Gareth Harney Profile picture
May 29, 2021 6 tweets 3 min read Read on X
1) A pilgrimage to Flatford Mill in Suffolk, where John Constable (1776-1837) painted some of his most famous landscapes. Here some of his paintings with the corresponding view today, first up: “Boat-Building near Flatford Mill” (1815)
2) “Flatford Mill on the River Stour” (1817)
3) “The Lock” (1824)
4) A glimpse of one of the most famous landscapes in the world of art…
5) ..and there it is, largely unchanged. Magical.
“The Hay Wain” (1821)
6) Rather than crossing the river, recent study has suggested the wagon has stopped at the ford to cool the horses' legs and ‘soak the wheels’. In hot dry weather, wooden wheels would shrink away from their metal rims. Wetting the wheels would help keep outer metal band in place.

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More from @OptimoPrincipi

Aug 12
1) Let's travel in time through this fascinating Roman denarius added to my collection, to the sacred grove of the goddess Diana on the mysterious shores of Lake Nemi – and into one of the most bloody and undeniably cinematic rites of the ancient world... Image
2) Situated in the Alban Hills south of Rome, Lago di Nemi is a circular crater lake nestled within the caldera of an extinct ancient volcano. The sheltered and tranquil body of water, which perfectly reflected the moon, came to be known by the Romans as 'Diana's Mirror'.. Image
3) Within a sacred grove on the northern shore of the lake stood the temple sanctuary of Diana Nemorensis or 'Diana of the Wood' constructed around 300 BC, though the cult of Diana of Nemi is thought to have its origins as far back as the 6th century BC.. Image
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Jun 14
1) This bronze diploma was awarded to Marcus Surus Garasenus on 5th April 71 AD, recognising his completion of 26 years' service as an auxiliary marine in the Roman naval fleet based at Misenum. The prized diploma granted full Roman citizenship to Marcus, his wife and his heirs.. Image
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May 22
1) An astounding survival from the Roman world. This silver bust of the emperor Galba is an incredibly rare example of an imperial imago, a reverential portrait of the reigning emperor mounted on a pole and carried into battle as a military standard...Image
2) The imago of the emperor was carried on campaign by a special standard-bearer known as the imaginifer. These precious metal busts ensured the symbolic presence of the emperor on the battlefield, and in the absence of the real ruler, could be used as...Image
3) ..objects of veneration in the camp, foci for oaths of fidelity to the emperor, as well as oaths of submission from a defeated enemy. This imago of Galba is of particular historical interest; after he had reigned for six months in the wake of Nero's suicide... Image
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May 15
1) The fascinating Roman grave memorial of Sextus Vettius Geminus, veteran of the Third Augustan Legion based at Lambaesis, Algeria. The stele with its striking portrait is compelling in its own right – but is made even more so by an intriguing added function that it served... Image
2) Sextus Vettius Geminus lived sixty years and was a veteran of Legio III Augusta, in which he served a crucial role as signifer or standard-bearer. The old, bearded veteran is shown wearing his toga in a powerful frontal portrait that extends beyond the limits of its frame..Image
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May 14
1) This incredible Roman bronze victory trophy is a unique survival from the ancient world, unearthed in the forum of Hippo Regius in Algeria where it once stood in celebration of a Roman military triumph... Image
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Apr 12
1) The massive Trier Gold Hoard: 2,516 Roman aurei coins weighing 18.5 kg, unearthed in 1993 in the cellar of a Roman administrative building of ancient Augusta Treverorum. The hoard was deposited during the Antonine Plague or 'Plague of Galen' in the late 2nd century AD.. Image
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