Venice Italy: Jewel of the Renaissance
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Venice during the Renaissance emerges as a vibrant center of art, culture and commerce, influencing the broader European scope. The...
Sylvia Rose
- Aug 27
- 3 min
Alchemy & Renaissance Glass: Antonio Neri
Antonio Neri is a Renaissance Florentine priest, well known for contributions to alchemy and glassmaking. As a youth Neri is drawn to the...
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Sylvia Rose
- Aug 22
- 5 min
Christine de Pizan: Medieval Writings
Christine de Pizan or Pisan (Cristina da Pizzano) c.1364 - 1430 is an Italian-born French court writer during the reign of King Charles...
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Sylvia Rose
- Aug 16
- 4 min
Cosimo de' Medici & the Italian Renaissance
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Cosimo the Elder, is a leading figure in the rise of Florence as the Italian Renaissance...
14 views
Sylvia Rose
- Aug 5
- 4 min
Rudolf II Renaissance Prague: Alchemy, Eros & Occult
The Kunstkammer or Art Chamber of Rudolf II is a delight. A patron of arts, science, literature and occult the Holy Roman Emperor...
20 views
Sylvia Rose
- Aug 3
- 7 min
Glass & Arts of Ancient Glass Making
Glass production prospers in Alexandria c. 1st century AD. Early glass makers produce colored beads and later utensils. With clear glass,...
23 views
Sylvia Rose
- Jul 26
- 5 min
Michael Maier: Rosicrucians, Art & Alchemy
Michael Maier (1568–1622) is a German physician, alchemist, epigramist and composer. A prolific writer and shrewd thinker, he influences...
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Sylvia Rose
- Jul 14
- 5 min
Alchemy: Red King & White Queen
In alchemy the Red King and White Queen are vibrant with meaning. Their union or sacred wedding, hieros gamos, reflects alchemical...
38 views
Sylvia Rose
- May 23
- 7 min
Dniester River Neolithic Civilization
The Cucuteni-Trypillia culture is a Neolithic and Copper Age archaeological group (c. 5500 - 2750 BCE) of SE Europe. From the Carpathians...
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Sylvia Rose
- Mar 15
- 6 min
Verdigris: Volatile Blue Green Pigment
Verdigris is the green rust or patina on copper, created as the metal reacts with oxygen in the environment. Copper corrodes green to...
48 views
Sylvia Rose
- Mar 13
- 5 min
Orpiment - Painter's Golden Poison
Orpiment is a golden orange or yellow arsenic sulfide mineral. Found in volcanic fumaroles, low-temperature hydrothermal veins, and hot...
38 views
Sylvia Rose
- Mar 12
- 6 min
Terrazzo Floors & Neolithic Masons
Terrazzo is among the earliest building techniques of humans, dating to 9500 BCE. Terrazzo is an aggregate of crushed stone with a binder...
36 views
Sylvia Rose
- Mar 11
- 4 min
Black Pigments of Ancient Artisans
Black is among the first pigments in the palette of early humans. By Paleolithic times, black defines lines, shadows and meaning. Black...
52 views
Sylvia Rose
- Mar 8
- 5 min
Kaolinite: White Pigment with Benefits
Kaolinite, a white clay mineral, is among the first pigments. It's created by the weathering of minerals found in stone. Present in...
24 views
Sylvia Rose
- Mar 6
- 7 min
Red Ocher (Ochre) Ancient Pigments
Red ocher is among the first colors appearing on the palette of early humans, along with white and red. Black, white and red are also the...
51 views
Sylvia Rose
- Mar 3
- 5 min
Limonite: Ancient Earth Pigments
Limonite is an iron earth mineraloid among the first colors of the Stone Age palette. Grinding limonite produces yellow ochre. Other...
38 views
Sylvia Rose
- Mar 1
- 5 min
Shamhat: Sacred Prostitute & the Wild Man
Sacred prostitute (harīmtu) Shamhat is a Mesopotamian legend. She's a central character in part of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Shamhat is...
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Sylvia Rose
- Feb 27
- 4 min
Oldest Cult Megaliths - Gobekli Tepe
Göbekli Tepe (Gobeki Tepe) is the oldest known group of cult buildings in the world, dating c. 9500 BCE. In central south Turkey near the...
32 views
Sylvia Rose
- Feb 24
- 6 min
Prussian Blue - Delight of Artists & Poisoners
Prussian blue is a vibrant hue first created in 1706 by Swiss German paint manufacturer Johann Diesbach (1670 - 1748) in Berlin. A vivid...
54 views
Sylvia Rose
- Feb 23
- 5 min
Lead White & Minium Red: Colors to Die For
Since early antiquity, the iron ore cerussite has yielded brilliant white and red pigments used in art and even medicine. In ancient...
51 views
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