Unlike most other moai from Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Hoa Hakananai’a was carved from basalt (vs. the softer volcanic stone which was generally used).
Category Archives: Museum life
The crown of an English queen
That’s the somewhat humble label of this beautiful and historic piece of work — on display in the Treasury of the Residence Museum in Munich, Germany.
Also known as the “Bohemian” or “Palatine” crown, it was made ca. 1370-1380 and is thought to have belonged to Anne of Bohemia, the wife of England’s King Richard II. But Richard was deposed in 1399 by Henry IV — and so the crown was given to Henry’s daughter, Princess Blanche, who brought it to Heidelberg as part of her dowry when she married the Palatine Elector Ludwig III in 1402. It moved to Munich in 1782, and is the oldest surviving crown of England.
EXIF:
OM Digital OM-1 camera, 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro II lens
32mm, f/6.3, ISO 6400, 1/60 sec
Bacchus sends his regards
A nice bit of decorative silversmithing on display at the de Young museum in San Francisco, California.