Just back from two days in Washington, D.C., I had to post this picture of one of my favorite spots in the Capital.In the foreground is a bust of Lorenzo de' Medici in the Italian Renaissance rooms of the National Gallery of Art. It is thought to be a later copy, in painted terracotta, of a wax sculpture designed by Andrea del Verrocchio. The wax original was made to commemorate Lorenzo's escape from an attempted assassination (during Mass!) in the Duomo.
His younger brother, Giuliano (center - also by Verrocchio), was not so lucky.
The gentleman in the dark suit is there to make sure I don't take them home with me.
Here is the grotesque on Giuliano's suit of armor:
(Tomorrow, back to Lexington.)
9 comments:
The sculpture is so life-like. Nice :)
Great shots! Giuliano's suit of armor detail is awesome!
These security guys are so boring! Last time I was at a 'no photo' museum I had one of them allways so close to me he seemed to be my shadow!!! Well I think he read my mind cause if it wasn't him I would certainly take a quick shot or two... :-)
Ah, DC museums! One of the things I miss about the Washington area...
Hey, thank you for your visits to my Villigen blog in 2008. Hope to see more of you next year, a year that I hope will be a good one for you and your loved ones.
Two very nice shots. I particularly like the first one. How did you get such a clear picture with such a long exposure? Very well done.
Was that at the National Gallery of Art? Very nice piece. I like this type of clothing in paintings and in this case a bust from that period.
The right-to-take-photos policy is so different from one country and from one museum or church to another - and then also so differently followed. Anyhow, I know, it's often difficult to resist even when it's forbidden.
Anyhow, here you managed really well; the bust of Lorenzo looks very realistic and is beautiful!
All the best for 2009!
This is a fascinating post and I thank you for it. LdM was a fascinating chap. I have just this evening lent a friend a DVD about the Medici family.
For what it's worth, Machiavelli gives an interesting description of the plot against Lorenzo and Giuliano (Discourses on Livy, III.6.13).
Believe it or not, the National Gallery in Washington allows flash photography! -- I made a point of asking on the way in. (Didn't use my flash, though.) I'm too timid, usually, to risk photos where they are not allowed. (But I'm willing to look at yours!)
No, the man in black was there to keep me from physically carrying home the Medici brothers. Although, if I'm too timid to take forbidden photos, I doubt I could carry off such a heist. But I can dream...
Clueless -- I confess to tweaking it a bit after I got it home. But I also did a good job of standing still.
Anonymous -- I need to bone up on my Machiavelli, clearly! I'm sure my husband will lend me his copy.
Post a Comment