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Had to google this painting as it isn't printed in the book, and the description fascinated me. Memorial portrait made by siblings Gerard and Gesina Ter Borch after the death of their youngest brother, Moses who fell in battle against the English. Look at that hair! The pose! The pieces of his armour! The time pieces! The snake! The random skull and puppy and huge conch shell. ❤️💔

This was the masterpiece that drew Marcel Proust out of his cork-lined room in Paris for the last time. He had seen it once before, in a visit to The Hague in 1902. It was to him ‘the most beautiful painting in the world‘. Almost twenty years later, suffering from lung disease, he made a shorter but more arduous pilgrimage from his apartment in boulevard Malesherbes, near the Madeleine, across four streets to the Jeu de Paume,

The spoils of today‘s bookshop visit!

This is a book that shouldn‘t work. It meanders all over the place and trying to write an outline for it would be an exercise in futility. Yet, somehow, these musings on (mainly) Dutch art, primarily that of Carel Fabritius, the author‘s painter father, artists lives and her own life comes together as a pretty magical read. The illustrations are great, but there was still plenty I was googling. Completely fascinating.

This was beautifully told. I loved listening to the author tell of Dutch paintings & artists, Fabritius & her father‘s paintings - you can tell it‘s something she‘s knowledgeable & passionate about. I listened on Spotify which came with a pdf of all the paintings she discusses but I always listen when I‘m on the go so couldn‘t keep track of which paintings she was discussing. As much as I liked the audio I‘d recommend going print or mix the two.

This #womensprize for NF long-lister is still a pick, but I chose the wrong format (audio).The author describes so many paintings and I wanted to see them - not the best idea when you listen whilst driving, as I mostly do. 😬

Even when I was at home, as all of the artists are Dutch, I couldn‘t find many of them as I didn‘t know how to spell their names. I‘ve reserved the (digital) print copy so I can re-read but it‘s not available until ⬇️

Here are some options for #round13 #groupb #lmpbc
I can grab others if these do not work.
@babyruth2510 @BookishBelle @cwarnier

Not a particularly well-crafted work of historical fiction but a satisfying vacation read nonetheless (and it fed my current Dutch obsession). Pictured: Chinatown, Victoria, BC

According to Google, this inscription and book ornament above a door in #Delft mark the building where the first Bible in the Dutch language was published in 1477.

I took a photo to remind me to look into this, as I wasn‘t sure of the translation at the time. Do you know if this correct, @BarbaraBB ?