Letter from Catherine of Aragon to be auctioned

From This is London:

A document that records one of the defining moments behind England’s split from the Roman Catholic Church will go under the hammer next month.

The letter was penned by Catherine of Aragon in 1534 as she desperately tried to cling on to her marriage to King Henry VIII.
In it the estranged noblewoman begs her nephew Roman Emperor Charles V to ask Pope Clement VII to uphold her marriage to the King.

Full article

The article also has a picture of the letter, although not large enough to read.

Sting’s “Songs from the Labyrinth”

As I mentioned a few month’s back, Sting’s new album is the music of Elizabethan musician John Dowland. There has been a lot of press on the album since its release last week, so here is a round-up of just a few, as well as links to Amazon US and UK to buy it if you’re intrigued!

From The Telegraph: A Step Back in Time – Sting has exchanged his guitar for a lute, returning to the renaissance for inspiration.

From The Guardian: Sting makes lute popular again

From The Independent: Sting plucks lute composer from obscurity



iTunes not showing episodes

Well, I’m not sure what’s going on, but the episodes and reviews for the podcast aren’t showing up in iTunes right now. I’ll investigate and see if something is goofed up. I haven’t changed anything and the feed seems to be okay, so it might be something on Apple’s end.

The next new episode should be ready next week, so hopefully I’ll get it fixed before then!

UPDATE: Seems to be working now. I have no idea what happened to break it or to fix it, but the eps are listed and reviews are back. Strange!

[Comments are closed on older posts. If you wish to make a comment, please contact Lara via the link in the sidebar.]

Tower of London Memorial

Here’s another story that has gotten lost in the shuffle over the past couple of months…

From 24 Hour Museum:

TOWER OF LONDON UNVEILS MEMORIAL TO THE EXECUTED
By Richard Moss

English Queens, nobles and a trio of unfortunate Scottish soldiers are amongst the names commemorated on a new permanent memorial, unveiled at the Tower of London on September 4 2006.
…
Comprising two engraved circles with a glass-sculpted pillow at its centre, the larger circle of dark stone bears a poem – written by the artist – around its rim, whilst the upper glass circle bears the engraved names of the ten famous and not so famous individuals executed in front of the Chapel Royal.

Full article

“Ugly Betty” Necklace

A couple of people have mentioned this, so I thought I would post something about it… There is a new show on ABC in the States called “Ugly Betty” where the title character wears a necklace with an initial “B” that should look familiar to Tudor fans. You can see the character wearing the necklace here.

And, if you would like a “B” (or any other initial) necklace of your own, you can get them here:
Parrish Relics (who actually supplied the necklaces for the show!)

Ghost Story Contest update

I just wanted to mention here that I’ve clarified the $5 entry fee on the story contest. The money is to cover Wendy’s expenses (the prize, mailing it to the winner from Australia, etc.) and any left over money will be donated to UNICEF. Also, Wendy’s Yahoo address appears to be bouncing, so we’ve switched it to her other email address if you need to get in contact with her.

Thanks!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has been leaving nice comments and sending me emails about the podcast. I’m very happy that people have been enjoying it. It’s been a lot of fun to do, so I’m glad that others are getting enjoyment out of it as well.

[Comments are closed on older posts. If you wish to make a comment, please contact Lara via the link in the sidebar.]

Lots of Holbein!

With the Tate exhibition opening tomorrow, there has been another burst of articles about Holbein and his art. Here’s a round-up!

Holbein’s pen and ink portrait of Sir Thomas More and his family will be on display in the exhibition:

BBC: Tate displays rare More portrait

The Guardian: Renaissance man comes home: Intimate portrait of Sir Thomas More and family returns after nearly 500 years

Times Online: Holbein’s pen-and-ink drawing returns Thomas More to London

Additional articles:

Guardian: Face to face with death: Many of Holbein’s subjects were executed by Henry VIII; his portraits of them are elegiac, yet hypnotically full of life. [Slideshow with this article]

Telegraph: An eye into the soul: As Tate Britain’s outstanding new show demonstrates, Holbein’s portraits of even the plainest sitter shimmer irresistibly with an emotional truth. [Slideshow with this article]

Bloomberg: Overweight Henry VIII Stars in Holbein Exhibit at Tate Britain

Channel 4: Henry’s family portraits on show [Video report]

Guardian: Holbein’s lady sheds light on court life

Times Online: The man who invented portraits

Kristin Scott Thomas Joins ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ Cast

Kristin Scott Thomas has been cast to play the mother of Anne and Mary Boleyn (to be played by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson) in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl.

Lots of articles have shown up in the past few days on this one, so I’ll just link to a few:

Empire Movies – Kristin Scott Thomas is Another Boleyn Girl
Production Weekly – Scott Thomas Mothers Boleyn Girls
Film Force – Boleyn’s Big Momma

Away for the weekend and Monday

Hello all! I’m going to be out of town for the weekend and Monday, and back in the office around lunchtime on Tuesday. There might be a delay on replies to email, posting questions or approval of blog comments. I have no idea what to expect in the way of internet access for the next three days, so some stuff might not get done until Tuesday.

Moved personal blog

Just in case any of you have been reading my personal blog, I just wanted to warn you that it has moved to a new address at blog.larae.net Basically I’ve replaced the index of my personal website with the blog. I’ve added a link to my Flickr photosets over on the right sidebar, in case anyone is interested in looking through those.

Replica of Mary I’s Wedding Dress on Display

From EDP24:

[V]isitors to a Norfolk National Trust property have a unique chance to see a reproduction of the magnificent bright purple gown she wore – a reproduction which has been made by costume historian Tanya Elliot after three years of painstaking research.
…
The replica wedding dress – featuring layer upon layer of shifts in rich materials, including satin and pearls, and “goldwork” embroidery – will be on display in the King’s Room at Oxburgh Hall, near Swaffham, until Wednesday, October 4.

Full article

Elizabethan Shipwreck Discovery Made Public

From Dive Magazine

A team of British divers has discovered the wreck of an Elizabethan ship off Alderney in the Channel Islands. Cannon, muskets, swords, helmets and armour stamped with the monogram of Elizabeth I were among the objects found at the 400-year-old wreck, which sits at a depth of 26m to 30m.

The divers found the wreck in the early 1990s, but archaeologists decided to keep its existence secret to protect the find while excavation work was carried out. However, the charity set up to oversee the work said it has now decided to go public so it can raise money to continue the work.

Full article here

You can learn more about the wreck at their official website: The Alderney Elizabethan Wreck