Muse

@xmuse_ • 218,519 subscribers

Musing on art, culture & heritage. Beauty in everything.

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Monet slowly going blind... you can feel the rage in his paintings.

Monet slowly going blind... you can feel the rage in his paintings.

1,706,304 görüntüleme

Why does almost no one look at The Wedding Feast at Cana, opposite the Mona Lisa?

Why does almost no one look at The Wedding Feast at Cana, opposite the Mona Lisa?

1,002,014 görüntüleme

A hidden gem, quite literally. This sparkling diamond, set free in recycled gold, transformed by Fie Bodenhoff.

A hidden gem, quite literally. This sparkling diamond, set free in recycled gold, transformed by Fie Bodenhoff.

7,767,299 görüntüleme

I'd choose this over Gmail anytime! 💌

I'd choose this over Gmail anytime! 💌

12,893,341 görüntüleme

Always loved this piece by Canova. Theseus and the Minotaur, 1790.

Always loved this piece by Canova. Theseus and the Minotaur, 1790.

2,828,747 görüntüleme

This is not fabric. It's oil paint. No photography could do this yet. So Gavriil Yakovlev had to paint every single thread by hand. Look at it. The lace, the silk bows, the pearls sinking into skin, the tulle veil so thin you can see her shoulders through it. Even the cameo on her bracelet. This is Ekaterina Nikolaevna Volotskaya. She was 21 when she sat for this in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Gavriil Yakovlev, 1855

This is not fabric. It's oil paint. No photography could do this yet. So Gavriil Yakovlev had to paint every single thread by hand. Look at it. The lace, the silk bows, the pearls sinking into skin, the tulle veil so thin you can see her shoulders through it. Even the cameo on her bracelet. This is Ekaterina Nikolaevna Volotskaya. She was 21 when she sat for this in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Gavriil Yakovlev, 1855

65,651 görüntüleme

In a small Greek village stands the Byzantine Church of Porta Panagia, built in 1283 and still beautifully unchanged 🇬🇷

In a small Greek village stands the Byzantine Church of Porta Panagia, built in 1283 and still beautifully unchanged 🇬🇷

3,168,112 görüntüleme

It still remains a mystery to me how Monet did this. 1874. Paris. Monet and a bunch of broke young artists couldn't get into the official Salon because the jury kept rejecting them. So they decided to do their own show. Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Cézanne - 30 of them renting a photographer named Nadar's studio. Monet puts up this small, sketchy painting from Le Havre. A sunrise, loose brushstrokes, barely finished. He couldn't even think of a proper title, so in the catalog he wrote 'Impression, Sunrise'. A critic named Louis Leroy comes in. He hated it. He writes a sarcastic review in Le Charivari called 'The Exhibition of the Impressionists' and says: "Impression — I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it... and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape." He meant it as an insult. But the insult stuck. And became the name of the biggest art movement of the century.

It still remains a mystery to me how Monet did this. 1874. Paris. Monet and a bunch of broke young artists couldn't get into the official Salon because the jury kept rejecting them. So they decided to do their own show. Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Cézanne - 30 of them renting a photographer named Nadar's studio. Monet puts up this small, sketchy painting from Le Havre. A sunrise, loose brushstrokes, barely finished. He couldn't even think of a proper title, so in the catalog he wrote 'Impression, Sunrise'. A critic named Louis Leroy comes in. He hated it. He writes a sarcastic review in Le Charivari called 'The Exhibition of the Impressionists' and says: "Impression — I was certain of it. I was just telling myself that, since I was impressed, there had to be some impression in it... and what freedom, what ease of workmanship! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished than that seascape." He meant it as an insult. But the insult stuck. And became the name of the biggest art movement of the century.

161,426 görüntüleme

This 2,000 year old fresco belonged to the wife of Emperor Augustus. Painted in 30 BC for Empress Livia’s summer dining room. It was buried in her villa in Prima Porta for centuries, then moved to Palazzo Massimo, Rome to save it. And it still looks like this.

This 2,000 year old fresco belonged to the wife of Emperor Augustus. Painted in 30 BC for Empress Livia’s summer dining room. It was buried in her villa in Prima Porta for centuries, then moved to Palazzo Massimo, Rome to save it. And it still looks like this.

26,612 görüntüleme

Gorgeous drinks cabinet from the 1930s.

Gorgeous drinks cabinet from the 1930s.

5,863,306 görüntüleme

In 1967 this was the world's tallest statue. The Motherland Calls is a colossal WWII memorial in Volgograd, Russia, on the hill of Mamayev Kurgan — the site of the Battle of Stalingrad.

In 1967 this was the world's tallest statue. The Motherland Calls is a colossal WWII memorial in Volgograd, Russia, on the hill of Mamayev Kurgan — the site of the Battle of Stalingrad.

1,141,142 görüntüleme

This is why leather craft will never die. Geometric stamping looks so simple until you actually try it. Every single hit has to be perfect. Leather remembers everything and one stamp too deep or one line off-angle, and the whole pattern is ruined. You can't erase it. This technique is hundreds of years old. Before machines, this is how people made bags that survived the harshest journeys, saddles that lasted a lifetime, and cases that carried their entire lives. It's slow. It's loud. It's hard on the hands. And that's exactly why it lasts. Thanks to leathersmiths like Clair Kehrberg.

This is why leather craft will never die. Geometric stamping looks so simple until you actually try it. Every single hit has to be perfect. Leather remembers everything and one stamp too deep or one line off-angle, and the whole pattern is ruined. You can't erase it. This technique is hundreds of years old. Before machines, this is how people made bags that survived the harshest journeys, saddles that lasted a lifetime, and cases that carried their entire lives. It's slow. It's loud. It's hard on the hands. And that's exactly why it lasts. Thanks to leathersmiths like Clair Kehrberg.

126,346 görüntüleme

When it’s blue, it’s Persian blue. 🩵 Pure silk carpet. Tehran, Iran

When it’s blue, it’s Persian blue. 🩵 Pure silk carpet. Tehran, Iran

2,347,515 görüntüleme

In a bedroom of ancient Pompeii, a story from Greek myth was painted on the wall. This fresco of Leda and the Swan, Zeus in disguise, and the origins of Helen of Troy. 2,000 years later, after Vesuvius froze the city in time, the fresco is still here.

In a bedroom of ancient Pompeii, a story from Greek myth was painted on the wall. This fresco of Leda and the Swan, Zeus in disguise, and the origins of Helen of Troy. 2,000 years later, after Vesuvius froze the city in time, the fresco is still here.

644,646 görüntüleme

This has to be the prettiest seal ever 🖤

This has to be the prettiest seal ever 🖤

1,054,700 görüntüleme

I love this porcelain tea strainer like a little umbrella.

I love this porcelain tea strainer like a little umbrella.

1,221,214 görüntüleme

And here are the first images from the Louvre heist — inside the Apollo Gallery, where it all took place. A man dressed as a construction worker breaks open a display case. Museum visitors walk by, unaware that a robbery is unfolding right beside them. How does something so brazen happen in one of the most secure museums in the world?

And here are the first images from the Louvre heist — inside the Apollo Gallery, where it all took place. A man dressed as a construction worker breaks open a display case. Museum visitors walk by, unaware that a robbery is unfolding right beside them. How does something so brazen happen in one of the most secure museums in the world?

2,501,662 görüntüleme

Lebanon in summer, the Mediterranean never disappoints 🇱🇧

Lebanon in summer, the Mediterranean never disappoints 🇱🇧

949,600 görüntüleme

The Romans built this villa in the early 4th century, probably for a very high‑ranking official, maybe even an emperor. Every corridor, every room, every bath, every reception hall was covered in mosaics. What’s even more impressive is how it survived. The villa was buried under mud after a massive landslide in the Middle Ages, and that disaster ended up being its protection. The roof collapsed, the walls fell, but the mosaics stayed sealed under layers of earth for centuries, untouched by weather, war, or looters. When archaeologists finally uncovered it in the 20th century, they found the largest collection of Roman mosaics anywhere...more than 3,500 square meters of them!

The Romans built this villa in the early 4th century, probably for a very high‑ranking official, maybe even an emperor. Every corridor, every room, every bath, every reception hall was covered in mosaics. What’s even more impressive is how it survived. The villa was buried under mud after a massive landslide in the Middle Ages, and that disaster ended up being its protection. The roof collapsed, the walls fell, but the mosaics stayed sealed under layers of earth for centuries, untouched by weather, war, or looters. When archaeologists finally uncovered it in the 20th century, they found the largest collection of Roman mosaics anywhere...more than 3,500 square meters of them!

454,447 görüntüleme

This is the largest monument in the world dedicated to Christopher Columbus. Castillo de Colomares (1994) in Benalmádena, Spain 🇪🇸 Happy Columbus Day!

This is the largest monument in the world dedicated to Christopher Columbus. Castillo de Colomares (1994) in Benalmádena, Spain 🇪🇸 Happy Columbus Day!

27,155 görüntüleme

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Two instruments that should never meet but when they do, you get this. The kora is 300 years old. 21 strings made from a calabash and cow skin, from West Africa. The cello is 500 years old. 4 strings, from 16th century Europe. Different worlds with different histories but they speak the same language. Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal from their album Chamber Music.

Two instruments that should never meet but when they do, you get this. The kora is 300 years old. 21 strings made from a calabash and cow skin, from West Africa. The cello is 500 years old. 4 strings, from 16th century Europe. Different worlds with different histories but they speak the same language. Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal from their album Chamber Music.

96,424 görüntüleme • 4 gün önce

His face: 😊 His voice: 💀 If testosterone had a voice, this would be it 🗣️

His face: 😊 His voice: 💀 If testosterone had a voice, this would be it 🗣️

847,789 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

Transylvania, 1939. A world that no longer exists.

Transylvania, 1939. A world that no longer exists.

1,324,690 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

It's crazy how much technique one needs to have to be able to simplify something this way. Portrait of Mrs. Asher B. Wertheimer, 1898

It's crazy how much technique one needs to have to be able to simplify something this way. Portrait of Mrs. Asher B. Wertheimer, 1898

665,011 görüntüleme • 28 gün önce

This is the genius of Jan van Eyck. The closer you look the crazier it gets. This painting is only about 66 cm tall but he hid so many details you could stare for hours. Almost 600 years later, you look at this painting and still wonder - how?! Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, c.1435

This is the genius of Jan van Eyck. The closer you look the crazier it gets. This painting is only about 66 cm tall but he hid so many details you could stare for hours. Almost 600 years later, you look at this painting and still wonder - how?! Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, c.1435

95,657 görüntüleme • 5 gün önce

The shamisen only has three strings, but it’s amazing how versatile it is. It’s been a huge part of Japanese theater and folk music forever, and watching Masato Shibata play it with so much pure joy is just incredible.

The shamisen only has three strings, but it’s amazing how versatile it is. It’s been a huge part of Japanese theater and folk music forever, and watching Masato Shibata play it with so much pure joy is just incredible.

725,031 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

I always find it impressive how something so humble can take this much skill and precision. A thatched roof looks simple, but the craft behind it is anything but.

I always find it impressive how something so humble can take this much skill and precision. A thatched roof looks simple, but the craft behind it is anything but.

799,327 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

There's this Japanese food with almost zero calories, made from the konjac root. Called konnyaku, it's a traditional favorite for adding volume and texture to dishes without the extra calories.

There's this Japanese food with almost zero calories, made from the konjac root. Called konnyaku, it's a traditional favorite for adding volume and texture to dishes without the extra calories.

3,791,379 görüntüleme • 8 ay önce

Top is Monet. Bottom is real life. 140 years later, Normandy still looks exactly like his paintings.

Top is Monet. Bottom is real life. 140 years later, Normandy still looks exactly like his paintings.

78,066 görüntüleme • 7 gün önce

I haven’t shared Mad Charcoal in a while but this one was too good not to.

I haven’t shared Mad Charcoal in a while but this one was too good not to.

207,150 görüntüleme • 19 gün önce

A Beethoven working session between student and professor that happens to sound this good — and give Saturday a lift. Justus Eichhorn & Grigory Gruzman

A Beethoven working session between student and professor that happens to sound this good — and give Saturday a lift. Justus Eichhorn & Grigory Gruzman

313,602 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

The man who got lost and changed the world. Four kings representing Castile, León, Navarre, and Aragon, carrying Christopher Columbus for eternity in Seville Cathedral.

The man who got lost and changed the world. Four kings representing Castile, León, Navarre, and Aragon, carrying Christopher Columbus for eternity in Seville Cathedral.

64,931 görüntüleme • 7 gün önce

Homemade ice cream? Sure Recipe: cream, sugar, vanilla… And, of course… Canada’s −15 °C 😂

Homemade ice cream? Sure Recipe: cream, sugar, vanilla… And, of course… Canada’s −15 °C 😂

3,050,699 görüntüleme • 8 ay önce

And this what a triple ceramic snake flute from the Aztec tradition of modern-day Mexico sounds like, played by danielhhand.

And this what a triple ceramic snake flute from the Aztec tradition of modern-day Mexico sounds like, played by danielhhand.

794,163 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

Royal history loves the crown. It is quieter about the body that had to produce it. A queen’s fertility was treated as state infrastructure. Courts timed pregnancies, announced quickenings, and read miscarriages as political omens or as grounds for discarding a queen. The woman’s health was secondary to the succession. > Margaret Theresa of Spain was married to her uncle at 15, pregnant almost continuously, and dead at 21. > Queen Anne endured 17 pregnancies and left no surviving heir. > Catherine of Aragon’s six recorded pregnancies produced one living child and a dynasty crisis. > Eleanor of Castile spent two decades bearing 14 to 16 children while travelling with Edward I, and died at 49. > Jane Seymour delivered the longed-for son and was dead within days.

Royal history loves the crown. It is quieter about the body that had to produce it. A queen’s fertility was treated as state infrastructure. Courts timed pregnancies, announced quickenings, and read miscarriages as political omens or as grounds for discarding a queen. The woman’s health was secondary to the succession. > Margaret Theresa of Spain was married to her uncle at 15, pregnant almost continuously, and dead at 21. > Queen Anne endured 17 pregnancies and left no surviving heir. > Catherine of Aragon’s six recorded pregnancies produced one living child and a dynasty crisis. > Eleanor of Castile spent two decades bearing 14 to 16 children while travelling with Edward I, and died at 49. > Jane Seymour delivered the longed-for son and was dead within days.

193,339 görüntüleme • 23 gün önce

A soft, beautifully braided Easter milk bread. Bookmark for inspo, recipe’s in the comments.

A soft, beautifully braided Easter milk bread. Bookmark for inspo, recipe’s in the comments.

1,679,246 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce

They don't make them like they used to! Charlie Chaplin 😂

They don't make them like they used to! Charlie Chaplin 😂

2,774,639 görüntüleme • 10 ay önce

Imagine the streets of today, but in an era where femininity, tailoring, and elegance were just how you got dressed every day. Should we bring this back?

Imagine the streets of today, but in an era where femininity, tailoring, and elegance were just how you got dressed every day. Should we bring this back?

77,545 görüntüleme • 11 gün önce

This is what a khaen sounds like 🎶 It’s a traditional Lao/Isan free-reed mouth organ made of bamboo pipes, usually heard in folk ensembles, but Jerem.khaen takes it to the streets and makes it hit completely differently.

This is what a khaen sounds like 🎶 It’s a traditional Lao/Isan free-reed mouth organ made of bamboo pipes, usually heard in folk ensembles, but Jerem.khaen takes it to the streets and makes it hit completely differently.

596,413 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

This is what a contrabase E-flat Aeolian drone flute sounds like 🎶 Made by Garrison Sheffield of Scissortail Flutes.

This is what a contrabase E-flat Aeolian drone flute sounds like 🎶 Made by Garrison Sheffield of Scissortail Flutes.

646,558 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce