wall painting

Visions of Mary Magdalene

In early Christian art, Mary Magdalene was a key figure in the Resurrection of Christ, as first witness and ‘apostle to the apostles’. Diane Apostolos-Cappadona explores how her significance was set in stone, tiled on walls, and carved in wood and ivory.

Left The wall paintings on the south wall of the south aisle at St Cadoc’s church, Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, with the magnificent St George in the centre and Death and the Gallant to the left. Higher up is the princess rescued by St George and her royal parents peering anxiously from the battlements of their palace. To the right is the Virgin blessing the scene beneath the shield of the probable sponsor (the Bawdrip family, of nearby Fonmon Castle), and beyond are depictions of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Lost and found: wall paintings and rood-screens in Welsh churches

In response to the Black Lives Matter protests of June 2020, influential voices within the Anglican church called for the removal of every monument and stained-glass window commemorating people connected with slavery and empire. Ideologically motivated change on such a scale might seem unprecedented, but it has happened time and again throughout history, not least in the 16th and 17th centuries when wall paintings were obliterated and rood-lofts demolished. New discoveries remind us what we have lost, as Chris Catling reports.

Image: Sahar N Saleem

World News: Egypt, China, Eurasia

News touching on CT scans of the mummified remains of Pharaoh Seqenenre-Taa-II (c.1558-1553 BC), a mistake uncovered on 800-year-old wall paintings in a cave in China, and a new theory concerning the domestication of dogs by early humans in Eurasia.

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Brescia: Wings of Victory

After it was discovered hidden in a Roman temple with other works of art, a bronze statue of Victory attracted the attention of rulers and writers, who praised and sought copies of the ancient masterpiece. Now restored, the winged statue is back on view in its former home. Dalu Jones tells the story of Brixia’s beautiful bronzes.

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Grand Designs at Heraculaneum

One of the most lavish dwellings in Roman Herculaneum, the House of the Bicentenary reopened to the public in 2019 after decades of conservation efforts. Francesco Sirano, Director of the Parco Archeologico di Ercolano, and Leslie Rainer from the Getty Conservation Institute tell the story of this magnificent house, its discovery, its decline, and how it has been brought to life once more.