The Flickr Squared Image Generatr

The Common Eider Drake (Somateria mollissima) stretching on the water. The first encounter with these amazing sea ducks (as well as other waterfowl species) at Slimbridge Wetland Centre.

Interestingly, Eiders birds are well renowned for their very soft down that the female duck plugs out of her body to keep eggs warm in the nest. It has been collected for many centuries as a duvet/pillows filling, and is still being collected today after ducklings left the nest. Apparently, to feel in one duvet with eiders own you need to collect it from about 60 nests before cleaning manually. Not surprisingly they are considered as a luxury.

The practical value of the duck is also reflected in its scientific name. The genus name “Somateria” is derived from two Ancient Greek words: ‘soma’ and ‘erion’ meaning ‘body’ and ‘wool’, respectively, whereas specific epithet ‘mollissima’ translates for the Latin as ‘very soft’. Slimbridge WWT near Dursley, Gloucestershire; England; UK.

Thank you for your visit, comments and favours, very much appreciated.

"Crazy Tuesday" theme: Round in square format.

I love to bake so I have a large assortment of sprinkles and today these round sprinkles came in handy. I love the fun colours to help brighten up this dreary day.

Thanks for your visit and Happy Tuesday everyone!

words we love to hate - HCT!!

A Green-veined White (Pieris napi) on a rendezvous with a dandelion flower (Taraxacum officinale). The Old Arboretum at Westonbirt near Tetbury, South Gloucestershire, England, UK.

Thank you for your visit, comments and favours, very much appreciated.

Family heirloom watch - HCT & HTT!

Fine art prints available at: www.JxnPx.com
Thank you for supporting my art!

Fine art prints available at: www.JxnPx.com
Thank you for supporting my art!

Fine art prints available at: www.JxnPx.com
Thank you for supporting my art!

Fine art prints available at: www.JxnPx.com
Thank you for supporting my art!

Fine art prints available at: www.JxnPx.com
Thank you for supporting my art!

The girls love Spidey and stickers - HMM!
each sticker is about the size of my thumbnail

White Stork
Weißstorch
[Ciconia ciconia]

one of my favs, back when they were in peak bloom - HCS!

A Flower crab spider (Misumena vatia) with a prey that looks like a fly or a hoverfly. The image was taken in a sycamore tree canopy about 6 meters above the ground from a bridge. Bath Skyline walk, Bath, Somerset, England, UK.

Thank you for your visit, comments and favours, very much appreciated.

Constant Comment after its morning dip - HLCoF!

Daniel interpreting the message on the wall for Belshazzar, c1640-50
Orazio de Ferrari
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, squared for transfer in black chalk

This drawing was long thought to be by the Venetian painter Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734), but for a painting by the Genoese artist Orazio de Ferrari. Orazio's small corpus of drawings is characterised by rapid pen outlines and broad areas of concentrated wash, patently modelled on van Dyck. This sheet shows the Jewish nobleman Daniel telling the Babylonian king that a divine message on a wall signals his death.*

From the exhibition


Superb line: prints and drawings from Genoa 1500–1800
(October 2023 – April 2024)

Showcasing prints and drawings from Genoa's golden age, this display shone a light on an artistic powerhouse that rivalled Venice, Florence and Rome.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the port city of Genoa was one of Italy's major artistic centres. Nicknamed 'La Superba' ('the proud one') by the Medieval poet Petrarch, it was among the wealthiest cities on the Italian peninsula, with strong trade links across Europe and beyond.
These links and the riches they brought made Genoa a desirable destination for painters and sculptors wanting to study or find lucrative work. Superb line opens with works by the first major arrival, Raphael's pupil Perino del Vaga, who transformed the artistic scene when he came in 1528, introducing a new, modern manner seen in drawings like the Venus and Aeneas, which typifies his distinctive blend of graphic confidence and courtly stylishness.
Other prominent artists soon followed Perino's lead and, over the next 150 years, the city continued to attract even bigger names like Rubens and van Dyck. This constant injection of new blood kept Genoa at the cutting edge of artistic trends, creating a nurturing environment for homegrown talents to develop in their own right. In the following centuries the city produced a steady stream of internationally renowned painters, among them Luca Cambiaso, Bernardo Strozzi and Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, who were especially feted for their innovative, often experimental graphic works, wowing collectors with dazzling displays of line. Featuring highlights from the British Museum's longstanding holdings of Genoese prints and drawings, this display celebrated the virtuosity and originality of the city's artists.
[*British Museum]

Taken in British Museum

Luca Cambiaso
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, squared for transfer in red chalk

This is Cambiaso's study for his fresco in San Matteo. In contrast to the neat, small study Castello made for his contribution, its execution is bold and blocky, and the result is more dynamic. The story of Matthew putting two dragons belonging to an Ethiopian sorcerer to sleep is taken from the Golden Legend, a medieval collection of the lives of saints. The fresco's composition closely follows the drawing, except for the addition of arches behind the figures that help steer the viewer's attention from the action in the front through to the background.*

From the exhibition


Superb line: prints and drawings from Genoa 1500–1800
(October 2023 – April 2024)

Showcasing prints and drawings from Genoa's golden age, this display shone a light on an artistic powerhouse that rivalled Venice, Florence and Rome.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the port city of Genoa was one of Italy's major artistic centres. Nicknamed 'La Superba' ('the proud one') by the Medieval poet Petrarch, it was among the wealthiest cities on the Italian peninsula, with strong trade links across Europe and beyond.
These links and the riches they brought made Genoa a desirable destination for painters and sculptors wanting to study or find lucrative work. Superb line opens with works by the first major arrival, Raphael's pupil Perino del Vaga, who transformed the artistic scene when he came in 1528, introducing a new, modern manner seen in drawings like the Venus and Aeneas, which typifies his distinctive blend of graphic confidence and courtly stylishness.
Other prominent artists soon followed Perino's lead and, over the next 150 years, the city continued to attract even bigger names like Rubens and van Dyck. This constant injection of new blood kept Genoa at the cutting edge of artistic trends, creating a nurturing environment for homegrown talents to develop in their own right. In the following centuries the city produced a steady stream of internationally renowned painters, among them Luca Cambiaso, Bernardo Strozzi and Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, who were especially feted for their innovative, often experimental graphic works, wowing collectors with dazzling displays of line. Featuring highlights from the British Museum's longstanding holdings of Genoese prints and drawings, this display celebrated the virtuosity and originality of the city's artists.
[*British Museum]

Taken in British Museum

Daniel interpreting the message on the wall for Belshazzar, c1640-50
Orazio de Ferrari
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, squared for transfer in black chalk

This drawing was long thought to be by the Venetian painter Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734), but for a painting by the Genoese artist Orazio de Ferrari. Orazio's small corpus of drawings is characterised by rapid pen outlines and broad areas of concentrated wash, patently modelled on van Dyck. This sheet shows the Jewish nobleman Daniel telling the Babylonian king that a divine message on a wall signals his death.*

From the exhibition


Superb line: prints and drawings from Genoa 1500–1800
(October 2023 – April 2024)

Showcasing prints and drawings from Genoa's golden age, this display shone a light on an artistic powerhouse that rivalled Venice, Florence and Rome.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the port city of Genoa was one of Italy's major artistic centres. Nicknamed 'La Superba' ('the proud one') by the Medieval poet Petrarch, it was among the wealthiest cities on the Italian peninsula, with strong trade links across Europe and beyond.
These links and the riches they brought made Genoa a desirable destination for painters and sculptors wanting to study or find lucrative work. Superb line opens with works by the first major arrival, Raphael's pupil Perino del Vaga, who transformed the artistic scene when he came in 1528, introducing a new, modern manner seen in drawings like the Venus and Aeneas, which typifies his distinctive blend of graphic confidence and courtly stylishness.
Other prominent artists soon followed Perino's lead and, over the next 150 years, the city continued to attract even bigger names like Rubens and van Dyck. This constant injection of new blood kept Genoa at the cutting edge of artistic trends, creating a nurturing environment for homegrown talents to develop in their own right. In the following centuries the city produced a steady stream of internationally renowned painters, among them Luca Cambiaso, Bernardo Strozzi and Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, who were especially feted for their innovative, often experimental graphic works, wowing collectors with dazzling displays of line. Featuring highlights from the British Museum's longstanding holdings of Genoese prints and drawings, this display celebrated the virtuosity and originality of the city's artists.
[*British Museum]

Taken in British Museum

St Matthew and the Miracle of the Dragon of Ethiopia, c1560
Luca Cambiaso
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, squared for transfer in red chalk

This is Cambiaso's study for his fresco in San Matteo. In contrast to the neat, small study Castello made for his contribution, its execution is bold and blocky, and the result is more dynamic. The story of Matthew putting two dragons belonging to an Ethiopian sorcerer to sleep is taken from the Golden Legend, a medieval collection of the lives of saints. The fresco's composition closely follows the drawing, except for the addition of arches behind the figures that help steer the viewer's attention from the action in the front through to the background.*

From the exhibition


Superb line: prints and drawings from Genoa 1500–1800
(October 2023 – April 2024)

Showcasing prints and drawings from Genoa's golden age, this display shone a light on an artistic powerhouse that rivalled Venice, Florence and Rome.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the port city of Genoa was one of Italy's major artistic centres. Nicknamed 'La Superba' ('the proud one') by the Medieval poet Petrarch, it was among the wealthiest cities on the Italian peninsula, with strong trade links across Europe and beyond.
These links and the riches they brought made Genoa a desirable destination for painters and sculptors wanting to study or find lucrative work. Superb line opens with works by the first major arrival, Raphael's pupil Perino del Vaga, who transformed the artistic scene when he came in 1528, introducing a new, modern manner seen in drawings like the Venus and Aeneas, which typifies his distinctive blend of graphic confidence and courtly stylishness.
Other prominent artists soon followed Perino's lead and, over the next 150 years, the city continued to attract even bigger names like Rubens and van Dyck. This constant injection of new blood kept Genoa at the cutting edge of artistic trends, creating a nurturing environment for homegrown talents to develop in their own right. In the following centuries the city produced a steady stream of internationally renowned painters, among them Luca Cambiaso, Bernardo Strozzi and Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, who were especially feted for their innovative, often experimental graphic works, wowing collectors with dazzling displays of line. Featuring highlights from the British Museum's longstanding holdings of Genoese prints and drawings, this display celebrated the virtuosity and originality of the city's artists.
[*British Museum]

Taken in British Museum