Heritage & History
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Christmas by Candlelight
A visit to Dennis Severs’ House for their Silent Night candlelit tour was exactly what I needed to feel ready for Christmas. Moving through the rooms in silence, lit only by candles and small fires, makes you notice every detail: the scent of oranges and pine, the quiet drip of wax, the soft glow on…
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Tile Tale: The Spanish Origins of a Global Obsession
It was a summer episode of the Spanish radio program A vivir que son dos días, featuring artist Ximena Maier and art historian Alfonso Pleguezuelo, that sent me down a fascinating rabbit hole, into the history, function, and cultural poetry of tiles. Delft-inspired tiles by Ximena Maier A Spanish Beginning: From Al-Andalus to Talavera The…
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A Maritime Cabinet of Curiosities
Long before Instagram feeds and instant snapshots, summer memories arrived home in tangible form: a ship painting in a gilt frame, a seashell necklace from a boardwalk shop, a pressed flower between the pages of a book. In the 18th and 19th centuries, sailors brought back shell-encrusted “valentines” from Caribbean ports, whalers sketched or stamped…