Sleeping Ariadne, copy of a Greek work of the 2nd century B.C. Photo: Wknight94 / Wikipedia
These ancient sculptures have been famous since their rediscovery in the Renaissance. I get a kick out of seeing both of them in the Portrait of Charles Crowle by Pompeo Batoni (ca. 1761-1762), meant to remind us that Crowle went on the Grand Tour and soaked him up some culture.
I’m not so good at identifying animal sculptures, but I’m guessing Santa’s out-of-control reindeer has a Baroque inspiration.
I don’t secretly yearn to spend $100,000 on a holiday ensemble, but Madison Avenue in December boosts my spirits like a rocket. From 59th to 72nd, the flagship stores of the world’s most famous designers display dramatic holiday dresses whose sole purpose is to make women look stunningly beautiful. It’s a pleasure to study the textures, colors, and ingenuity of design, even on a mannequin rather than a real woman. If I were going to splurge on a party dress, this gold lame number would be it.
Or keep it simple? The Captain America bracelet: “When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree by the river of truth, and tell the whole world ‘No, you move.’ ”
From a series of windows at Bloomingdale’s that’s tied in to the upcoming movie on P.T. Barnum. The one quote that resonated with me: “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.”
The albums for earlier years are on Facebook: 2015, 2014, 2013 (part 1 and part 2), 2011, and 2010. I seem to have skipped 2012. Flipping through all of them, it appears I have a few obsessions ….
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