Affected by avatars (among other things)

He did! I was just reading about it! Damned Savonarola! Triply and thripply damned!

imagine what was lost!

I love that Venus painting...

My avatar is actually a picture of me that I took one night when I got in rather late and somewhat the worse for wear. It's a reflection from my TV screen and I used the solarise effect on the camera to do it. It's only a relatively small part of the pic too.
I'm not exactly photogenic but I reckon this is about the best pic ever taken of me. Probably because you can't see my face properly

Burning Botticellis?!? NO!!!!! I must have missed that historical tidbit. Where were you reading about it, deb?

Did you know that Savonarola was ultimately burned at the stake on the same spot where he'd ordered the book & art bonfires? Poetic justice, I say. There's a marker in the pavement in Florence's main square, the Piazza della Signoria. Actually, they hung him first, then burned him at the stake. Good for them.

Ah, well, he was bonfired himself in just about the same exact spot a few years later....

So this savonarola guy was hot AND well hung. Some guys have all the luck.

I have lots of refs for Sav's story, but old fashioned book ones. The best was an old out of print (old, as in the 1890's) by a Mrs. Oliphant, Makers of Florence.

There should be something on it in Mary McCarthy's Stones of Florence.

Christopher Hibbert writes about one of the bonfires in his The House of the Medici: Its Rise and Fall -
"A scaffold was built in front of the palazzo Signoria and costumes and looking glasses and rouge pots and jewelry were placed around it; books and drawings that might bring impure thoughts, playing cards and dice, and pictures by Botticelli and others were put on top, as well as an effigy of an art dealer. The whole thing was set on fire, a choir chanted, trumpets blew, and bells rang."

That was around 1495, if I remember correctly.

In 1498, Fra Savonarola was burned at the stake in the same piazza. From a quote by Harold Acton of Luca Lunducci - "The scaffolding was set up on the aringhiera next to the lion; a pre-burning ceremony in front of church representatives was performed, to affirm his heresy, then he and two followers were hung and burned."

I'm very interested in piazzas and their place in cities and history - took these quotes from some of my notes on piazza Signoria.

Comments on Botticelli might be in Vasari's Lives of the Artists too - that was written in the 1500's (still out in paperback..)

Oh, and as I remember, Botticelli's paintings were not donated to the pile by anyone else but him...he followed Fra Savonarola.

Heliotrope ~ your pic kinda looks like James Hetfield from Metallica.....something you're not telling us?

Thanks for the compliment Rae
A few years ago when I had long hair occasionally people would suggest that I looked like James.
I am not the man himself however, I'm happy being me.

Re: Affected by avatars (among other things)

Yeah, just who does have the best avatar on A2K anyways?

OH!

I saw the author's name on this thread & got excited: Tartarin's back!
But it's just an old thread from way back!

Yup, Reyn's just looking at the old one's from way back hoping to revive some good ones.

I'm always delighted to see you, Reyn, but it would be so nice to see Tartarin again, too!

As far as who has the best avatar.

I think it is kicky's

When I first started posting, his was the first one I recognized and associated with a name.

Also, I was intrigued by the picture to try to figure out what the person is like.

I think it matches him.........







I'm thinking of changing mine again......or.......do you think mine suits me?

I think it's pretty good.

Mysterious and "dangerous".

Unless, of course, a pic of yourself will accomplish the same thing. :wink:

A picture of me would incite fear and loathing, mixed with a vague feeling that you forgot to put your underwear on this morning and your fly's open.

Oh, now that would be worthwhile....hehe!

Sort of a Mati Hari thing.

Chai, you should leave yours. Boobs are good.

NO NO NO!

Now I am Mata Hari!

Hey, I like this! Very nice.

I don't think I'd want to mess with you in certain forums.