I’m once more waiting. This time it is for the pie filling to cool
before I put it in the pastry casing. Today we’re having another Chicken &
Vegetable Pie. We have a soft spot for them, especially when they’re homemade.
While I’ve been sorting out the filling & the potato peeling
for the accompanying mash, I’ve had the radio on. “Start the Week: The Body
Beautiful” was on. It discussed various subjects within that title.
One was the importance of Nicholas Hilliard, the famous miniaturist
of the reign of Elizabeth I. I first came across him when I was doing some
research on the Lady Anne Clifford, an extraordinary lady who, when not at
court, lived much of her life in her various castles in Cumbria &
Yorkshire. Hilliard painted a fabulous portrait of Lady Anne’s father, George
Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, at that time the Queen’s Champion in jousts.
Looking at Hilliard’s portrait I’m particularly struck by the delicacy of the
lace ruffs, the fine features of the faces. The amount of detail on such tiny
paintings is amazing. What I hadn’t realised was that Hilliard was the first
English artist to receive international acclaim.
Another aspect of the “Body Beautiful” is being shown in an art
exhibition (in London, of course) based on the nude. One thing it raised was
just how shocking the nude painting was. In the age of the Renaissance, where
so many nudes appeared, it was regarded as sinful even for spouses to see each other
naked, & yet this is the period of Michelangelo with his David & his
Sistine Chapel with all its bare figures.
All in all it was an interesting programme that has left me with
many thoughts running through my head.
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