This is nothing else than a swag appreciation post for the costume and set design in Roland Emmerich’s 2011 film Anonymous. The plot itself is a load of conspiracy theory drivel, but I can overlook it to get my 1500s…
This piece by Giuseppe Aureli (1858-1929) is all about the mood than any attempt at historical accuracy in costuming or weaponry. And wow, it delivers on mood. 🤩 That’s why I like it so much. One of the elements of…
Black powder choked lungs and ears rang with the sounds of gunfire and dying men. On the moors near Nijmegen, the rebel army of Louis of Nassau was being crushed. Escaping on foot through the heath would have been slow…
Sorry I’ve been missing lately! Professional work commitments have kept me busy – and then for the last week I’ve been waylaid by some sorta chest infection that’s still got me down. (In fact, I’m still living my best life…
As the morning sun filtered through the leaded glass windows of her chamber, Jonkvrouw Margaretha’s chambermaid delicately affixed her her mistress’ prized possession to her hat—a golden and enameled pin in the design of woman gazing upon her reflection. The…
Amidst the fields and densely-settled towns of early sixteenth century Flanders, a bustling city of 50,000 people brimmed with skilled artisans, meticulously weaving fabrics that adorned the courts of Europe. Ghent was a testament to the region’s preeminence in the…
Now for a bit about my favorite grouchy old guy from history: Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert (1522-1590). Son of a merchant, scandalously married at seventeen to a woman twelve years his senior (whose sister, in turn, was a well-known kept mistress…
The history of Bibles and their translations throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is a reflection of two powerful dynamics: the tumult of the Protestant Reformation combined the the growing impulse to use – then document and standardize – local…
I am very pleased to have recently added a new antiquarian book to my personal Renaissance Dutch & Flemish studies library! – – – – – 🙏Follow Rebels or Beggars for more history, art, & gaming from the Renaissance Netherlands…
Roemers, a unique form of glassware, gained popularity in the Netherlands and the Rhineland during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The term “Roemer” is derived from the German word “Römer,” reflecting its inspiration from ancient Roman prototypes. Characterized by a…
