biweekly links 9-12-2018

Madrid’s Prado Museum Will Spotlight Pioneering Duo of Female Renaissance Artists: Oooh, I wish I could go! I’m familiar with Fontana and Anguissola mostly through costuming because their portraits work as excellent visual sources, but both were truly revolutionary in their time: Fontana the first professional woman artist; Anguissola the court painter to Philip II.

Photo of renaissance woman in red velvet gown with split sleeves, a starched ruff, and white silk embroidered sleeves
See what I mean about the costume detail? “Portrait of a Young Lady” ca. 1580, Sofonisba Anguissola [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The 20 Strangest Things Revealed in Declassified CIA Documents: old news but new to me, the countdown includes some things you’d expect (UFOs, spies) but some things I certainly didn’t (Dr. Zhivago smuggled into Soviet Union, poltergeists*).

Purdue and Delaware State professors unravel century-old mystery: Yet another Voynich Manuscript theory! A new book posits a sixteenth century Mexican origin based on illustrations of supposedly New World plants. The folks at Ciphermysteries ripped this theory to shreds a couple of years back for complex cryptological reasons. I’m not a cryptographer or botanist so I’m not sure what to think, though if I remember correctly the vellum is made from the skin of a European species of cow (double-check me – I couldn’t get to a public version of the paper).

*I’m too paranoid to link directly to the CIA site but if you Google “CIA poltergeist” I promise you’ll find them.

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Allison Thurman

Raised on a diet of Star Wars, Monty Python, and In Search Of, Allison Thurman has always made stuff, lately out of words. She lives in a galaxy far, far away (well, the DC metro area) with too many books and not enough swords.

7 thoughts on “biweekly links 9-12-2018”

  1. I’m right with you on the wishing I could go; like botanical drawings, paintings (good ones at least) are far better at accurate representation of detail than any photograph.

    And the way you’ve mentioned the CIA has reminded me that I want/need to read the recently-published biography of John James Angleton (https://www.amazon.ca/Ghost-Secret-Spymaster-James-Angleton/dp/1250080614/), who was allegedly far stranger than his adored-by-me demonic chose-the-name-on-purpose namesake character (who is very strange indeed) in Charles Stross’ Laundry Files series.

  2. James Jesus Angleton, not John James. I definitely need some coffee this morning (haven’t had anything other than water so far)

  3. Hell, I’m also reading Peter Levenda’s “Sinister Forces” (read with large salt lick) if you want to read about the REALLY weird stuff CIA was getting up to!

    Do let me know how the Angleton bio works out!

  4. Bought Angleton bio from Kobo and downloaded it after writing that reply this morning. That’s phase one and two completed … 😉

  5. Well it starts with 21-year-old Angleton as a houseguest of Ezra Pound, openly taking nude photos of his host while he ‘s holding forth on some topic or other. I think strange is pretty much guaranteed … 😉

  7. “The ghost : the secret life of CIA spymaster James Jesus Angleton” by Jefferson Morley. Publisher page here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250080615

    I just know I’m going to have to re-read all the Laundry Files books that have the “imitation” Angleton (who, in universe, probably had met the real Angleton) after I finish this bio, just to see if reading the bio lets me discover any new-to-me inside jokes that sailed past previously. Bet the real one didn’t play office politics in quite the same way…

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