Category Archives: The Coffee Table

The 3rd Sunday of Advent is the  Gaudete Sunday and  a rose-coloured candle is lit on the advent wreath. (A proper advent wreath has 3 violet and one rose coloured candle) Gaudete means “rejoice” … When I looked for suitable music, … Continue reading →

Another Giotto Madonna… This is from his earlier work, still in the fashion of the Byzantine style but about to break free. Maybe this is why I am so drawn to Giotto. His artwork is all about giving the divine … Continue reading →

I absolutely adore Giotto. Giotto di Bondone (1266 –  1337), better known simply as Giotto, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence in the late Middle Ages. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Italian Renaissance. This … Continue reading →

My favorite nativity paintings are those of Giotto Bondone ( ca 1300) (wo,wo,wo means where, where, where – from the text of the attached christmas cantata) Michael Praetorius, In natali Domini In natali Domini clamant mortales ex singuli: Wo ist … Continue reading →

I love nativities for their beauty and symbolism. This one is from an unknown Austrian artist ca 1400. Note the two young midwives and ox and ass, warming the manger with their breath…. Tempera on walnut, 41 x 29,5 cm … Continue reading →

G.F. Händel, Hallelujah

It started snowing on the blog ( and in my real life too…). So I thought it is about time to get friendly with  the spirit and the magic of this season, that coincides with a feast called Christmas… Enjoy … Continue reading →