several locations with the exception of the first, "The Game of Kings", which takes place almost exclusively in the Scottish Lowlands and the borders with England.
The novels examine the politics and culture of each court and its nobility as monarchies centralized their power; the intensifying controversies over the Reformation; implications of the Age of Discovery for political and economic power and knowledge; and the blurred boundaries between faith and reason in religion, esoterica such as alchemy and astrology, and science. In addition, the large number of women in positions of political power during this period (as rulers in their own name, as regents, as strong wives or mistresses of kings, or as heirs to thrones) affords an exploration of women's roles.
Structure.
The six books, collectively, form a single story, told in chronological order though the first two books can be read as self-contained novels. The endings of the third and fifth novels do not resolve their stories but lead directly to the story taken up in their respective sequels.
Relationship to other works by Dunnett.
Dunnett viewed these works as part of a larger fourteen volume work, with the"The House of Niccolò" series. forming the other part. The other books, written afterwards, tell of Lymond's ancestors in the previous century and allude to events in the "Lymond Chronicles". Dunnett recommended readers begin with the "Lymond Chronicles" and then read "The House of Niccolò". As with the "Lymond Chronicles", "The House of Niccolò" features a number of historical figures as important characters. Both the historical and fictional characters are taken from a wider variety of occupations and social classes than in the "Lymond Chronicles". There are significant differences in narrative approach and writing style between the series, reflecting the different journey taken by the central character in each.
"The Game of Kings" (1961).
After five years in exile, Lymond has recently returned to Scotland, in defiance of Scottish charges against him for pro-English treason and murder. Lymond has returned with the goal of proving his innocence and restoring his name. His family, the Crawfords, have become entangled in the complex politics between England and Scotland, including the Anglo-Scottish wars, Scotland's alliance with France, and skirmishes in the Borders region.
The novel is constructed as an intricate mystery, punctuated by set pieces of adventure, high comedy, and drama. Characters such as Richard Crawford, third Baron Culter and Lymond's older brother, and Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox are one-time friends or intimates of Lymond's who become his mortal enemies. Betrayals and double-crosses, both potential and actual, abound. The pieces of the mystery only fit together late in the story as revelations at a trial.
Historical figures appearing in the novel include members of the Scott clan including Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch, his wife, Janet Beaton, and his son William Scott of Kincurd, who becomes Lymond's second-in-command in his band of outlaws; Mary of Guise, the Queen Dowager of Scotland and her young daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots; and members of the Douglas family including Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, his brother Sir George Douglas, his daughter Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (niece of Henry VIII), and Margaret's husband Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, a potential claimant to the Scottish throne if the young Mary, Queen of Scots, died. The English military leaders responsible for prosecuting the war of The Rough Wooing, Sir William Grey and Lord Thomas Wharton, also have prominent, and often comedic, roles.
"Queens' Play" (1964).
Lymond takes on an alias in order to infiltrate the French court and protect the young Mary, Queen of Scots from her would-be assassins.
"The Disorderly Knights" (1966).
Lymond travels to the Isle of Malta, home to the Crusading Order of Knights Hospitaller of St John, just before the Ottoman Turks lay siege to it.
"Pawn in Frankincense" (1969).
Lymond embarks upon a hunt for the child who may or may not be his and crosses Europe and North Africa following the trail of clues an adversary has laid for him. He arrives glittering court of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
"The Ringed Castle" (1971).
Lymond arrives at the court of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
"Checkmate" (1975).
In 1557. Francis Crawford of Lymond and Sevigny are once again in France, leading an army against England. Meanwhile, Mary Queen of Scots prepares to marry the French Dauphin.
Studies.
Dunnett has not received much attention, but there are some academic studies of her work: