James Lucas Profile picture
Feb 25, 2024 32 tweets 8 min read Read on X
Thread of the most beautiful libraries on Earth

1. Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, Brazil 🇧🇷 Image
2. Trinity College Library, Ireland 🇮🇪 Image
3. Municipal Law Library, Germany 🇩🇪 Image
4. Strahov Monastery Library, Czech Republic 🇨🇿 Image
5. Admont Abbey Library, Austria 🇦🇹
6. Saint Florian Monastery Library, Austria 🇦🇹 Image
7. New York Public Library, USA 🇺🇸 Image
8. Wiblingen Abbey Library, Germany 🇩🇪 Image
9. Tianjin Binhai Library, China 🇨🇳 Image
10. Girolamini Library, Naples 🇮🇹 Image
11. Livraria Lello, Portugal 🇵🇹 Image
12. Abbey Library of Saint Gall, Switzerland 🇨🇭 Image
13. Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain 🇪🇸 Image
14. Clementinum Library, Czech Republic 🇨🇿 Image
15. National Library of France, France 🇫🇷 Image
16. Library of Parliament, Canada 🇨🇦 Image
17. El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Argentina 🇦🇷 Image
18. Austrian National Library, Austria 🇦🇹 Image
19. Joanina Library, Portugal 🇵🇹 Image
20. Vatican Apostolic Library, Vatican City 🇻🇦 Image
21. State Law Library of Iowa, USA 🇺🇸 Image
22. Bodleian Library, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The main research library of the University of Oxford is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and second-largest library in Britain after the British Library. Image
23. Rijksmuseum Research Library, Netherlands 🇳🇱
24. Morgan Library & Museum, USA 🇺🇸 Image
25. Biblioteca Casanatense, Italy 🇮🇹
26. Szabo Ervin Library, Hungary 🇭🇺 Image
27. Bibliothèque de l'Assemblée nationale, France 🇫🇷 Image
28. George Peabody Library, USA 🇺🇸 Image
29. John Rylands Library, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Image
30. Biblioteca Marciana, Italy 🇮🇹 Image
If you enjoyed this thread, please repost this and follow me for more content: @JamesLucasIT
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” Image

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More from @JamesLucasIT

Feb 7
The beauty of old maps 🧵

1. Panama Canal: The Kiss of the Oceans (1923 postcard) Image
2. Likely crafted in Florence, this globe made from two ostrich eggs may be the first known globe depicting the New World.

Dating back to the early 1500s, it features the inscription HC SVNT DRACONES ("Here are the Dragons"), positioned above the southeastern coast of Asia. Image
3. An arctic continent is depicted on the Gerardus Mercator map of 1595.

On several ancient maps, a land called Hyperborea is often shown as an Arctic continent and described as "Terra Septemtrionalis Incognita" (Unknown Northern Land). Image
Read 18 tweets
Feb 4
Why do some paintings feel alive?

Artists like Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Velázquez didn’t just paint — they sculpted with the dance of light and shadow.

A thread of some of the best examples 🧵

1. Caravaggio, the Master of Light Image
2. Magdalene with Two Flames (1640)

Profoundly influenced by Caravaggio's style, Georges de La Tour focused on "tenebrism," the dramatic effects of light and shade.

Notice how the light from the candle illuminates the room and casts a shadow of Magdalene on the wall. Image
3. The Milkmaid (1657)

This stunning work by Vermeer is a feat of realism, with the woman and table seeming to possess real weight and presence.

The light streaming through the window doesn’t obscure the bread crusts' rough texture or flatten the maid's waist and shoulders. Image
Read 12 tweets
Jan 30
Art memes thread 🧵

1. The legacy media: Image
2. Image
3. Image
Read 25 tweets
Jan 29
40 years ago, something truly magical happened in Rome…

The Eternal City was blanketed by a rare snowfall, with over 50 cm (20 inches) of snow.

Here’s a thread that will take you back in time to that unforgettable winter 🧵 Image
The surreal beauty of Castel Sant'Angelo blanketed in snow Image
The Pantheon Image
Read 15 tweets
Jan 27
Periodic reminder that Gian Lorenzo Bernini was only 23 when he carved The Abduction of Proserpina from a single block of marble.

A thread about one of the most beautiful sculptures ever created by a human being 🧵

Crafted between 1621 and 1622, this stunning Carrara marble masterpiece demonstrates the sheer brilliance of a young artist destined for greatness.

It depicts the powerful god Pluto as he drags the goddess Proserpina into the depths of the Underworld. Image
The composition is dynamic, with every fold of Proserpina's drapery and Pluto’s tense body exuding a palpable sense of motion.

Bernini’s masterful precision brings his figures to life, their bodies frozen in time yet brimming with raw, explosive energy.

Read 6 tweets
Jan 26
The most beautiful tombs on Earth - thread🧵

1. Tomb of Napoleon in Paris Image
2. Taj Mahal, India

Built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, this iconic white marble mausoleum is celebrated worldwide for its breathtaking architecture and is revered as a symbol of eternal love. Image
3. The Mausoleum of Hadrian, Rome

Also kwown as Castel Sant'Angelo, it was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family.

At one point, it held the title of the tallest building in Rome.

Read 20 tweets

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