The 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio….

I didn’t know how perilously close Shakespeare’s great work came to complete and utter obscurity, if not to say oblivion. But it seems that this year is the First Folio’s 400th anniversary. And if you read here 400 Years of the First Folio (shakespeare.org.uk) you’ll find the story of its miraculous survival….although I imagine the… Continue reading The 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio….

Thomas Cromwell’s Book of Hours recognised….!

  The news has broken that the Book of Hours belonging to Thomas Cromwell is here which appears in the Holbein portrait above, has been recognised (by Hever Castle curator, Alison Palmer) as the Hardouyn Hours, held today at Trinity College, Cambridge. You can view the Hardouyn Hours page by page at the Wren Digital… Continue reading Thomas Cromwell’s Book of Hours recognised….!

Richard III: Coming Home – to the Yorkshire Museum….

The following extract is from site this site, which concerns various attractions in York. I have picked out the paragraphs that apply paricularly to Richard III. “….The Yorkshire Museum, meanwhile, is scheduled to re-open in late July – by which time it will have been closed for 16 months, thanks to the Covid pandemic. “….It… Continue reading Richard III: Coming Home – to the Yorkshire Museum….

The Last Knight: The Art, Armor, and Ambition of Maximilian I

Originally posted on RICARDIAN LOONS:
Portrait of Maximilian I, from the workshop or a follower of Albrecht Dürer. Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) is one of those larger-than-life historical figures. Straddling the medieval and Renaissance eras, he worked tirelessly and spent a vast fortune to establish the Habsburgs as one of Europe’s dominant ruling…

The remains of Emma of Normandy found, and a fascinating exhibition of Winchester Cathedral’s history has opened….

“….Seven years after the remains of Richard III were discovered under a Leicester carpark, another legendary but lost English monarch has turned up in Hampshire. “….Emma of Normandy, twice crowned Queen of England and the mother of Edward the Confessor, was interred in Winchester’s Old Minster in 1052 and was later transferred to the newly… Continue reading The remains of Emma of Normandy found, and a fascinating exhibition of Winchester Cathedral’s history has opened….

Richard III’s portrait is on the move….

From 8 June – 22 September 2019, Richard’s NPG portrait is on its travels to the New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester. If you wander around the NPG site, you’ll find more about their portraits of Richard. Twenty-six in all. But you’ll also find the following: “Richard III was the last Yorkist king of England.… Continue reading Richard III’s portrait is on the move….

Illustrations of Stafford Castle….

I fear the exhibition in question was in 2017, but the website is interesting because if you go down to the second appearance of the above illustration of Stafford Castle, you will find that you can go through a number of scenes of the castle. Worth a look.

The “naughty” corpse of Henry VI….

The link below concerns an exhibition entitled ‘Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare: From Stratford to Orange County’ at UC Irvine’s Langson Library, West Peltason and Pereira drives, Irvine; http://www.lib.uci.edu/langson. The exhibition is there through to the end of September. Several amusing anecdotes are described in the article, including one about Lady Anne’s apparent effect… Continue reading The “naughty” corpse of Henry VI….

Channel 5’s “Inside the Tower of London”

This four-part series is narrated by Jason Watkins and heavily features Tracy Borman, Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces. The first part dealt with the Peasants’ Revolt, which resulted in Simon of Sudbury‘s beheading and Borman travelled to St. Gregory’s in his home town to view the preserved head. She spoke about the animals… Continue reading Channel 5’s “Inside the Tower of London”

An exhibition with a sample of Richard’s handwriting….

One of Richard’s letters is included in this upcoming museum exhibition. Unfortunately for those on this British side of the Atlantic, the museum in question is in New York! The Magic of Handwriting: The Pedro Corrêa do Lago Collection will run from June 1 to September 16, 2018 at the Morgan Library and Museum in… Continue reading An exhibition with a sample of Richard’s handwriting….