Circe and Odysseus

The sorceress Circe had the power to transform men into animals, mainly pigs, by administration of a magic potion. This view is attributed to the ingestion of solanaceous of European origin.

A feiticeira Circe tinha o condão de transformar os homens em animais, principalmente porcos, mediante administração de poção mágica. Atribui-se esta visão a ingestão de solanáceas de origem europeia.

Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg (ca 1630-1676) and Carl Borromäus Andreas Ruthart (1630-1703) (animals)-'Ulysses at the palace of Circe'-oil on canvas   Malibu-J. Paul Getty Museum

Alessandro Allori (1535-1607)-'Circe and Odysseus'-fresco-1560   Firenze-Banca Toscana

Anton Romako (1832-1889)-'Circe and Odysseus'-oil on canvas-1884   Wien-Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione or Il Grecheto (ca 1609-1664)-'Circe changing Ulysses'men into beasts'-etching-ca 1650   St Petersburg-Hermitage

Athena painter-'Circe and Odysseus'-lekythos-(490-480 BC)   Athens-National Archaeological Museum (1133)

Temple of Jerusalem (miniatures)

The Temple of Jerusalem, located on Mount Moriah, was the main place of worship of the people of Israel. The first, built by Solomon, Suleiman or Sulayman, the Koran, is referred to in   Book I of Kings. It was looted several times and was finally destroyed by Nabucodonosor II, in 537 BC. The ruins of the second, burned in 70 AD by Emperor Titus, are now the “Wailing Wall”.

O Templo de Jerusalém, situado no monte Moriá, foi o principal lugar de culto do povo de Israel. O primeiro, construído por Salomão, Sulayman ou Suleiman do Alcorão, vem indicado no I Livro dos Reis. Saqueado várias vezes, acabou destruído por Nabucodonosor II em 537 aC. Do segundo, incendiado em 70 AD pelo Imperador Tito, resta o 'Muro das Lamentações'.

Unknown (15th century)-'Sultan Omar rebuilds the Temple in Jerusalem'-miniature   Paris-Bibliothèque Nationale de France, collections des manuscriptes, Ms Fr 2629, fol. 17 (Guillaume the Tyr; Histoire de la conquête de Jerusalem)

Unknown-'facade of the Temple of Jerusalem'-miniature   Cambrai-Bibliothèque Municipale, Ms 292, vol. 3, fol. 215r [Nicolas de Lyre (ca 1270-1349); Postilles sur la Bible-book of Ezechiel]

Unknown-'the Temple of Jerusalem'-miniature   Cambrai-Bibliothèque Municipale, Ms 292, vol. 3, fol. 208v (Nicolas de Lyre (ca 1270-1349); Postilles sur la Bible-book of Ezechiel)

Unknown-'the portal of the holiest of holies in the Temple of Jerusalem'-miniature   Cambrai-Bibliothèque Municipale, Ms 292, vol. 3, fol. 214v (Nicolas de Lyre (ca 1270-1349); Postilles sur la Bible-book of Ezechiel)

Unknown-'destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem'-miniature   Paris-Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms 5193, fol. 305  (Giovanni Boccaccio the book of noble men and women, ca 1410)

Hindu deities

Among Hindu deities there are: Vishnu, the supreme god; his avatar, Vasudeva; his third avatar, Varaha; Shiva and his follower Ravana; Kali or Bhairavi.

Entre as divindades Hindus contam-se Vishnu, deus supremo, Vasudeva, seu avatar, Varaha, seu terceiro avatar; Shiva e o seu seguidor Ravana; Kali ou Bhairavi.

Anonymous-'the marriage ceremony of Vasudeva and Devaki the parents of Khrisna'-miniature-1760   London-British Library (ID Add Or. 1811)

Anonymous-'Varaha with Bhu'-miniature-ca 1740   London-British Museum (OA 1966 7-25.01)

Anonymous-'Ravanna golden palace-miniature   London-British Library (ID Add 15297, fol. 27r)

Anonymous-'a woman worship a Shiva linga in a swhrine'-miniature   London-British Library (OA 1973 9-17.03)

Anonymous Punjab School (18th century)-'goddess Kali astride her consort Shiva with attendents and corpses'-miniature   London-Victoria and Albert Museum

Japanese Nanban art

The etymology of the word “Nanban” connects its meaning to “southern barbarians”. This lacquered painting inserted in screens was developed between 1500 and 1600 by influence of the arrival of the Portuguese on Tanegashima Island, in 1543. The largest collections are in the Kobe Museum and in Lisbon, at the National Museum of Ancient Art.

Atribui-se ao vocábulo Nanban a etimologia “bárbaros do sul”. Esta pintura lacada inserida em biombos desenvolveu-se entre 1500 e 1600 por influência da chegada dos portugueses à ilha de Tanegashima em 1543. As maiores colecções existem no Museu de Kobe e em Lisboa, no Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.

Unknown (17th century)-'portuguese carrack in Nagasaki'

Anonymous (16th century)-'ships arriving in Japan'

Attr. Kano Domi-'barbarians from the South'-(1593-1600)

Attr. Kano Naizen-'barbarians from the South'-(1570-1616)

Anonymous (18th  century)-'six-panel byobu screen showing Portugueses Missionaries and Japanese women playing musical instruments'   Lisboa-Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.

War in Roman Trajan's column

Emperor Trajan commissioned Apollodorus of Damascus the construction of the column in order to celebrate his military campaigns against Dacia (now Romania). It was built with 20 overlapping blocks of granite up to 30 meters high, and it weighs about 40 tons. It is 4 meters in diameter has an inside spiral staircase. The column was completed in the year 113 AD.

O Imperador Trajano encarregou Apolodoro de Damasco da construção da coluna com a finalidade de comemorar as suas campanhas militares contra a Dácia (atual Roménia). Construída por 20 blocos de granito sobrepostos até cerca de 30 metros de altura, pesa cerca de 40 toneladas. Com 4 metros de diâmetro possui no seu interior uma escada em caracol. Ficou terminada no ano de 113 AD.

Konrad Cichorius (1863-1932)-'subjugation of a Dacian tribe' 'major battle against the Dacians'-drawing-1896   in Die Reliefs der Trajanssäule, G. Reimer, Berlin (1896-1900), plate XXX

Konrad Cichorius (1863-1932)- 'major battle against the Dacians' 'flight of the Dacians into the mountains'-drawing-1896   in Die Reliefs der Trajanssäule, G. Reimer, Berlin (1896-1900), plate XXXII

Konrad Cichorius (1863-1932)-'Trajan addresses his troops' 'Dacian prisioner'-drawing-1896   in Die Reliefs der Trajanssäule, G. Reimer, Berlin (1896-1900), plate XXXIII

Konrad Cichorius (1863-1932)-'the Emperor distributes rewards to his men' 'torture of Roman prisioners'-drawing-1896   in Die Reliefs der Trajanssäule, G. Reimer, Berlin (1896-1900), plate XXXIV

Konrad Cichorius (1863-1932)-'Trajan embarks' 'troops desembarking' 'troops crossing a river'-drawing-1896   in Die Reliefs der Trajanssäule, G. Reimer, Berlin (1896-1900), plate XXXV

European cities (cidades europeias)

As with countries and their people, European cities have characteristics that easily allow their distinction.

Tal como os países e os seus povos também as cidades europeias possuem características que facilmente permitem a sua distinção.

William Henry Bartlett (1809-1854)-'general view of London'

Albin Mattenheimer (1823- )-'view of the Maximileaneum showing the river Isar with the Maximilian's bridge, Munich'-oil on canvas-1880   München-Stadtmuseum

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875)-'Volterra'-oil on canvas-1834   Paris-Musée du Louvre

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875)-'Florence seen from the Boboli gardens'-oil on canvas-1834   Paris-Musée du Louvre

Eugène Boudin (1824-1898)-'view of Antwerp'-oil on canvas-1871   Pau-Musée des Beaux-Arts

Pharmacists and medicines

With the development of the art of healing, apothecaries and then pharmacists became the preparers of drugs and other medicines.

Com o desenvolvimento da arte de curar, os boticários e posteriormente os farmacêuticos tornaram-se os preparadores dos medicamentos.

Unknown (12th century)-'pharmacist selling ointment and medicine'-sculpture    Modena-Museo Civico d'Arte

Unknown (16th century)-'bezoar goat's kidney stone supposed to have healings powers'   Wien-Kunsthistoriches Museum (Kunstkammer)

Cerruti family (14th century)-'a pharmacist and his assistant pound herbs and roots for medical use'-miniature   Wien-Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Tacuinum Sanitatis, Codex 2644)

Cerruti family (14th century)-'a pharmacist and his assistant collect herbs and roots in a herb-garden'-miniature   Wien-Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Tacuinum Sanitatis, Codex 2644)

Cerruti family (14th century)-'Italian pharmacy: a pharmacist, client and his assistant mixing medicine'-miniature   Wien-Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Tacuinum Sanitatis, Codex 2644)

Heracles fighting the Lernaean Hydra

In his second work, Heracles faces the Lernaean Hydra and manages to put an end to its existence, for the benefit of the local people.

No segundo trabalho, Heracles enfrenta a Hidra de Lerna e consegue por fim à sua existência, para benefício das populações locais.

Attr. To the Eagle painter-'Heracles fighting the Lernaean Hydra'-(black figure)-hydria-Caere-ca 525 BC   Malibu-J. Paul Getty Museum (83 AE 346)

Attr. Diosphos painter-'Athena, Heracles attacked by the crab and the Lernaean Hydra'-attic-(black figure)-lekythos-(500-480 BC)   Paris-Musée du Louvre (CA 598)

Attr. Syleus painter-'Heracles fighting the Lernaean Hydra'-attic-(red-figure)-stamnos-(550-500 BC)   Palermo-Museo Archeologico Regional (V 763)

Prometheus painter-'Heracles, Iolaus and Lernaean Hydra'-attic-(black figure)-amphora- (560-555 BC)   Paris-Musée du Louvre (E 851)

Attr. Kleophrades painter-'Heracles 2nd labor'-attic-(red-figure)-volute krater-ca 490 BC    Malibu-J. Paul Getty Museum (77 AE 11)

At home in Sweden by Carl Larson (1858-1919)

In his watercolors Carl Larson (1858-1919) showed scenes of family life spent in Sweden at the end of the 19th century.

Nas suas aguarelas mostrou Carl Larson (1858-1919) o ambiente familiar vivido na Suécia no final do séc. XIX.

Carl Larson (1858-1919)-'cosy corner'-watercolor   Stockholm-National Museum

Carl Larson (1858-1919)'when the children have gone to bed'-watercolor   Stockholm-National Museum

Carl Larson (1858-1919)-'mamma's and small girls' room'-watercolor-1897   Stockholm-National Museum

Carl Larson (1858-1919)-'nameday at the storage house'-watercolor-1898   Stockholm-National Museum

Carl Larson (1858-1919)-'the kitchen'-watercolor-ca 1898   Stockholm-National Museum

Cairo by Adrien Dauzats (1804-1868)

During his travels, the French painter Adrien Dauzats  (1804-1868) left his impressions of the city of Cairo.

Durante as suas viagens o pintor francês Adrien Dauzats (1804-1868) deixou impressões sobre a cidade do Cairo.

Adrien Dauzats (1804-1868)-'view of Damanhur during the flooding of the Nile'-oil on canvas   Cairo-Guezireh Museum

Adrien Dauzats (1804-1868)-'al Azhar Mosque, Cairo'-oil on canvas-1861   Paris-Assemblée Nationale

Adrien Dauzats (1804-1868)-'Cairo bazaar'-oil on canvas   Private collection

Adrien Dauzats (1804-1868)-'Mosques and minaret'-oil on canvas  Private collection

Adrien Dauzats (1804-1868)-'a street scene in Old Cairo near the Ibn Tulun Mosque'-oil on panel   Private collection