The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish; 1577–1640) ca. 1610–20 Oil on panel Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Giusto or Justus Utens, Various Medici villas in lunette form, 1599–1602. The Villas were illustrated from a bird’s eye perspective. and painted for Ferdinando I de’ Medici. Via Wikipedia
1/ Dolls’ House of Petronella Oortman, c. 1686 - c. 1710.
This house is exceptionally realistic. All the contents have been made of authentic materials, and the proportions are exactly correct. The fine cabinet, of tortoiseshell decorated with pewter inlays, was made by a cabinetmaker from France, who worked in Amsterdam for several years. Petronella Oortman was married to the Amsterdam merchant Johannes Brandt.
2/ Dolls’ House of Petronella Oortman, painting by Jacob Appel, c. 1710
The painting shows that the dolls’ house was once protected by yellow curtains, which when closed created the impression of a four-poster bed, with plumes on the corners. In the painting, the curtains are drawn back and the doors are also open. All the original dolls have been lost, with the exception of a baby in a cradle.
“Julie D’Aubigny was a 17th-century bisexual French opera singer and fencing master who killed or wounded at least ten men in life-or-death duels, performed nightly shows on the biggest and most highly-respected opera stage in the world, and once took the Holy Orders just so that she could sneak into a convent and bang a nun. If nothing in that sentence at least marginally interests you, I have no idea why you’re visiting this website.”
