Latest news with #Rembrandt
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Dutch museum buys 200-year-old condom for safe sex exhibition
A world-famous Dutch museum has bought a 200-year-old decorated condom, and will display it as part of an exhibition on sex in the 19th century. The historic contraceptive, likely to have been made from a sheep's appendix, will join masterpieces including Rembrandt's The Night Watch in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Dating back to about 1830, it is particularly notable because it has an erotic etching printed on it. The Rijksmuseum said it believed the condom was 'more of a luxury brothel souvenir than an actual used condom'. The etching shows a naked nun spreading her legs and pointing at three clergymen holding up their robes and sporting prominent erections. Underneath is written 'voila, mon choix' in French, which means: 'This is my choice.' Experts believe the image is a parody of both celibacy and the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology, and that the contraceptive was probably made in France. Only two such objects are known to have survived to the present day. It is now the centrepiece of 'Safe Sex?', an exhibition on 19th-century prostitution and sexuality in the museum's Print Room, which runs until the end of November. 'You just have to have an eye for it' The condom went to auction in Haarlem in November and was bought by the museum for €1,000. Joyce Zelen, the print art curator, told Het Parool newspaper: 'Condoms with prints on them have sold for much more money in the past twenty years. I think this one didn't stand out among six thousand other lots. You just have to have an eye for it. 'For us, it is an example of a special object on which printmaking has been applied: an etching has been printed on it, a copper plate on a piece of appendix. We cannot see with the naked eye whether it came from a sheep, goat, horse or cow, so we would like to do DNA research on that.' In a statement, the museum said: 'Acquiring the condom has enabled us to focus on 19th-century sexuality and prostitution, a subject that is under-represented in our collection. 'It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health, in an era when the quest for sensual pleasure was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases – especially syphilis.' At the time, condoms were used more for protection against disease than contraception, which was a taboo frowned on by the church. There is evidence that ancient Egyptians used contraceptive sleeves 6,000 years ago. Linen sheaths were used from the late 15th century. Later, fish bladders, animal membranes and leather were used. Rubber condoms appeared after 1839 when vulcanised rubber was discovered.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Madonna turns heads in a Regency-style pinstripe waistcoat and boots as she enjoys a private midnight visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Madonna turned heads as she enjoyed a private visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Wednesday. The Queen of pop, 66, took to Instagram to share snaps of herself frolicking around the museum for the Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibition, which launched at the star-studded 2025 Met Gala. Taking style inspiration from the Costume Institute's spring show, Madonna wowed in a black and white pinstripe waistcoat layered over a white ruffled-trim shirt. She teamed it with a pair of distressed cut-out flared trousers which gave a glimpse of her thighs and square-toe lace up boots. Madonna added a long black jacket over the top of her look and accessorised with silver jewellery, a black fedora hat, and sunglasses. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She captioned the post: 'Finally got a chance to see the new Frick collection, an 18th century Jewel box on 5th Avenue. Especially fond of Rembrandt. 'Dashed over to the Met to see the SuperFine Tailoring Black Style exhibition! What a treat! So nice to see without big crowds. Well done to everyone involved.' Superfine: Tailoring Black Style presents a cultural and historical examination of style over three hundred years through the concept of Black dandyism. Visitors walk through 12 sections - Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook, Heritage, Beauty, Cool and Cosmopolitanism. The exhibition features looks from 40 contemporary Black designers including Grace Wales Bonner, Ozwald Boateng, Labrum London, Botter, Telfar,, Jeffrey Banks, Luar, Willy Chavarria, Balmain's Olivier Rousteing, Fear of God, among others. Superfine: Tailoring Black Style opened on May 10 at The Met Fifth Avenue and will run until October 26. The Met Gala adopted a theme in line with the exhibition's style and Madonna joined other A-listers in honouring the artistic creations on the red carpet. She showed off a stunning natural look as she wowed in a cream silk Tom Ford suit, designed by Haider Ackermann. Sticking to the event's Tailored for You dress code, the iconic musician displayed her interpretation in a double-breasted jacket, white shirt, cummerbund and bowtie. The androgynous look was paired with a bold fuchsia lip and smoky eyeliner, while the star puffed on a cigar. The night also saw her make her red carpet debut with her younger boyfriend Akeem Morris, 29 - with the pair looking very loved-up. The duo were first romantically linked in July 2024, as the recording artist shared photos of them celebrating Independence Day in the Big Apple. But they've known each other since at least August 2022, when they posed alongside each other for a Paper magazine cover. Madonna will 'soon' re-release her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories and she's recording a sequel to her 2005 dance album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, with musical director Stuart Price. She is the world's best-selling female recording artist and the most successful solo artist in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with 44 No. 1 singles.
Glasgow Times
26-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
The 'gorgeous' English Heritage gem 30 minutes from Watford
The English Heritage site of Kenwood House and Gardens is just a 30-minute drive from Watford. The site can also be reached by public transport in as little as one hour, starting from Watford Junction. Perfect for children and adults, Kenwood House has lots to explore and will keep everyone entertained. You can find out more about Kenwood House via English Heritage. The English Heritage gem just 30 minutes from Watford Kenwood House is best known for its collection of paintings and artwork from the likes of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals, according to English Heritage. The home, on the edge of London's Hampstead Heath, was first built in the 17th century, between 1764 and 1779. Kenwood House was later transformed by Robert Adam into a neoclassical villa for William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. Now, the estate is home to the 1st Earl of Iveagh's collection of Old Master and British paintings. The English Heritage site has lots to enjoy, including The Great Library which is described as the "star attraction". Kenwood House also offers tours throughout the week, with the Highlight Tour offering guests the chance to enjoy a one-hour tour from an expert volunteer. There are also 15-minute Spotlight Talks when guests can learn about a key item of a collection at the estate. Outside of the property, the gardens of Kenwood are not to be missed, with the grounds featuring a large parkland area, a lake, ancient woodland and a kitchen garden. Plus, there is plenty of space for children and families to relax, and picnics are encouraged. Guests can visit the Brew House cafe for some food and drinks, and on Sundays, you can order a roast at the cafe, or if you're after something quick, you can grab takeaway food from the Stewards Room. Tickets to Kenwood House are free, but guests do need to book ahead via the website here. Recommended Reading The grounds of the estate are open from 8am to 8pm daily, while the house is open from 10am to 5pm. On Tripadvisor, the English Heritage site has a rating of 4.3/5 with one guest sharing: "Such an interesting house and history of those previously living there. "All of the guides in each room of the house were absolutely amazing, so helpful, knowledgeable and interesting."
Phone Arena
22-05-2025
- Phone Arena
Hands-on: Style meets function in the new Honor 400 mid-ranger
Honor officially launched its 400 series at a special event in London on May 22. The Royal Academy of Arts hosted the announcement, and under the works of Rembrandt and Gauguin, we got to experience the phones for the first was a fitting scene for the 400 series launch, as the stylish models in this lineup not only look great but also feature some AI camera magic that's very impressive. We won't dare to compare it to the aforementioned fine arts grandmasters, but it's impressive already covered the Honor 400 Pro, which is a flagship in disguise really, but the vanilla Honor 400 is also very interesting and quite different from its Pro sibling. The vanilla model in the Honor 400 portfolio is a very different animal compared to its Pro sibling. For what it's worth, it looks and feels much more "western" and modern, mainly because of the flat design and the camera layout. It's a bit of a contradiction, as it's the more affordable model of the two, but here we Honor 400 comes in a slightly more compact form than the Pro model, courtesy of the 6.5-inch display. The phone is flat all around and looks very classy, especially the Desert Gold color variant. At just 7.3 mm thickness, the Honor 400 feels great in the hand, even though there's no curvature to wrap your palm around. The smooth surface of the frosted back glass is also great, with a satin feel to it. The phone weighs around 180 grams, which is just perfect—not too light, not too heavy. As far as aesthetics are concerned, we like the Honor 400 more than the Pro, not only because its flat design results in a more modern look, but also because the camera bump is much more understated compared to the Pro. The camera housing of the Honor 400 looks quite stylish | Image by PhoneArena It has the same rounded trapezoid shape, but the two cameras are vertically positioned with the LED flash offset in a smaller circle. It's a stylish and unique 6.5-inch display is very bright, at least that's how it feels. Honor says it can output up to 5000 nits, and we're going to test this pretty soon. But subjectively, our first impressions are very positive—the image is bright and vivid and also smooth thanks to the 120 Hz refresh rate. We really should put this hands-on in some context here, and in order to do this, we need to compare the Honor 400 to its Pro sibling. First, the vanilla model starts at £399.99, compared to £699.99 for the Honor 400 is almost half the price, so let's see what sacrifices had to be made to achieve this much more attractive price tag. The Honor 400 features the same main and ultrawide cameras but ditches the 50MP telephoto. All the zooming is done via crops from the main 200MP sensor and some AI magic. And the results are pretty good (samples will appear here shortly). The processor inside is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, which is a proper midrange chip compared to the 8 Gen 3 found in the Pro model. The Honor 400 also comes with 8GB of RAM as opposed to the 12GB inside the Pro model. And finally, the charging support caps at 66W wired on the Honor 400, while the Pro can do else is the same: the battery capacity is the same, the two main and ultrawide cameras are the same, and the display metrics (apart from the size difference) are also the same. The same software magic with AI sprinkles is present on the Honor 400 as well, and put side by side, both phones work identically well—fast and smooth. A great package in a stylish enclosure | Image by PhoneArena Stay tuned for the full review, as it will be interesting to test the 5000 nits brightness claims, as well as see how the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 performs inside the Honor 400. But our first impressions are very positive. At £399.99, the Honor 400 offers a lot of bells and whistles, and it also looks quite classy. In our opinion, this model has the potential to persuade more people to reach out and grab it instead of a Galaxy A56, for example. Honor is making a statement with its Magic series already, and now the 400 series offers a great package at a very reasonable price.
Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Stories in Colour review — the National Gallery's podcast is delightfully prim
I feel proprietorial about the National Gallery. In my early years in London it served as a kind of foster parent to me. Aimless and lonely with the long, dark hours of a November Saturday afternoon stretching away ahead of me like so many aeons, I could always slip through its portals and waste my time in its cavernous halls, drifting from Titian to Rembrandt to Rubens to Ingres to Goya to Van Eyck. As foster parents go, the National Gallery was admittedly rather grand and remote — a bit like a guardian in a Victorian novel — but I developed a sentimental attachment nevertheless. Something about it evidently attracts this kind of anthropomorphising fondness — when an extension was proposed to be built onto
