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Frederick Cayley Robinson in ‘Country Life’
An article by Peyton Skipwith in the current issue of Country Life discusses the four large paintings by Frederick Cayley Robinson which are displayed at the entrance to the Wellcome Library. [1] The author calls Cayley Robinson “that rare phenomenon—an… Continue reading
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Two empresses and their sons
SS. Constantine and Helena. Russian painting on wood. Wellcome Library no. 34400i Empresses are rarely encountered. However a small Russian painting in the Wellcome Library records a bond between two empresses who lived fifteen centuries apart. As will be seen,… Continue reading
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Thoughts for the weekend
Here is a crisply expressed idea about medical history: In defining primary sources, context is important. A historian must strive to situate the topic in time and place. No medical subject—be it a person, a practice, an institution, a technology,… Continue reading
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Apple pie order
Ayurveda all in a row The Wellcome Library is closed this week (29 June-5 July) to enable the staff to carry out numerous stocktaking and ordering projects for the benefit of its users. For example books on the open shelves… Continue reading
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Item of the month June 2009: The Jagannāth Triad
Wellcome Library no. 45182i Faced with these striking figures for the first time, one could be forgiven for bemusement: who or what are these goggle-eyed black-and-white minstrels? This and eight related paintings were bought by Sir Henry Wellcome at Stevens’… Continue reading
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Galileo and Jewish Emancipation
Milton visiting Galileo. Oil painting by Solomon Hart, 1847. Wellcome Library, London no. 45632i During his sojourn in Italy in 1638, the English poet John Milton visited Galileo who was then under house-arrest at Arcetri near Florence. Six years later,… Continue reading
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Robert Whytt portrayed from the life
Robert Whytt. Oil painting by G.B. Bellucci, 1738. Wellcome Library no. 665664i Robert Whytt (1714-1766) was both a practising physician in Edinburgh and a professor at Edinburgh University. His extensive writings record his search for answers to questions that… Continue reading
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Telescope and Paintbrush in Pisa
Galileo Galilei. Oil painting. Wellcome Library no. 45628i The summer of 2009 sees a wave of celebrations to mark the fourth centenary of Galileo’s first use of the telescope to observe celestial phenomena. In his birthplace Pisa, the exhibition Telescope… Continue reading
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Layers of identity: Sir Charles Wyndham
Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End is hard to miss. Located in Charing Cross Road next to Leicester Square Underground station and adorned with crisp neo-baroque stone-carvings, it is surrounded in the early evenings by theatre-goers waiting for friends before… Continue reading
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Centenary: Stacey Hopper, born 28 April 1909
The artist Stacey Hopper was born exactly 100 years ago, at Aberaman, now part of the town of Aberdare, South Wales, on 28 April 1909. Thousands of people will have seen his work without knowing his name. His claim to… Continue reading