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Goddess of the Week: Bellona (Enyo), War
Bellona is another mainly Roman goddess, this time of war, whose temple in Rome took pride of place on the Campus Martius – appropriately the ‘field of Mars’. Her origins are Sabine, the Romans...
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A History of Rome in Paintings: 24 The Senate
From its earliest days, through the period of kings, the republic and empire, the Roman Senate was its central and most enduring institution. According to legend, once the building of the first city...
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The Faerie Queene 23: The healing hermit, and Turpine corrected
In the last episode, Calepine’s lady, Serena, had been badly wounded by the Blatant Beast. While Sir Calidor rode off in its pursuit, Calepine sought aid in Sir Turpine’s castle, but was refused and...
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Goddess of the Week: Hemera (Dies), the Day
Not as popular in art as her mother Nyx, Hemera (Greek Ἡμέρα) was her complement, being the personification of the Day. The Romans knew her as Dies, the Latin noun for day, but in neither of the...
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A History of Rome in Paintings: Overview and Contents
According to legend, the ultimate founder of Rome was the Trojan Aeneas, who fled that city when it was sacked and destroyed by the Greeks. He settled in central Italy, where he founded the city of...
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The Faerie Queene 24: Disdain, cannibals and bucolic love
In the last episode, Prince Arthur, accompanied by the woodsman, visited Sir Turpine’s castle, where they were denied hospitality. Arthur disposed of Turpine’s armed guard, and chased the knight into...
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Goddess of the Week: Chloris (Flora), transformation
She originally wasn’t even a goddess, just a nymph, but somehow Chloris (Greek Χλωρίς) has not only become one of the more complex of the classical deities, but the subject of at least two of the most...
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Goddess of the Week: Chloris (Flora), Spring
With two major paintings showing complex if not enigmatic accounts of Chloris/Flora, she has become one of the most painted classical deities, out of all proportion to her tiny role in the pantheon,...
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The Faerie Queene 25: Pastorella captured and the Beast subdued
In the last episode, Sir Calidore had taken a break from his pursuit of the Blatant Beast, and fell in love with a beautiful shepherdess, Pastorella. Unfortunately, Coridon, a young shepherd, whose...
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Goddess of the Week: Cybele (Magna Mater), Mother of the Gods
You hear precious little about the goddess Cybele (Greek Κυβέλη) because, until 205 BCE, she was regarded by both Greeks and Romans as an exotic import from Phrygia, where she had attracted a national...
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The Faerie Queene 26: Of Mutability
The last episode completed The Legend of Sir Calidore, or Of Courtesy, so reaching the end of the sixth book of The Faerie Queene. That is the last book which was published in 1596. A decade after...
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Goddess of the Week: Iris, the rainbow
Hermes (Mercury) wasn’t the only messenger of the gods. In that task he was aided by the personification of the rainbow, Iris (Greek Ἶρις), who was also known to the Romans under the same name. One of...
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The Faerie Queene: Contents and summary of books 1-3
This is the first of two articles which provide a succinct summary of the plot of Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene. This contains a selection of the finest paintings of its scenes, and...
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Goddess of the Week: Selene (Luna), the Moon
The daily journey of the sun chariot across the heavens is well-known, as are the myths surrounding it. Both classical Greek and Roman mythology had a matching moon chariot, driven by Selene (Greek...
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The Faerie Queene: Contents and summary of books 4-6 and Mutabilitie Cantos
This is the second of two articles which provide a succinct summary of the plot of Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene. This contains a selection of the finest paintings of its scenes, and...
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Goddess of the Week: Thetis, Achilles’ mother
The dividing line between nymphs such as Nereids and goddesses is both thin and flexible. According to some, Thetis (Greek Θέτις) was merely the senior of the Nereids, but others rate her a goddess in...
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Introduction to a new series: Don Quixote
One of many combatants in the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571 was an itinerant Spaniard named Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Four years later, he sailed from Naples on a galley which was captured by...
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Comical Canvases: Humour in paintings 1
It has been a long time since we’ve been able to see paintings in the flesh by visiting art galleries, at least here in the UK. But one thing I’ve noticed about them is how serious they are. Great...
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Comical Canvases: Humour in paintings 2
In the first of these two articles looking at some humorous paintings, I started with pioneers Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel the Elder, and worked my way through visual and other jokes until I...
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Goddess of the Week: Eos (Aurora), the dawn
Some goddesses get all the best jobs, and I can’t think of any better than bringing the dawn light of a new day, the task of Eos (Greek Ἕως), known better in her Roman guise as Aurora. As the daughter...
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