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The Faerie Queene 16: Two monsters slain
In the previous episode, after attending Satyrane’s tournament, the knights Artegall, Scudamour and Britomart met when fighting one another. Artegall and Britomart fell in love at first sight and...
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God of the Week: Phaethon
Phaethon (Greek Φαέθων) is the son of the sun god Helios or Phoebus, and Clymene, an Oceanid, making him a minor deity. In older times, he was represented by what later became the planet Jupiter, but...
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A History of Rome in Paintings: 18 Four Emperors in a Year
As with the assassination of Julius Caesar, Nero’s death in 68 CE did little to solve Rome’s problems. First to seize power was Servius Galba Caesar Augustus, who lasted just over seven months as...
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The Faerie Queene 17: The Temple of Venus, and Florimell released
In the previous episode, Prince Arthur had freed the young squire Amyas from the monster Corflambo’s dungeon, allowing him to marry Aemylia. His close friend Placida and the monster’s daugher Poeana...
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Paintings of 1920: Narrative and figurative
Following my survey of portraits painted in 1920, this article gathers together some of the year’s best narrative and figurative paintings. The Great War – that war to end all wars – had only ended two...
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Palm Sunday: Palm trees in paintings 2
In yesterday’s article, I showed how the palm tree came to flourish in landscape paintings of the Mediterranean coast, and in the conservatories of the upper middle class. Today I turn to their...
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Nymph and mortal of the week: Echo and Narcissus
Although Echo isn’t a goddess as such, she’s an immortal nymph, an Oread or mountain nymph to be precise. Her claim to fame, and the reason for her appearance in some famous paintings, is her love...
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The Faerie Queene 18: Sir Artegall’s quest, and the fate of a horse thief
The last episode completed The Legend of Cambel and Telamond, or Of Friendship, so reaching the end of the fourth book of The Faerie Queene. This episode starts the fifth book, which is The Legend of...
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Goddess of the Week: Hebe
It’s perhaps reassuring to know that Zeus and Hera had children of their own, in addition to those of Zeus’s many rapes, seductions and affairs. Hebe (Greek ἥβη), known to the Romans as Iuventas...
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A History of Rome in Paintings: 20 The Capitoline Hill and Tarpeian Rock
Having outlined the history of ancient Rome in paintings in chronological order, I now turn to the histories of some of its landmarks. This article looks at depictions of what was the centre of the...
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The Faerie Queene 19: Defeat and slavery
In the last episode, all the knights of the land had met for a tournament as part of the wedding celebrations of Florimell and Marinell. Artegall emerged its victor, after he had freed Marinell from a...
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Goddesses of the Week: Horai (Horae), the Seasons or Hours
To the crisp post-Enlightenment mind which abhors uncertainty, the Horai (Greek Ὧραι), known to the Romans and more generally as the Horae, are impossible. Their name is literally translated as...
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God of the Week: Janus
From its earliest days, Rome assimilated different cultures and religions, well beyond those of Greek traditions. There was a particularly strong Etruscan influence, not that the Romans ever wanted to...
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The Faerie Queene 20: Artegall released and Duessa brought to trial
In the last episode, Sir Artegall lost his duel with the Amazon Queen Radigund, was taken into bondage by her, and forced to do women’s work like spinning while wearing women’s clothes. Although the...
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Goddesses of the Week: The Charites or Graces
The three Charites (Greek Χάριτες, pronounced kʰáritɛs, and plural of Charis Χάρις) are three sister goddesses associated with all the better aspects of human nature, including beauty, charm,...
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A History of Rome in Paintings: 22 The Colosseum
The dominant ruin of classical times which still towers over the city of Rome is its Colosseum. The largest amphitheatre in the ancient world, it wasn’t known as the Colosseum until after it had...
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The Faerie Queene 21: Two tyrants overthrown, and order restored
In the last episode, after removing the threat posed by the Souldan, Sir Artegall and Prince Arthur reached Queen Mercilla’s palace, where they gave their verdict in the trial of the evil sorceress...
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God of the Week: Asclepius (Aesculapius)
Asclepius (Greek Ἀσκληπιός) is the god of medicine and the healing arts, also known by various respellings such as Aesculapius, although strictly his Latin equivalent is more likely to be Vejovis or...
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A History of Rome in Paintings: 23 Aesculapius comes to town
There’s only one island in the River Tiber where it runs through the city of Rome: Tiber Island. In the classical city, it’s just to the south-west of the Capitoline Hill, and not far from the Forum...
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The Faerie Queene 22: Sir Calidore, courtesy, and the Blatant Beast
The last episode completed The Legend of Artegall, or Of Justice, so reaching the end of the fifth book of The Faerie Queene. This episode starts the sixth book, which is The Legend of Sir Calidore, or...
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