Most of us are probably familiar with the 1995 epic movie Braveheart, with Mel Gibson. That movie is probably what first comes mind when we mention the name of William Wallace. He was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the wars of Scottish independence from England at the end of the 13th century and beginning of the 14th.
William Wallace won the important Battle of Stirling Bridge against the English army on September 11, 1297. After that, he became Guardian of Scotland until his defeat at the Battle of Farkilk in 1298. Some years later, in 1305, they captured and executed him.
The painting by Daniel Maclise represents the trial, which took place on August 23, 1305. Although the title in the box is Trial of William Wallace, the true title of the painting is Wallace's Trial in Westminster Hall. They charged him with high treason and crimes against English civilians.
The execution of William Wallace
As soon as the scene in the painting concluded, they hanged him. However, they released him while he was still alive. Then, they emasculated him, eviscerated him, and burned his bowels before him. Finally, they beheaded him and cut him into four parts. They...
Art
1500, F.X. Schmid, Tribute to Nelson, William E. D. Stuart
23
Jul
The title of this naval battle is Tribute to Nelson, by the British artist William E.D. Stuart. He flourished as a painter in the mid-19th century, but there is not much information available about this painter or his works. That is surprising, since he has left some exceptional paintings, like this one.
We are assuming it refers to British Admiral Horatio Nelson, but there is no reference to any particular battle or war event. Based on the information on the box, the reproduction for the manufacturer F.X. Schmid was a courtesy of the Rehs Galleries Inc. in New York, USA. After having searched the inventory, I haven’t found this painting, and it is very likely that it went to some private collector.
I completed the puzzle in the summer of 2014. These naval battle puzzles are challenging when they are larger, but in this case it was doable, because there are many different fields of color. It has a lot of detail and variation in shades. Most naval battles have a lot of sea and sky pieces, and they are difficult, but in this painting the scene is full and there are plenty of references, so the puzzle is easy.
Tribute to Nelson and...
1500, Schmidt, Bouquet, Jan Brueghel the Elder
02
Jul
This Bouquet was painted by Jan Brueghel the Elder in 1603. This painter was the son of Pieter Brueghel the Elder and brother of Pieter Brueghel the Younger. At the same time, he was the father of Jan Brueghel the Younger. There are many jigsaw puzzles in the market by all the different members of this family of artists, and I had several of them in my collection. The original painting can be seen at the Alte Pinakothek, in Munich, Germany.
Not being a big fan of paintings with still lifes and flowers, I have completed two jigsaw puzzles with that topic. This one had its own challenges due to the large number of dark pieces. I bought it second hand, I don’t remember when or where, and in the end there were two missing pieces and one seriously damaged, which I ended up discarding.
The puzzle is now available for replacements in the Missing Pieces section.
1500, Schmidt, Bouquet, Jan Brueghel the Elder, 57 x 84.4 cm, Reference Number 625.2636.
1500, MB, Suburbs of a Paranoiac Critical Town, Salvador Dalí
28
Jun
The complete title of this painting is Suburbs of a Paranoiac-Critical Town: Afternoon on the Outskirts of European History, and the artist is the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí. Although Dalí has very strong supporters, he is not one of my favorite painters, and I don't like this particular work very much. I think I bought the puzzle because it was rare and it was a way to add variety to my collection.
The puzzle was manufactured by MB. The image in the jigsaw puzzle represents only a part of the original. Surrealism is difficult to understand, and it is even difficult to relate the content of the painting and the title. Perhaps they thought it wouldn't make much difference to crop the image and leave out what I think it's a significant part of the content.
The puzzle was very easy to assemble. It was completed during the summer of 2014. Once piece was missing and the puzzle is now offered for replacements at the Missing Pieces section.
1500, MB, Suburbs of a Paranoiac-Critical Town: Afternoon on the Outskirts of European History, Salvador Dalí, 79 x 60 cm, Reference Number 3753.23.