Something Beautiful

Purse lid (Sutton Hoo)

Several objects found at the Sutton Hoo burial place are quite beautiful. Sutton Hoo is an an early 7th century site in Suffolk, England. Here are the three I like best:   

Buckle

Purse lid

Shoulder clasps

How we change (in my own words)

Earlier this year, I took part in a discussion at an Internet forum about whether or not a woman calling herself Chelsea could or should promise herself never to be involved with her alcoholic boyfriend again. Here is what I wrote:

However, I think it's too much to ask for Chelsea to decide, in advance, that she will "never" be involved with this man again. I'm reminded of something my shrink once said to me -- "Whenever a client says that she's done with a man forever, I know she'll be calling him before the day is out." And that's been pretty much true in my own experience too.

Real change is undertaken, most often, by a hopeful turning in a different direction but not with grand or irrevocable resolutions or words. Due respect for the power of emotional connection and the bond of a shared history should probably dictate a cautious, hopeful determination to move in the new direction, but not a great deal more than that.

Looking back, I like those words "a hopeful turning in a different direction." And the cautionary note sounded in the phrase "due respect" for the power of connection and history. As I contemplate various wished-for changes in my own life, I find myself thinking I will be wise to heed my own advice. This approach reminds of the expression "shaping behavior," which seems to suggest that we shape behavior much as we do clay on the potter's wheel - little by little, gradually, as we are able and as the material permits. We do not try to impose our will on the material. Rather we try to understand it and to discover the best means of arriving at our goal through it.

Santa Croce

This magnificent Gothic church was built in 1294. The Gothic interior is graced by the radiant frescoes of Giotto and his pupil Taddeo Gaddi and integrated into the cloister next to the church is Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel (Cappella de' Pazzi). When Lord Byron first laid eyes on the church he declared himself 'drunk with beauty'. The church contains the tombs of many celebrated Florentines such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Ghiberti and Machiavelli.

There are so many sites on Santa Croce that it's hard to choose among them. As is so often the case, Wikipedia is not a bad place to start.

There is an official site which is solely in Italian but which has some quite extraordinary features. The visita virtuale is especially recommended.

10 Downing Street

I've been researching the possibility of putting togetehr a Web application. In the process, I came across this virtual tour of 10 Downing Street. It shows you eight different rooms and is pretty cool.

Sculptured Altarpiece (Riemenschneider)

Medieval German wood sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider has long been a favorite of mine. Even so, I was unfamiliar with this sculptured altarpiece which Riemenschneider and his workshop carved in, probably, the early 1500s. The main figures are: St. Sebastian, Emperor Henry II, and St. Stephanus. The altarpiece is in Bamberg Cathedral, Germany, where it is seen by thousands of tourists each year.

Coronation of Napoleon

This Coronation of Napoleon, by Jean-Louis David might not look like much at first. If you pursue the high resolution possibilities, however, you will be amply rewarded. Put it on full-screen mode and it will be even better. Just look at the faces, the feathers, all that brocade! A truly sumptuous painting!