Journal of Art in Society
@artinsociety.bsky.social
Philip McCouat writes in-depth articles on art, history and social change in the Journal of Art in Society at http://artinsociety.com
Fresco of elegant barefoot woman, possibly the nymph Flora, treading lightly, carrying basket & turning to gather spring flowers. Recovered from Villa Arianna in Stabiae, just outside Pompeii, buried in volcanic ash (79AD, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)
November 24, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Fresco of elegant barefoot woman, possibly the nymph Flora, treading lightly, carrying basket & turning to gather spring flowers. Recovered from Villa Arianna in Stabiae, just outside Pompeii, buried in volcanic ash (79AD, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)
Remarkably, these natty, well-preserved woven reed shoes from ancient Egypt are dated at being over 3,000 years old collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O351640...
November 23, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Remarkably, these natty, well-preserved woven reed shoes from ancient Egypt are dated at being over 3,000 years old collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O351640...
No, it’s not a hedge trimmer, it’s a theorbo, a type of lute with an extraordinary extended neck, developed in late 16C for operas, and still played today (sometimes) www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/articl...
November 22, 2025 at 7:42 AM
No, it’s not a hedge trimmer, it’s a theorbo, a type of lute with an extraordinary extended neck, developed in late 16C for operas, and still played today (sometimes) www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/articl...
Ah, the joys of being a farmworker in a 15th century winter ~ warming your nether regions, as seen by the Limbourg brothers in 1412 (Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, February). More at
www.artinsociety.com/a-very-rich-...
www.artinsociety.com/a-very-rich-...
November 21, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Ah, the joys of being a farmworker in a 15th century winter ~ warming your nether regions, as seen by the Limbourg brothers in 1412 (Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, February). More at
www.artinsociety.com/a-very-rich-...
www.artinsociety.com/a-very-rich-...
Here’s the dramatic effect of the restoration of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring in 1994. The process involved cleaning, removal of yellowed varnish, replacement of earlier discoloured retouching & other surface repairs
www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-colle...
www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-colle...
November 20, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Here’s the dramatic effect of the restoration of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring in 1994. The process involved cleaning, removal of yellowed varnish, replacement of earlier discoloured retouching & other surface repairs
www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-colle...
www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-colle...
Sofonisba Anguissola's painting of her teacher doing a portrait of her (1559) originally showed her with a third arm cheekily reaching to take the brush off him (at R). She apparently changed her mind about this, so it was removed by restorers in 2002
www.frieze.com/article/rena...
www.frieze.com/article/rena...
November 19, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Sofonisba Anguissola's painting of her teacher doing a portrait of her (1559) originally showed her with a third arm cheekily reaching to take the brush off him (at R). She apparently changed her mind about this, so it was removed by restorers in 2002
www.frieze.com/article/rena...
www.frieze.com/article/rena...
Rembrandt’s dramatically-lit group portrait of a slightly raggle-taggle civil militia in noble & dynamic poses ~ The Night Watch (1642) ~ also contains a tiny self-portrait of him, showing just a hint of his bulbous nose, his beret, & one gleaming eye looking out from the shadows
November 18, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Rembrandt’s dramatically-lit group portrait of a slightly raggle-taggle civil militia in noble & dynamic poses ~ The Night Watch (1642) ~ also contains a tiny self-portrait of him, showing just a hint of his bulbous nose, his beret, & one gleaming eye looking out from the shadows
Detail of Elizabeth I’s extravagant farthingale-flared dress, with embroidery attributed to Bess of Hardwick, featuring insects, animals, snakes, fish (& a dragon), intermingled with pearls, roses, irises & Elizabeth’s favourite pansies (Hilliard studio, 1590s)
November 17, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Detail of Elizabeth I’s extravagant farthingale-flared dress, with embroidery attributed to Bess of Hardwick, featuring insects, animals, snakes, fish (& a dragon), intermingled with pearls, roses, irises & Elizabeth’s favourite pansies (Hilliard studio, 1590s)
Admiring this wooden spiral staircase adorned with gilded six-pointed star motifs at the Yeşil Mosque in Kütahya, Turkiye
www.facebook.com/groups/arche...
www.facebook.com/groups/arche...
November 16, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Admiring this wooden spiral staircase adorned with gilded six-pointed star motifs at the Yeşil Mosque in Kütahya, Turkiye
www.facebook.com/groups/arche...
www.facebook.com/groups/arche...
Wonderful detail from Italian painter Parmigianino’s ‘Lucretia’, highlighting her hair, both loose and braided, adorned with pearls and gold threads (1540)
November 15, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Wonderful detail from Italian painter Parmigianino’s ‘Lucretia’, highlighting her hair, both loose and braided, adorned with pearls and gold threads (1540)
Ancient mosaic of a reclining skeleton, holding a drinking cup, with a jug of wine and bread rolls. The caption is generally translated as “Enjoy Your Life” ~ life is fleeting, so enjoy it while you can (Antioch, est 3rd century BC)
mymodernmet.com/skeleton-mos...
mymodernmet.com/skeleton-mos...
November 14, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Ancient mosaic of a reclining skeleton, holding a drinking cup, with a jug of wine and bread rolls. The caption is generally translated as “Enjoy Your Life” ~ life is fleeting, so enjoy it while you can (Antioch, est 3rd century BC)
mymodernmet.com/skeleton-mos...
mymodernmet.com/skeleton-mos...
You may be astonished to learn that this is an illusion, a trompe-l’oeil. The whole thing — not just the major painting (supposedly by Poussin) -- but the drawings, easel & paintbrushes have all been painted in oil by Antoine Fort-Bras on a wooden cutout (1686, Calvet Museum)
November 13, 2025 at 8:05 AM
You may be astonished to learn that this is an illusion, a trompe-l’oeil. The whole thing — not just the major painting (supposedly by Poussin) -- but the drawings, easel & paintbrushes have all been painted in oil by Antoine Fort-Bras on a wooden cutout (1686, Calvet Museum)
Vermeer’s The Art of Painting (1668) shows a seated artist from behind. His model, representing History’s Muse, with light-kissed lip & downcast eyes, holds a reference book & trumpet (= “fame”). See her crown of laurel leaves being depicted on the corner of artist’s canvas?
November 12, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Vermeer’s The Art of Painting (1668) shows a seated artist from behind. His model, representing History’s Muse, with light-kissed lip & downcast eyes, holds a reference book & trumpet (= “fame”). See her crown of laurel leaves being depicted on the corner of artist’s canvas?
Admiring the precise delicacy of these studies of flowers by Leonardo da Vinci, created in pen and ink over a preparatory sketch in red chalk (late 15C, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice)
November 11, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Admiring the precise delicacy of these studies of flowers by Leonardo da Vinci, created in pen and ink over a preparatory sketch in red chalk (late 15C, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice)
JUST PUBLISHED! In our latest article we examine the 17th century craze for writing and reading letters, and how this became a major feature in Dutch art, featuring in masterful paintings by artists such as Gabriel Metsu and Jan Vermeer www.artinsociety.com/gabriel-mets...
November 10, 2025 at 7:08 AM
JUST PUBLISHED! In our latest article we examine the 17th century craze for writing and reading letters, and how this became a major feature in Dutch art, featuring in masterful paintings by artists such as Gabriel Metsu and Jan Vermeer www.artinsociety.com/gabriel-mets...
French artist Raymond Wintz specialised in marine and coastal views in Brittany. Here, almost 100 years ago, he looks through an open doorway to the harbour beyond (The Blue Door, 1927)
November 9, 2025 at 7:09 AM
French artist Raymond Wintz specialised in marine and coastal views in Brittany. Here, almost 100 years ago, he looks through an open doorway to the harbour beyond (The Blue Door, 1927)
Van Gogh’s ‘Field with Poppies’ was painted from an elevated viewpoint during his stay in Saint-Paul Asylum. Its acquisition in 1911 by a German gallery was criticised as being part of a perceived “foreign infiltration of German art” by French paintings (Kunsthalle Bremen, 1889)
November 8, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Van Gogh’s ‘Field with Poppies’ was painted from an elevated viewpoint during his stay in Saint-Paul Asylum. Its acquisition in 1911 by a German gallery was criticised as being part of a perceived “foreign infiltration of German art” by French paintings (Kunsthalle Bremen, 1889)
17th century French artist Louise Moillon achieved fame with her beautifully precise still-lifes ~ here’s her Basket of Plums (1629)
November 7, 2025 at 7:06 AM
17th century French artist Louise Moillon achieved fame with her beautifully precise still-lifes ~ here’s her Basket of Plums (1629)
Bacchus, liberally festooned with grapes, casually pours drink for his little panther (!), wine trellises adorn the slopes of a deceptively-slumbering Vesuvius, & serpent Agathodaemon represents ‘good spirit’ of vineyards (Wall fresco, House of the Centenary, Pompeii)
November 6, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Bacchus, liberally festooned with grapes, casually pours drink for his little panther (!), wine trellises adorn the slopes of a deceptively-slumbering Vesuvius, & serpent Agathodaemon represents ‘good spirit’ of vineyards (Wall fresco, House of the Centenary, Pompeii)
I always enjoy an opportunity to post this ~ Alphonse Bertillon, pioneer of the front-&-profile criminal mugshot, did some practice runs with his nephew, a notoriously hardened criminal, aged 2. His crime? 'Nibbling pears' (Silver albumen print, 1893 MoMA)
November 5, 2025 at 7:02 AM
I always enjoy an opportunity to post this ~ Alphonse Bertillon, pioneer of the front-&-profile criminal mugshot, did some practice runs with his nephew, a notoriously hardened criminal, aged 2. His crime? 'Nibbling pears' (Silver albumen print, 1893 MoMA)
Extreme close-up of Manet’s In the Conservatory (1879) reveals not only his technique but also the fine cracking in the paint (‘craquelure’) & the texture of the canvas itself blog.iliou-melathron.de/deutsche-mus...
November 4, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Extreme close-up of Manet’s In the Conservatory (1879) reveals not only his technique but also the fine cracking in the paint (‘craquelure’) & the texture of the canvas itself blog.iliou-melathron.de/deutsche-mus...
Barcelona-born UK-based artist Miriam Escofet’s portrait of her mother, An Angel at my Table. winner of the prestigious 2018 BP Portrait Award. At R, a close-up / a joint viewing by mother & daughter © Miriam Escofet
November 3, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Barcelona-born UK-based artist Miriam Escofet’s portrait of her mother, An Angel at my Table. winner of the prestigious 2018 BP Portrait Award. At R, a close-up / a joint viewing by mother & daughter © Miriam Escofet
Cornish painter Harold Harvey used the sunny view of Mount’s Bay from the porch of his home in this painting of two women chatting over tea, as cat looks on / & used the same setting to depict woman standing knitting at the door as man plays accordion (The Blue Door 1931, 1934)
November 2, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Cornish painter Harold Harvey used the sunny view of Mount’s Bay from the porch of his home in this painting of two women chatting over tea, as cat looks on / & used the same setting to depict woman standing knitting at the door as man plays accordion (The Blue Door 1931, 1934)
If you look long enough at Albrecht Dürer’s pen studies of creased pillows, you may well see faces ~ pillow corners transform into noses, chins or horns, while creases become mouths and brows (1493) publicdomainreview.org/collection/d...
November 1, 2025 at 7:06 AM
If you look long enough at Albrecht Dürer’s pen studies of creased pillows, you may well see faces ~ pillow corners transform into noses, chins or horns, while creases become mouths and brows (1493) publicdomainreview.org/collection/d...
Another side of ‘decorative’ Alphonse Mucha ~ here he depicts exhausted Slavic peasant woman as she sits, hopelessly alone, in frozen, famine-struck field, throwing back her head in resigned despair. As the wolves move in, does the star represent hope? (Winter Night, 1920s)
October 31, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Another side of ‘decorative’ Alphonse Mucha ~ here he depicts exhausted Slavic peasant woman as she sits, hopelessly alone, in frozen, famine-struck field, throwing back her head in resigned despair. As the wolves move in, does the star represent hope? (Winter Night, 1920s)