marasop

[marasop]

My Unicorn Girl

I just finishe Tracy Chevallier's book "The Lady and the Unicorn". This book show as how the 6 of most famous tapestries of the world was made, through the narrative of characters involved. This fanart represent the "Taste" tapestry, and in the book, it was inspired on Claude le Viste, the daughter of the man whom commissioned the tapestries. The Lady and the Unicorn (French: La Dame à la licorne) is the modern title given to a series of six tapestries woven in Flanders from wool and silk, from designs ("cartoons") drawn in Paris around 1500. The set, on display in the Musée national du Moyen Âge (former Musée de Cluny) in Paris, is often considered one of the greatest works of art of the Middle Ages in Europe.

The “Taste”

c. 1490-1492

[marasop]

My Helstone Girl

Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) is the main character of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South in the namesake BBC adaptation. She is a young southern girl who moves to the fictional town of Milton in the north of England, where she knows Mr. Thorton, whom dislikes instantly.

Margaret was a character created to challenge stereotypes about women's role in the 19th century. The theme of challenging stereotypes is one which is integral throughout the novel.

"Margaret could not help her looks; but the short curled upper lip, the round, massive up-turned chin, the manner of carrying her head, her movements, full of a soft feminine defiance, always gave strangers the impression of haughtiness."

"She sat facing [Mr Thornton] and facing the light; her full beauty met his eye; her round white flexile throat rising out of the full, yet lithe figure; her lips, moving so slightly as she spoke, not breaking the cold serene look of her face with any variation from the one lovely haughty curve; her eyes, with their soft gloom, meeting his with quiet maiden freedom."

That's the dress she uses in the Mr. Thorton's dinner party on the miniseries.

c. 1855

[marasop]

My First Impressions Girl

Liz Benevides from the book "Primeiras Impressões" (A Pride and Prejudice fanfic by the brazilian author Lairdo)

Liz Benevides (our Lizzy Bennet from today) is a young brazilian girl who lives in USA and came to Brazil to visit her family to the Holidays, and she and her sister Jane meet two american guys whom will change their lives completely!

Charles Bingley and Frederick Darcy are best friends but they are the opposite of each other. When Charles is spontaneous, joyful and charismatic, Darcy is shy, reserved and introverted. The two friends are immediately completely fascinated by two sisters, but Liz is suspicious and dislikes Darcy believing he is such a snob without know he is totaly infatuated by her. 

Darcy has everything against him, as his ex-best friend, David Wickham, defames him to Liz, which only further increases the antipathy she feels for him. And through various misunderstandings, after come back to USA, both couples must overcome the first impressions that have each other.

The book is really adorable, and Darcy is a dream come true in a contemporary gentleman. To who is a Jane Austen's fan and read Brazilian Portuguese, I recommend this book immensely!

I've been doing a lot literary fanart, and as recently I read an excellent book inspired in one of my favorite novels (Pride and Prejudice), I have to make the main character description wearing a beautiful red dress (I chose a Valentino gown) to a Bountiful Ball. 

c. 2014

[marasop]

My so Romantic Girl

Daphne Wade from the Guilty Pleasure's book by Laura Lee Gurhke.

Daphne is a restorer expert on antiques contracted by the Duke of Tremore. She is secretly in love with him, but he doesn't know she's alive. After a deception, Daphne quit her job leaving him totaly lost and unreconciled without his expert, and he will try to everything to get her back, but she is totally decided to be presented to society in search of a husband and thus completely change her destiny.

In her first ball in London, Daphne wear a beautiful light pink rose gown, and that's the dress I imagined to her, one of my favorite dresses from 1830 decade!

The book also portrays the new fashion of the beggining of 19th century to flatering express the feeling with the language of the flowers. So romantic!

c. 1830

[marasop]

My Da Vinci's Girl - part 2

Lisa Gherardini have all her dreams crushed with the military coup of Florence and the expulsion of Medici Family. Without Giuliano, with her father be seing as a Medici ally, Lisa is arrested and to save her family she needs to marry with a man she doesn't love.

Between in a net of conspiracy, with Florence taked by the Savonarola's followers, she had her portraid painting in secret meetings with Leonardo da Vinci.

This is her dress to the wedding with Francesco del Giocondo, described in the book with spanish fashion sleeves drawned my the groom, as the traditions demands.

*spanish sleeves

c. 1495

from "I, Mona Lisa" by Jeanne Kalogridis

by mara sop

[marasop]

My da Vinci's Girl - part 1

Lisa is a young and passionate girl longing for a life full of art and beauty, that being the daughter of a devotee of Savonarola, does not see how her life can change unless through marriage.

And for that, she is about to meet Lorenzo de Medici, the main matchmaker of the noble classes of Florence.

Lisa learns about the murder of Giuliano de' Medici, the brother of Lorenzo de' Medici in the Pazzi conspiracy. Guiliano's murder casts a shadow, especially as one of the killers has not been found.

She later falls in love with Giuliano's namesake, Lorenzo's son Giuliano in the aftermath of Girolamo Savonarola's uprising in the late 15th century.

Little does she know that is about to enter a world of conspiracy, and that will be immortalized by a great artist.

c. 1492

by mara sop

[marasop]

Happy Birthday to Madame de Pompadour!

[marasop]

My Grove Girl!

Some time ago I made the beauty Simonetta di Saronno from the book "The Madonna of the Almonds" by Marina Fiorato, and I would do next the another female character of the book, Amaria Sant’Ambrogio. 

She is very rustic and naive grove girl, and even didn't have the beauty standarts of her time (she is brunette with a swarthy skin), she is very pretty.

Amaria found Selvaggio, a young soldier with amnesia, and help him. And the couple felt in love with each other. Their love is so adorable!

I tried to make her as she was described to her wedding day in the book ;)

by mara sop

[marasop]

It's a truth universally acknowledged that december 16 is Jane Austen's day!

Happy birthday to her!!!

As you can remember, I've already made some of her heroines as Elinor and Marianne Daswood, Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse. But I'm not finished yet, I'll make the other Bennet sisters, Fanny from Mansfield Park, Catherine from Northanger Abbey, and Anne from Persuasion. ;)

by mara sop

[marasop]

Yesterday (december 15) was Catherine of Aragon’s birthday. Happy birthday to her!!!

I’ve already made some fanarts of her, even being a huge Anne Boleyn’s fan ;)

by mara sop

[marasop]

My Almond Girl - version 2

Simonetta di Saronno is the muse and the passion of Bernardino Luini in the book "The Madonna of the Almonds", and yesterday I talked a little bit of the book, the Amaretto legend and about her and Luini here.

P.S. After I made the fanart, I found the fresco where appears Simonetta in the red dress. So I decided to remake the dress according with the fresco

c. 1528 

by mara sop

[marasop]

My Almond Girl

I just finish reading "The Madonna of the Almonds" by Marina Fiorato, and totally felt in love with Bernardino Luini and his muse, Simonetta di Saronno!

Bernardino Luini was one of the Leonardo da Vinci's pupils, and a huge artist!

In 1525 he went to Saronno (near to Milan) to painting the church Santa Maria dei Miracoli, but he needed a model to the Madonna!

According with the legend, he found his inspiration in a young widowed innkeeper, who became his model and (in most versions) lover. Out of gratitude and affection, the woman wished to give him a gift. Her simple means did not permit much, so she steeped apricot kernels in brandy and presented the resulting concoction to a touched Luini.

That's the Amaretto!

Since he met her, he start to painting her face in all of his jobs.

The book has an adorable love story, and I recommend it to all that love historical fiction ;)

c. 1528

[marasop]

My Bloody Tudor Girl

Today is Mary I of England coronation day!

c. 1553

by mara sop

[marasop]

My Capulet Girl - part two

The other new Juliet from my obsessive collection is Susan Shentall from the 1954 version of Renato Castellani's version.

I didn't see this version yet, but the little bit that I've already see I love the historical art inspirations!

Venus and Mars by Sandro Botticelli. 1483

The Funeral of St. Ursula by Vittore Carpaccio. 1493

Salomone e la Regina di Saba by Piero della Francesca. 1452

The fashion of this movie seems to be from the 1460 or 70s decade.

Gorgeous, right?

by mara sop

[marasop]

My Period Movies Girl

Congratulations to the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth is a great actress, and made a lot of periodo movies, between them:

Shakespeare in Love (one of my favorites!)

She won an oscar for this movie!

Emma

Thomas Jefferson

and Jefferson in Paris

Today is her birthday ;)

by mara sop

[marasop]

Happy Birthday to Anne of Cleves, who was born 499 years ago!

[marasop]

My Capulet Girl - part one

I didn't watch the new version of Romeo and Juliet yet, but I'm totaly in love with this dress!!!

Hailee Steinfeld is really adorable as Juliet in the photos!

And, as I'm a huge fan of Shakespeare and totaly addicted about Romeo and Juliet, I had to do her too! 

I've already made almost all of the most signifcative Juliets from the movies! So I'll try to talk a little bit of all of them soon ;)

c. end of 15th Century

by mara sop