Medieval Fencers Ceiling Painting, Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California, 2013

Medieval Fencers Ceiling Painting, Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California, 2013

Hearst Castle has the ‘largest collection of antique ceilings in North America,’ which is to say, every ceiling in the building is an original historical ceiling from elsewhere. This one depicts four medieval figures with weapons: sword-and-buckler, spear-and-shield, sword-and-shield, and another with sword-and-buckler.

The Baptism of Christ, Kebran 1 Gospels, Kebran, Ethiopa

The Baptism of Christ, Kebran 1 Gospels, Kebran, Ethiopa

Christ with a golden-crossed halo receiving the Holy Spirit during Baptism. The Kebran 1 Gospels are one of only a few Ethiopian manuscripts known to use gold, and interested me for this reason and for the excellent depictions of scribes in the Evangelist portraits.