#No they’re not ancient Roman they’re simply ancient Roman adjacent

[ciderjacks]

Some ocs.

[sleeplesssheep]

Veni, Vidi, Vici (part six)

He was tall, handsome and steamy. Salt and pepper hair sat upon his head like a crown of wisdom, and a mark of brilliance. The human man’s eyes were pools of sparkling cobalt. This human was a doctor, which was obvious from the white coat and stethoscope wrapped around his neck. Doctor… Daddy- same thing. 

“Oh, but Derek, we can’t!” Cried a much younger medical resident, similar to the stethoscope- this woman wrapped her arms tightly around the handsome Doctors neck and began to cry loudly. 

Derek leaned away from the brunette, and looked lovingly downwards at her. 

“I’m not going to stop loving you, Meredith. I can live without you, but I don’t want to live without you. And I’m going to do everything in my power to prove it.” 

A loud sob broke through the room, quickly accompanied by hiccuping and cursing. Popcorn suddenly flew out of Breanna’s hands and gently bounced off the large television at contact. 

“Don’t do it, Meredith! Don’t leave him!” Brea cried out in frustration, hot tears puddling over in her eyes. The expensive charcoal polyester couch shook under her as Breanna moved quickly off it, shedding the cashmere blanket that previously covered her naked legs. 

“Ugh!” The witch groaned in frustration as the television quickly switched to commercial. Just as an older man was discussing his lack of erections as of late, Montclair entered the room wearing a bewildered expression. 

“What the devil is going on here? I have a conference call in five minutes-” The Vampire's red hair appeared a dark brown in the evening light as he walked around the living room to examine the witch. Seeing her teary eyes, the Roman immediately startled and became alert.

“Oh, you have no idea! Derek, and Meredith, well they’re soulmates and they don’t even realize it yet- but I do! And she won’t give him a chance because--” Breanna sputtered about pacing, her face becoming flushed as she ranted. 

Realizing that there were no vampires, witches or demons making an attempt on her life Baldwin relaxed. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm himself. Deus, this television thing was a mistake. 

Breanna and he had come to an agreement of sorts. She couldn’t leave the property without him, nor make contact with others (this included work emails much to Breanna’s annoyance). In return for this submissive behavior, which was not usual for the witch, Montclair would provide television for entertainment and allow her to contact her Aunt’s and cousins on occasion. Both of them knew this peace treaty of sorts would only last a few days as Breanna was planning on voicing her issues soon. 

However, the vampire had yet to inform her that a) her Aunt Emily had perished and b) that her cousin Diana and his brother, Matthew, had run away to the past in an attempt to escape prosecution. 

To be plainly put, he wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming phone calls. But, deceiving her was necessary for her safety. 

Baldwin dragged a hand down his face and checked the time on his Rolex. 

“Two minutes,” Baldwin reminded Breanna, distracting her momentarily.

In Baldwin’s brief moment of self pondering, Breanna had begun to levitate around the room muttering to herself angrily. At Baldwin’s interruption, however, she fell to the ground and landed gracefully on the tips of her toes. As time passed (today was the eighteenth day that they had been sharing the apartment together) Breanna had become more casual around the vampire. This resulted in her constant humming while cleaning or cooking, as well as her use of her magical powers. Not that Montclair was going to admit it, but this pleased the beast within him. 

Despite her new level of comfort with him, he had yet to reach that level with her. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, just that Baldwin’s guard rarely fell down and when it did- that was something momentous.

“What did you say?” Breanna’s eyes cleared and she flushed with embarrassment as she realized how caught up she had been in Greys Anatomy. She quickly took in the vampires bewildered expression, his iPhone in one hand and his gold Rolex shining upwards at his face. Clearly, he was busy and didn’t have time for this. 

‘Oh fuck meeeee,’ She sang in her head. In an effort to distract herself before she combusted from the mortification of this whole evening, Breanna began picking the popcorn up. 

“I have a conference call in two minutes and it simply cannot happen if you are shouting and running about like a child,” 

Part of her ego wanted to roll her eyes at his comment, while the other part stung to hear him compare her to a child. 

Rude vampire. 

Breanna muttered an apology under her breath and continued to restore the living room to its previous cleanliness. Little did she realize, however, the silk robe she was wearing just so lifted in a way as she bent forward, attracting the vampire’s eyes immediately. 

Just as he would occasionally feel her tingling eyes on him, she felt the icy patches blossom right on her bottom. Breanna whipped up immediately, her hands squeezing the popcorn so hard it began to crumble. 

Neither of them addressed what had just happened, instead, Baldwin returned to his office and Breanna to the couch. But, before either of them had settled down into their separate activities, both served themselves hefty glasses of wine.

It was, after all, the best tonic for a supernatural.

-------------------

The next morning Breanna sat perched in front of a vanity in her room. Despite being adjacent to the vampire Montclair, she never saw him enter or leave it, and never heard anything from him. Montclair had given her a large bedroom that was decorated beautifully. It had dark wooden floors that were sparingly covered with a white area rug which contrasted pleasantly with the dark navy walls. Two french doors opened up onto the street below (after her railing adventure Montclair had taken up to put chairs on each balcony in an effort to curb her much more risky method of viewing) and took up most of the right side of the room. On the opposite wall was a fireplace so giant a Volkswagon bug could fit inside,  and surrounding it was a collection of antique-looking chairs. 

In fact, her entire room was kinda ancient. Breanna was an anthropologist and could easily appreciate such aged furniture and creations, but her specialty was not in goods but rather the people that made them. 

Using the mirror in front of her, she eyed her bedroom once again- taking in the extravagant curves, lines, and details in the expensive furniture. 

Definitely French. 

It was early morning in London, around eight o’clock or so. The witch stared blankly at her reflection as she thought of home. Her cat and the Madison Country neighborhood were sleeping as of now, unconscious to the rest of the world. 

Suddenly, a shine of white caught Breanna’s attention. 

“Jesus, is that what I think it is?” She leaned forward and brushed her hair to the side revealing a single white hair. Goddess, the vampire was aging her. Though Breanna had never dyed her hair, being pent up in this apartment for more then two weeks was starting to make her a little stir crazy. She thought of Diana, her cousin, and her beautiful straw colored hair. 

“It’s good to change,” Breanna encouraged herself. 

A simple spell came to mind and soon enough Breanna was chanting. When she opened her eyes to see the results, the witch grinned excitedly. Just as Baldwin was beginning to knock on her door, she threw it open to go see him. Both of them huffed awkwardly as Breanna almost flew into Baldwin. In an effort to keep her grounded (literally) Baldwin grasped her upper arms and forced her feet back to the ground. 

Blond wisps of hair floated around the both of them, crackling quietly as the magic left Breanna’s body. Her hair reminded Baldwin of a wild octopus- its legs waving around erratically. 

“Good morning, Miss. Bishop” Baldwin took a small breath as he examined her new hair and in doing so was assaulted by her scent. Jasmine, bluebells with the undertone of burning electricity. He had never seen a witch uses her power to dye her hair.

“So, what do you think?” She bounced up and down, shaking the vampire’s hands off of her. Breanna’s once amber hair, close to Baldwin’s shade, in fact, was now a honey blonde. Straight as a pin, it finally settled down onto her chest. 

“You look like your cousin,” He commented. 

Both of them noticed it wasn’t a compliment, rather just a statement of facts. Not that he would ever tell her, but Baldwin thought she was beautiful with her original coloring. Of course, now that he thought of it- two red-haired supernaturals moving about London would not be subtle.

Baldwin sighed as he moved passed into the witches’ room, doing his best not to breathe her smell. 

“You’ve met my cousin?” Breanna followed after him until they were both in front of the balcony. 

“Mmhmm.” 

“What kind of answer is that?” She exclaimed.

Baldwin eyed her from the corner of his eyes, realizing his mistake. He noticed the dark patches under her usually bright face, making her pretty face seem sick and sallow. The witch had not been sleeping well lately, and whether she had begun to notice this was unclear. Those who slept often didn’t remember their dreams, but Baldwin had heard her nightmares the night before. 

He shook his head and peered down at the quiet street below them. A gentle rain had started, cooling the air. 

“Baldwin, it is time we discussed this whole situation.” Breanna’s voice was confident and allowed no room for objection. The vampire turned from the balcony, his mouth parted open. Before he could speak, shout or do anything, Breanna held up a single finger. 

“I have stayed in your home. I have listened to you, respected you, and done my best to understand this situation. Something which, might I add, my cousin nor any other witch with some amount of sense would do. I trust you, only because my Aunt does. It has been more than two weeks, Baldwin, I can no longer sit by and wait. The Congregation is after me yes, I understand that. I am not stupid- I am just done with all of this nonsense.” Breanna spoke quickly and her hands fluttered about with each sentence. When she finished, her hands came to rest firmly on her rounded hips.  

Montclair processed everything she said. The witch made logical points, but it did not change the fact that they were in danger. More so, she was. He began walking out of her room and as he reached her door, Baldwin called back to the expecting witch,  “We are calling your Aunt today. I thought it would be good to fill her in on everything- as well as share my findings.”

As the door closed behind him Breanna cursed and sat on one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. This lack of communication on his part was begging to get the best of Breanna’s usually calm and docile soul. Sourcing her anger she shot a stream of fire into the hearth, igniting the logs immediately. 

“Goddess, guide me…” Breanna whispered, her face glowing from the flames. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later in the evening, Breanna and Montclair had settled in his office. The witch had never actually been in his office and was not the least surprised by its size, decor, and oppressive ambiance. Breanna sat comfortably in a Victorian age chair across from Montclair and eyed the surrounding room while he was calling her Aunt. Floor to ceiling bookcases covered three of the four walls and held hundreds if not thousands of ancient books. Breanna’s fingers itched to touch them.  

She snapped out of it when a strong, familiar voice called out. 

“Hello, Baldwin.” 

“Aunt Sarah!” Breanna called out, ecstatic. Her voice was high pitched with excitement and relief. She had attempted to call her aunt the other day but the older witch did not answer. 

“Brea, baby. How are you? Oh, it’s so good to hear your voice. I am so sorry baby, about this and when you get here I’ll tell you everything-” 

Baldwin coughed and interrupted Sarah, caused Breanna’s hazel eyes to flicker up to him in confusion. 

“Sarah, I am sure you want to catch up with your niece but at this moment I have some pressing concerns. As we know the Congregation is looking for Breanna, and though they have yet to trace her here, I imagine they will soon enough. Breanna is under the impression that it would be best to bring her to Sept-Tours, but I am not sure that is the best move. Tell me, is Ysabeau with you?” 

“Yes, she is right here with me.” Breanna paled at the French name, recognizing it from countless warnings and horror stories told to her as a child. It must be taking a tremendous amount of strength from her Aunts to be within the same walls as Ysabeau de Clermont.

Breanna breathed deeply and closed her eyes and felt that if she concentrated enough, just the sound of Sarah’s voice was enough to transport her home. Montclair smelled the change in Breanna and was suddenly aware of her inner sadness, and fear. The young witches breathing slowed, and her hair vibrated gently. 

“As much as I want to bring Breanna home, her safety is my priority. Tell me, what should I do?”

On both sides, there was a pregnant pause. The vampire, Baldwin Montclair, asking for other thoughts? How rare it was of him. 

Breanna was shocked out of her spell by his question and eagerly listened to what her Aunt would say. In the back of her mind, she made a note to question Baldwin later on his witch killing vampire mother Ysabeau. 

“I don’t know, Baldwin. I think bringing her here where we can protect her as a family would be best, would it not Sarah?” Ysabeau’s voice was soft, her French accent was heavy. 

“Perhaps,” Baldwin sighed heavily, “it would be best.”

“I don’t want to bring more trouble, if this is what we will do- perhaps it is best to stay and hide.” Breanna spoke quickly, coming to the realization that the Congregation could follow them and harm not only her family, but Baldwin’s. It was not until hearing the voice of her Aunt that Brea felt this way. 

Baldwin looked sharply at her, disgruntled by what she had said. A flicker of respect burned in his eyes as they looked upon eachother. Despite only knowing Montclair for less than a month, a never meeting his family, Brea did not want to bring trouble to their door. 

“Do not underestimate my family, Bishop.” He scolded her. 

“And do not speak to my niece like that, Montclair.” Sarah was quick to snap, her anger could be felt by both Breanna and Baldwin, despite her being hundreds of miles away. 

Breanna’s heart swelled and her stomach dropped. She looked into Baldwins brown eyes, pleading with him silently. 

“We will be there by next week.” With one click, Baldwin ended the conversation. 

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, deep in their own thoughts. Breanna wrapped her cashmere cardigan tighter around her torso and sighed softly. What had happened to her life? Icy patches bloomed along her face as Montclair examined her expression. He wished to know what she was thinking. Her dark eyebrows were turned down in a frown and her eyes were staring blankly at her jean clad pants. Breanna’s lips opened in thought then closed once again. 

“What is it, witch?” Montclair hid his curiosity beneath the layer of contempt in his voice. 

“The Congregation will know that we will have relocated to Sept Tours, will they not? You are a member of the council, charged with bringing me into questioning. They surely will trace our movement…” Breanna looked deeply into the vampires eyes, and stood bracing her hands on the dark surface of his desk. Her hair begin to rise ever so, its strands vibrating in the air. “Unless we convince them that we have remained in London, they will quickly guess where we have gone.” 

The Bishop witch was right, Baldwin grudgingly agreed. He, of course, had already thought of this and had a plan to trick the Congregation. 

[duinhof]

Create a Warm, Inviting Home and Garden With Tuscan Decor!

Reflecting the long history and beautiful vistas of the Italian countryside, Tuscan décor is a wonderful solution for bringing a feeling of classic charm and natural beauty in your property. If you hate stuffy, pretentious decorating and you wish to design a comfy, lived-in sense of your residence, you just can not go wrong with Tuscan décor. Emphasizing warm colors, natural materials, and easy details, Tuscan decorating exudes comfort, simplicity, and peace.

At its simplest level, Tuscan décor is a celebration of the beauty of nature (think vineyards and rolling hills) and the joy of food, friends, and loved ones. That means you will want to emphasize:

* Rustic, country elements

* Earth tone colours, particularly warm golds, terra cottas, and greens

* Natural materials like stone and wood

* Simple Information, particularly organic themes such as leaves and blossoms

* Time-worn, aged, and distressed decor

Begin by picking several antique-look furnishings to your room. From leather topped seats to embossed wall medallions to brightly colored hall tables, the larger bits of your décor will set the stage and help make that outdated, Tuscan feel. Make certain you steer away from contemporary lines and materials (like shiny metals) to keep the time-worn country look you are choosing.

Next, work in proper accents. Decorative candlesticks are always a fantastic choice, as are easy urn shaped lamps. Additionally, consider displaying ceramic plates onto a rustic hanging plate rack or group colorful earthenware vases on a desk. Not only do these accents add splashes of Mediterranean colour, they also draw on the significance of both simple and food substances in traditional Tuscan designing.

Using earth tones, natural substances, and time-worn bits, your outside décor is an attractive, laid-back way to match your landscaping and make that excellent outdoor retreat. Simply by adding outdoor accents that fit within the theme of Tuscan decorating, you can take your backyard, porch, or patio from fundamental to charming Italian-country!

The first step is adding a fountain. A vital part of the landscape and home architecture in Tuscany, fountains incorporate water to outdoor décor, becoming a featured focal point in almost every courtyard or garden. You can do the same on your outdoor space, making an eye-catching accent and incorporating the soothing sound of water into the sensory experience of your backyard. Decide on a simple tiered fountain in warm terra cotta colors or choose a more detailed pedestal fountain. 

Bear in mind, easy and natural should function as two important criteria when choosing a Tuscan-style fountain-materials should look like stone or terra cotta, not contemporary alloys, and detailing should be uncomplicated and reflect the beauty of nature in botanical themes and patterns. Position your fountain as the center of attention in your backyard, which makes it the core of your outside space and the attention of your Tuscan décor.

You will want to think about statuary. With its storied history and historical past, Tuscany is full of exquisite statues from monumental architecture to easy country gardens. For the ideal Italian-inspired outdoor décor in your yard, a statue or two is essential. Bear in mind that any sort of statuary (in earth tones or natural stone colours ) can work on your Tuscan decorating. 

Traditionally, Tuscan design would consist of classical forms-think the Venus de Milo-but that does not mean you must stay with traditional nudes. So long as your statue selection stays grounded in the essentials of Tuscan décor (natural substances, aged look, organic details), just about any statue may complement your Tuscan theme.

You don't need to live in Tuscany to have the feel of a Tuscan villa. It is possible to create that cozy atmosphere in your own home using warm colors, natural materials, and keeping it simple in design.

Check out DUINHOF to get helpful decorating ideas and tips on our blog

Fountains - Home and Garden Decor to Enhance Any Space

Fountains are undoubtedly one of the greatest additions to any garden. The sound of rushing water perfectly matches the leaves, and the complex rock designs make it a fantastic focal point. But backyard fountains are more than a yard ornament--they also represent a source of sustenance to your plants. Whether you've got a small terrace or a sprawling backyard, a well-placed fountain can surely liven up your outdoor area.

HISTORY OF FOUNTAINS

Just like most ornamental pieces, fountains started out strictly functional. They were first utilized in the Middle East, where the weather was warm and the water provided relief from the heat. The majority of them were easy, surrounded by trees and constructed in royal courtyards. The Romans also experimented with outdoor water features, building their gardens adjacent to public bathrooms. They were mostly used for bathing rituals, which were a very important part of their culture.

Ornamental garden fountains first appeared in ancient Mesopotamia, but it was only in the late medieval period they were used in domestic settings. Garden fountains were utilized in Spain prior to the 15th century and in Italy several years after. It took yet another century for home fountains to reach American shores, and from the early 20th century fountains were a frequent fixture not just in home gardens but also in offices, hotel lobbies and shopping malls.

FOUNTAIN DESIGNS

Fountains come in a number of styles, but only a few are acceptable for the normal home garden. Some of the most common are pond, wall, and tabletop. They are so called as they're attached to a water supply coming from the wall. Therefore, they don't occupy plenty of space and are excellent for small home gardens.

When you've got a larger area, you might want to take into account a pond fountain. These may be literally as large as a pond, but there are smaller versions available for backyard and indoor use. Pond fountains are often wired and programmed with light and spray patterns.

Some gardens are just too small to accommodate water features. If that is the case, you can opt for a smaller tabletop fountain. As their name implies, tabletop fountains are placed on top of tables, usually as centerpieces. They are typically electrically powered and fairly straightforward to set up.

MATERIALS

Concrete and ceramic are regarded as the very best materials for garden fountains. You can choose from a number of shapes, from simple rectangular cubes to elaborate rock sculptures. Many are given a sandstone or soapstone finish, which gives them a more interesting feel. Marble is also quite attractive, but it is far more expensive and isn't practical for moderate to large fountains.

Wood, ceramic and aluminum make great tabletop fountains. Needless to saythey won't hold up well in full size, but a well-made (and well-placed) miniature would have precisely the same effect. To add interest, consider adding intriguing lights or bonsai features.

Fiberglass fountains are becoming more popular lately due to their weather resistance and flexibility in design. They can be made to look like wood, stone, marble and glasswhile maintaining structural integrity that is constant. So in the event you've always wanted a wood fixture but do not want the care fuss, fiberglass fountains are the best solution.

BUYING TIPS

One of the top considerations ought to be water and power consumption. There have been questions on whether decorative fountains should be limited, as they are an unnecessary waste of water source. Even the ones that are tagged environmentally friendly will still consume electricity and water. Picking a simple watering system won't just minimize this, but also decrease your operating expenses. In any case, it's often the workmanship and sculpture --not the water--that catches people's interest.

Also think of maintenance and installation costs. Installation should not be a issue with most store-bought fountains, but keeping them running is another story. Make sure to wash your fountain regularly, and tap focus on the pump intake area to keep it free of debris.

You can purchase fountains ready for installation at most garden supply stores. Typically, all you will need is an extension cable and sufficient space for the water and fountain resource. But if you would like something which really suits your personality, consider having it custom-made. Start looking for a contractor that specializes in outdoor and water features, and have at least a rough design in your mind during your consultation.

[ntrending]

'Ghost streams' sound supernatural, but their impact on your health is very real

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/ghost-streams-sound-supernatural-but-their-impact-on-your-health-is-very-real/

'Ghost streams' sound supernatural, but their impact on your health is very real

Brynn O’Donnell is a freshwater ecosystem scientist, with a focus on urban biogeochemistry. She also believes in the importance of science accessibility, and practices this through telling stories of the human relationship with water through her podcast, Submerge. She’s finishing her graduate degree in Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech, where she studies the impact of storm disturbances on stream health.

Across the country, buried beneath the pavement you walk on, an invisible network of waterways flows through the darkness. These are ghost streams, and they’re haunting us.

In their former lives, they wound through natural landscapes above ground; it’s only through decades of development that humanity has relegated them beneath the earth’s surface, enclosing the waterways in tombs of concrete and iron. The effects, decades later, plague us. Without a natural habitat to snake through, these streams carry downstream an excessive amount of pollutants (like salt and sediment) and nutrients (like nitrogen and phosphorus) because they can’t divest these materials into their surrounding environs.

Here’s how ghost streams happen: Civilization grows near water sources, clustering around lakes, rivers, and springs that provide the resources required for drinking, bathing, and irrigating. As we industrialized drinking water infrastructure and outsourced water sources to larger, distant reservoirs and aquifers, most towns stopped using the smaller springs that originally drew them to a place. With that shift, many of the original freshwater sources go unused. Without relying on them for drinking water or irrigation, they become nothing but nuisances to development. If you want to build on a piece of land, the stream that threads through it has got to go. But streams are formidable obstacles; you can’t just demolish them and move on. Water needs to flow, so when we construct on land traversed by a stream, we bury it.

The move isn’t a recently devised trick. The western world has been moving streams underground since the Roman Empire. Between then and now, our stream burial technology has not undergone any revolutions, aside from separating stormwater and raw sewage and using different pipe materials.

Most people are not aware of the historic streams that have been buried—except for the curious few who wonder, for instance, why the street in downtown New York City is named “Canal.” In fact, we’ve buried streams all across the nation—in Los Angeles, D.C, and more. The U.S.’s Environmental Protection Agency estimates that we’ve buried 98 percent of the streams that once crossed through Baltimore’s urban core.

Although we’ve buried these streams, we haven’t put them to rest. They are still flowing, and still take in all the things we shed, spill, drop, and leak into our landscape. As rain runs over paved streets and sidewalks, it sweeps everything from the urban world directly into the nearest waterbody. Urban runoff makes its way to these hidden streams.

Unpiped, healthy streams naturally filter much of the water that flows into them. Smaller streams are mediators of human effluent: receiving the waste discharged from point sources (like industrial pipes and wastewater treatment plants) and from nonpoint sources (like runoff from streets and agricultural activities) and using tools like microbes, algae, rocks, and soil to slowly unload and transform excess nutrients and pollutants. Unwittingly tasked with filtering chemicals and solutes, natural streams become highly important to human health. And when we bury streams, we rob ourselves of our natural purifiers.

Streams typically teem with life: algae, fish, and invertebrates. A stream is home to microbes that require light, nutrients, and a natural stream bottom. These microorganisms are the power players that remove those excessive nutrients. But most ghost streams don’t host much life at all. When we bury a stream underground, we cut it off from light and the stream bottom. Only nutrients remain, which are funneled downstream, mixing city runoff with fresh water in the nearest river.

“Nutrients” sound good, but they can wreak havoc in downstream waterbodies, polluting waterways, creating coastal dead zones, and feeding thick blooms of toxic cyanobacteria.

Luckily, towns are beginning to acknowledge the importance of these buried streams in an effort to reduce the terrors of urban runoff. Simply letting locals know a stream exists beneath them, and that the stream receives everything, untreated, that goes down the drain, encourages people to keep their waste out of the secret streams.

For example, small frog statues adorn city drains in Blacksburg, Virginia, marking the drains directly above the local ghost stream. It’s a callback to the Ancient Romans, who marked their buried streams with shrines to “Cloaca Maxima” or the sewer goddess. Baltimore stencils its storm drains, and Richmond, Virginia and Dayton, Ohio want to do the same using the work of local artists. Entry points to waterways are embellished with paintings of fish, octopuses, and otters encircled by cautionary reminders like “all water drains to the sea” and “only rain should go down the drain.” Other storm drain murals are decorated with landscape paintings of scenic wildlife, images of kelp with plastic and litter for companions, or paintings of fish where grated drains act as mouths.

Some places are going further, ripping up pavement, shattering pipes, and hammering away the concrete to exhume ghost streams. Daylighting, as the procedure is called, opens the streams up to the sun and restores the adjacent land connection. This begins the process of healing, re-growing vegetation, and encouraging microbes and algae to come back. It’s great, but unburying a stream is expensive and requires strong community backing, and community support for daylighting a stream can’t be mustered if residents aren’t aware of the buried stream itself. Art is a great first step.

By recognizing ghost streams and getting locals engaged, we can work toward healing the waterways by limiting the pollutants poured into them, and even eventually unearthing them from the ground.

Written By Brynn O’Donnell

[soft922-blog]

Travel diary: Malaga

Málaga is a world apart from the adjoining Costa del Sol: a historic and culturally rich provincial capital which has long lived in the shadow of the iconic Andalusian cities of Granada, Córdoba and Seville. Yet, it has rapidly emerged as the province's city of culture with its so-called 'mile of art' being compared to Madrid, and its dynamism and fine dining to Barcelona.

The tastefully restored historic centre is a delight: its Gothic cathedral is surrounded by narrow pedestrian streets flanked by traditional and modern bars, and shops that range from idiosyncratic and family owned, to urban-chic and contemporary. Cast your eyes up to enjoy a skyline that reflects the city’s eclectic character; church spires jostle for space with russet-red tiled roofs and lofty apartment buildings while, like a grand old dame, the 11th-century Gibralfaro castle sits grandly aloft and provides the best view of all. The former rundown port has also been grandly rebuilt and cruise-line passengers are now boosting the city's coffers and contributing to the overall increase in tourism to the city.

Málaga is a municipality, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 569,130 in 2015, it is the second-most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth-largest in Spain. The southernmost large city in Europe, it lies on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, about 100 kilometers (62.14 miles) east of the Strait of Gibraltar and about 130 km (80.78 mi) north of Africa.

Málaga's history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC, and from the 6th century BC was under the hegemony of Ancient Carthage. Then, from 218 BC, it was ruled by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as Malaca (Latin). After the fall of the empire and the end of Visigothic rule, it was under Islamic rule as Mālaqah for 800 years, but in 1487, the Crown of Castille gained control after the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic center of the city an "open museum", displaying its history of nearly 3,000 years. This important cultural infrastructure and the artistic heritage have culminated in the nomination of Málaga as a candidate for the 2016 European Capital of Culture. The internationally acclaimed painter

and sculptor Pablo Picasso, Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol and the actor Antonio Banderas were born in Málaga. The magnum opus of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, "Malagueña", is named for the music of this region of Spain. The most important business sectors in Málaga are tourism, construction and technology services, but other sectors such as transportation and logistics are beginning to expand. The Andalusia Technology Park (PTA), located in Málaga, has enjoyed significant growth since its inauguration in 1992. Málaga is the main economic and financial centre of southern Spain, home of the region's largest bank, Unicaja, and the fourth-ranking city in economic activity in Spain behind Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Why go?

Eating just-caught sardines by the sea is one of life’s great simple pleasures, and the beaches either side of Malaga are the perfect place to do it – particularly after a morning at the Picasso and Carmen Thyssen museums. Unlike some Spanish cities, it does not wind down in summer, and is particularly lively during the Malaga Fair in mid-August, when even the most reserved visitors might find themselves joining the locals for a twirl in the streets. If you haven’t been for a while, you’ll be amazed at how it has been spruced up. Chic boutiques, gastrobars and cool cafés have sprung up alongside the traditional taverns in the winding lanes in the heart of the city, while the waterfront has been developed with a promenade, bars, restaurants and shops - and new this year is the Pompidou Centre. Although there is plenty to see and do, Malaga is really a place to kick back and just enjoy the laidback Mediterranean vibe.

When and Where

It rarely gets really cold in Malaga, and it is often warm enough to sit at pavement cafés during the day even in December and January. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit. Although not as well known as Seville Holy Week, the Easter processions are among the most important in Spain. For most visitors, Málaga is simply a gateway to the beach resorts of the Costa del Sol, with few venturing far from the airport or into the city. Well, they’re all missing a trick because this once-shabby port has undergone something of a reinvention. There’s a sparkling new waterfront and millions of euros have been pumped into the art scene, thanks to mayor Francisco de la Torre’s vision to turn his city into a cultural hub, with a branch of the Parisian Pompidou Centre among the latest museum openings. The Alcazaba fortress, Málaga’s more modest answer to Granada’s Alhambra, sits proudly in the historic centre – a maze of gardens and fountains – and above it 10th-century Gibralfaro castle stands guard over the coast. Round the corner lies the vast Renaissance cathedral, nicknamed La Manquita (“one-armed woman”) because its south tower was mysteriously left unbuilt. While the city beaches are nothing to write home about, the food definitely is. The subtropical climate and maritime location mean there’s plentiful fresh produce, exceptional local wine, melt-in-the- mouth jamón and top seafood – the locals are nicknamed boquerones (anchovies) because of the quantities they eat. There are countless great bars and restaurants, and more opening all the time, but eat late if you don’t want to look like a tourist – Malagueños go out late, and dining after 10pm is the norm. With dozens of low-cost flights a week, Málaga ticks all the boxes for an alternative city break or a stopover on the way to a beach holiday. It’s just surprising more people haven’t cottoned on yet.

Do

Málaga’s cathedral was started in the 16th century on the site of the former mosque. Of the mosque, only the Patio de los Naranjos survives, a small courtyard of fragrant orange trees.

Inside, the fabulous domed ceiling soars 40m into the air, while the vast colonnaded nave houses an enormous cedar-wood choir. Aisles give access to 15 chapels with gorgeous 18th- century retables and religious art. Climb the tower (200 steps) to enjoy stunning panoramic views of the city skyline and coast. Building the cathedral was an epic project that took some 200 years. Such was the project’s cost that by 1782 it was decided that work would stop. One of the two bell towers was left incomplete, hence the cathedral’s well-worn nickname, La Manquita (the one-armed lady). The cathedral’s museum displays a collection of religious items covering a period of 500 years.

Uncovered in 1951, this Roman theatre slap- bang in the city centre had lain hidden for many hundreds of years. It was built in the time of Augustus (1st century AD) and remains relatively well preserved. An adjacent interpretive centre has touch screens and some artefacts dug up from the site. The theatre is particularly evocative at night with the Alcazaba illuminated behind it. No time to visit Granada’s Alhambra? Then Málaga’s Alcazaba can provide a taster. The entrance is next to the Roman amphitheatre, from where a meandering path climbs amid lush greenery: crimson bougainvillea, lofty palms, fragrant jasmine bushes and rows of orange trees. Extensively restored, this palace-fortress dates from the 11th-century Moorish period; the caliphal horseshoe arches, courtyards and bubbling fountains are evocative of this influential period in Málaga’s history. Don’t miss the small archaeological museum located within the former servants’ quarters of the Nazari palace, with its exhibits of Moorish ceramics and pottery.

The Museo Picasso has an enviable collection of 204 works, 155 donated and 49 loaned to the museum by Christine Ruiz-Picasso (wife of Paul, Picasso’s eldest son) and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso (his grandson), and includes some wonderful paintings of the family, including the heartfelt Paulo con gorro blanco (Paulo with a white cap), a portrait of Picasso’s eldest son painted in the 1920s.Don’t miss the Phoenician, Roman, Islamic and Renaissance archaeological remains in the museum’s basement, discovered during construction works. There are also excellent year-round temporary exhibitions. Besides the grand, marble-paved main shopping street Marqués de Larios, where shoppers can find high-street and designer names at bargain

prices, thanks to the weak euro, Málaga is a treat for those who like discovering little independent boutiques. Calle Andrés Pérez, in what was a run-down part of town, is also a good place to browse. The shops and restaurants clubbed together to clean up the street and pay for street lights. Top finds include organic clothing at ColorHueso (no 7), antiques at Patio Almanzora (no 5) and vintage goods at Quasipercaso (no 1). For beautiful handmade jewellery, try P&C in the old centre (Calle Santa María 13). The newly hip Soho district is being turned into an open-air gallery by the Maus (Málaga Arte Urbano Soho) project which has invited big-name international artists to create artwork on the city’s walls. There are giant animal murals by the Belgian Roa, pop-art style creations by D*Face and smaller works by local artists. More work to be added by Kenny Scharf, Aryz and Abraham Lacalle soon. Pick up a map and explore by yourself or join a guided tour by CAC (three free tours at 10, 11 and 12 on Mondays). For another alternative arty experience head to Plaza De Jesus de La Pasion, where artist Valerio “fishes for people” by dangling a rose and a note inviting guests to his studio to have their eye sketched for free for his “Eyecylopedia” or just to browse his work. Valerio is the man behind an alternative “art currency” circulating in the city – “the Valerio”, notes made from his printed etchings are being accepted by a range of “wholesome” businesses, from yoga studios to cafes.

Malaga's port is one of the oldest ports in the world with over three thousand years of antiquity, it is now one of the most important cruise ship terminals in Spain. Bringing many thousands of passengers onto Malaga’s sunny shores every year. The port is conveniently located near the city centre, within easy walking distance to all of Malaga’s cultural and historical highlights.

One of the city's biggest parks is right across the road, as is the Alcazaba, the Gibralfaro castle and its just a short walk to Malaga's historic centre and the main shopping areas - including Calle Larios. A visit to all is easily doable in a few hours. For cruise ship passengers, the location is ideal, you can be in the heart of Malaga within five minutes. Until fairly recently, Malaga's port was off-limits to members of the public. Over the last ten years, there have been two projects aimed specifically at Malaga's port and the surrounding areas. An expansion plan and the city-port plan. The expansion plan is ongoing and has so far opened up 11 docks as shipping and cruise ship terminals. There are now over 700,000 passengers arriving on Malaga's shores from 220 different cruise liners. This number has been growing rapidly over the last few years. Malaga's port is now one of the most important in Spain. The city-port plan was devised to develop the port area for recreational and commercial use. The ultimate aim of the city- port plan was to attract private investment - something that hasn't happened as quickly as hoped. Its two biggest projects to date, have been the openings of Muelles Uno and Dos. Quays one and two.

The quays are situated side-by-side and the names are are often used interchangeably by local Malagueños. Muelle Uno was opened at the end of 2011. The 14,000m2 shopping and commerce centre is home to restaurants, shops and has underground parking for over 1000 cars. The most exclusive part of the port, it is home to Malaga's onlyMichelin-starred restaurant (Jose Carlos Garcia's) and has a marina for luxurious yachts, known as "Ricardo Gross." Despite its exclusivity, there are also numerous other cafés and bars that cater for all tastes and budgets (including an Indian restaurant). Muelle Dos is home to the beautiful waterfront promenade invitingly named “The Palm Garden of Surprises,” "Palmeral de las Sorpresas” in Spanish. The promenade is an ideal place for families with small children. There are ample gardens, several children’s playgrounds, water features, and various activities to keep them entertained for hours. There are also numerous benches and quiet corners for people to sit and soak up the atmosphere.

The whole complex is very modern and elegantly designed. There are 420 recently planted palm trees lining the walkway and a further 7400 trees and tropical plants that make up the gardens.

The whole area offers a surreal, modern feel to it. You can fully understand why Malagueños are proud of the newest addition to their city's sights. There is no better place to enjoy an evening's ‘paseo’ and a bit of people watching.Very different to the old Malaga we all know and love.

Photography credit: Sofia Castellaccio

[caveartfair]

From Nixon to Obama—What Presidential Libraries Say about the Leaders Who Built Them

President Roosevelt’s private study, preserved as he left it during his final visit in March 1945. Photo by FDR Presidential Library & Museum, via Flickr.

Presidential libraries are the subject of political quarrels and oversized personalities. Critics feel that these centers bolster the ego of the officeholder and their administration rather than give an objective account of history. Even fans of the presidential library tradition will admit that they are self-constructed monuments, providing a vision for how presidents and their supporters wish to be seen and thought about by future generations.

No exception, President Obama’s plan for his library is exactly the kind of shimmering, futuristic project one would expect from the 44th person to hold the office. And even as President Trump is not even a year into his first term, some are already hypothesizing about what his library might look like.

Every library is different. But Republicans tend to favor traditional, classical architecture while Democrats embrace Modernism and elements of International Style for their libraries, notes Benjamin Hufbauer, author of Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory. Together, these libraries showcase some of the world’s greatest architectural talent—but they’ve also experienced no shortage of controversy.

Public/Private Disconnect

The first presidential library, and the only presidential library to open during a president’s term, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s in Hyde Park, New York. Roosevelt himself designed the modest fieldstone structure with materials from the Hudson Valley. Never again would a presidential library look so humble, however, says Anthony Clark, author of The Last Campaign: How Presidents Rewrite History, Run for Posterity & Enshrine Their Legacies. But don’t mistake that fact with personal humility. “Roosevelt was a wealthy man, it served his legacy well to look like this isn’t a monument to himself,” Clark says. (After publishing his book, the government committee that oversees presidential libraries asked Clark to come work for them.)

Marguerite "Missy" LeHand and Franklin D. Roosevelt pictured working together at the President's desk, May 22, 1941. Photo by FDR Presidential Library & Museum, via Flickr.

Perhaps the most famous presidential library design is actually in France. If you’ve been to the Louvre in Paris, you’ve seen Boston’s John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Well, not quite. But you have seen I.M. Pei’s original vision for the presidential library: a glass pyramid. That design was scrapped and recycled in Paris, causing as much righteous indignation as it originally provoked in Cambridge.

In 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act encouraged presidents to donate their papers to the federal government for future preservation. In 1978, the Presidential Records Act legally bound presidents and vice presidents to turn these records over. (The act took effect in 1981.) While the Presidential Libraries Act stipulated that the libraries would be private foundations maintained by the government, a 1986 update demanded there be a private endowment in proportion to the scope of the library—thereby easing the financial burden on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This public-private partnership has caused most of the conflict around presidential libraries and their financing. The architecture of these sites is not immune to that.

Richard Nixon, Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Yorba Linda, California. Photo by Mark Weston, via Flickr.

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is a prime example of the disconnect between public perception of a president and the supporters who fund their private foundation. In the first ever televised presidential debate, which pitted Nixon against Kennedy, Nixon famously refused to sport stage make up and thus came across pallid and clammy. But today the palm tree-lined reflecting pool at his library in Yorba Linda, California looks like the meditative retreat of a cool, West Coast personality. Though his childhood home sits adjacent to the library, the design doesn’t exactly square with the public image of Nixon, who Clark points out was once awkwardly photographed in dark dress shoes and socks on the beach.

Recasting the image of a person is one thing, but presidential libraries also educate the public on the history of the leader who built them. So how did the Nixon library address the famously paranoid president? When it came to the library’s Watergate exhibit, Nixon’s private supporters exerted their influence to make the display essentially a piece of propaganda, putting immense pressure on the now former library directory Timothy Naftali to acquiesce rather than correct it (Naftali eventually succeeded in making the exhibit accurate). But beyond Watergate, the dispute raised questions about who gets to write the history of any issue dealt with at a presidential library. “Should we really let Nixon loyalists write the script for the library’s story of Vietnam, which thousands of Americans will view?” asked Naftali.

Richard Nixon, Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Yorba Linda, California. Photo by Mark Weston, via Flickr.

“Presidential personalities can be disturbing on both sides of the party line,” says Hufbauer, who is also Associate Professor of Art History at University of Louisville. “Roman emperors could have an exaggerated list of ‘things achieved’ engraved in stone, written with the help of their advisors. These ancient examples are prequels to the self-promoting museums in presidential libraries,” Hufbauer wrote in Politico. He compares the design process, of which the president is an active participant, to the poem Ozymandias by Percy Shelley. The effect of megalomania run amok is often more pronounced at the end of a failed presidency. Democrat Lyndon Baines Johnson is an example of that.

Decoding the Architecture

“LBJ was hounded out of office,” says Clark, “The thought of him working his whole life for that moment then not getting the chance to have his second term on his own, I think he was thinking ‘I have to make sure people know that I was a great man.’” For this purpose, a low-lying fieldstone structure like FDR’s simply wouldn’t do. Hufbauer actually likes the “elegant Brutalism” of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, but admits many do not. The Gordon Bunshaft-designed building is topped by a horizontal outlook. “In abstract form, it’s almost like Lyndon Johnson leering down at you,” says Hufbauer. “They’re all really iconic,” he says of the libraries, “but the metaphors that they evoke are just very different,” he says.

George Bush Presidential Library on Texas A&M University campus, via Wikimedia Commons.

One example is the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the Texas A&M University campus. The rotunda now at the entrance of the library—which is one of three buildings in a complex—was actually added later in the design process, at the urging of Bush’s advisors, to make the building more formal. The Classical elements favored by other Republican libraries were then incorporated further through a colonnade “to reference the rhythm of the library,” explains Kathrin Brunner of architecture firm HOK, one of the building’s project designers. The formal significance of the rotunda was further enforced by the materials. “The presidential library is mainly limestone whereas the other two buildings [in the complex] are mainly clad in brick…so there is also a slight material hierarchy,” Brunner says.

The focal point of the Bush complex design was initially shared outdoor space, as the site of the library slopes gently towards a creek and small lake, uncommon features for the flat Texas landscape. Even through the changes, Brunner says that focus was preserved. And the symbolic and aesthetic importance of landscape has been taken up by other presidential library architects working for presidents across the aisle. Richard Olcott of Ennead Architects was a design partner for the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. The cantilevered, semi-transparent pavilion mirrors the silhouettes of Little Rock’s famous ‘six bridges’ which span the Arkansas River, Olcott explains.

Bill Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock, Arkansas. Photo by Stuart Seeger, via Flickr.

But the architecture also echoes the work of International Style architects like Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe. “Clinton loved this metaphor of a bridge to the 21st century. He just latched onto that idea and never let it go,” says Olcott. The 28-acre public park that the building sits in was no afterthought to the design, and was key to Clinton’s vision of revitalizing a depressed section of the city. “It’s a real civic amenity in a way that’s way beyond being a presidential museum,” Olcott says.

In May 2017, President Barack Obama spoke on a panel about plans for the Barack Obama Presidential Center on the southside of Chicago. Rather than relying on a partnership with NARA, the center will be run and funded completely privately—though NARA retains control over Obama’s paper documents. It will also be the first presidential library to have all its materials digitized. Like the Clinton library, revitalization is an important element of the project.

Rendering of the Obama Presidential Library. Courtesy of the Obama Foundation.

“We are looking at transforming Jackson Park so that it once again becomes a people’s park,” Obama said. Like previous Democratic presidents, the design is both futuristic and modern. The Los Angeles Times compared the design of architects Tod Williams, Billie Tsien and Dana Griffin to a “truncated obelisk,” also noting “the design makes a clear effort to steer clear of classical references — or any recognizably European motifs.” Reportedly, there was also some ego at play in the development. President Obama told the husband-and-wife architects that the initial design was too “unflashy.”

In 2016, Clark wrote a scathing post titled “How Presidential Libraries Helped Create Trump,” in which he decried that “a presidential library allows a president to build his own monument. And rake in the cash while sticking it to the taxpayers.” Looking forward and thinking about the future design of President Trump’s library in the pages of The New Yorker, Jeffrey Frank imagines a replica of the Trump Tower escalator and an archive of tweets. President Trump has shown his taste for gold, and some have said, a kitsch version of Versailles. But whichever architecture firm takes on this formidable task, presidential ego is sure to be a lead architect.

—Daisy Alioto

from Artsy News

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: From a Table of Phalluses to a Ménage à Trois Watercolor, Erotic Art Heads to Auction

A painted plywood table, after that supposedly delivered to Catherine the Great, modern (all images courtesy Sotheby’s)

A table with phalluses and breasts forming its arching base, complete with carvings of more genitalia attached to its round surface — if the tales hold true, this would be one of a number of titillating furnishings held in a secret erotic salon Catherine the Great supposedly had, adjacent to her private apartments. While two photographs captured in 1941 by Wehrmacht soldiers may portray these playful pieces, the royal palaces were soon bombed, eradicating any concrete evidence that the empress — known for quite the sexual appetite — ever sat around such mischievous decor, sipping on state-produced vodka while contemplating horseplay.

Ettore Sottsass, “‘Shiva’ Vase” (designed 1973)

But now you may host your own gathering around such a table (if you have a few extra thousand dollars on hand): a reconstructed, painted plywood version of it, with carvings of lush, golden tufts of hair, is part of a Sotheby’s sale of erotic art — the auction house’s first-ever one dedicated entirely to the representations of love and sex. “Erotic: Passion & Desire” (which is NSFW, obviously) features over 100 works of art from antiquity to the present-day and is appropriately timed to Valentine’s Day, occurring on February 16. Aside from the variety of mediums represented, there’s also an impressively vast range of sexual activities, and they’re not performed only by heterosexual couples.

“Taking a look through the catalogue, one is confronted with the idea that there is no form of modern sexual behavior that hasn’t already been perfected by our forebears — with the lots stretching back to ancient Rome,” Constantine Frangos, Head of the Sale, told Hyperallergic. “The oldest object in the sale is a Roman Marble Group of Two Lovers, circa 1st/2nd century AD. Marble sculptures depicting human couples engaged in lovemaking appear rarely in Roman art, and this work is one of only four known examples.”

The marble scene of a man penetrating a woman from behind certainly deviates from other reclining figures from that ancient period, which capture men and women at least partially nude, but still simply relaxing, rather than frozen in mid-thrust. But these are, of course, early precedents of the sexually explicit imagery to come in European art: the Sotheby’s sale provides a nice selection of examples over a few centuries, from an 18th-century lady getting pleasured by her man in a powdered wig to 19th-century ménages à trois watercolors by Paul-Marc-Joseph Chenavard to Picasso’s hold-nothing-back nu sketches.

The most intriguing of the lots, however, are the artworks of Eastern and Middle Eastern origin. The auction features albums of shunga — the very raunchy illustrations popular during Japan’s Edo period — and sexual paintings as well as an exquisite scroll from the Qing Dynasty. Such works exemplify how erotic scenes were quite widely accepted during these cultural periods; artists seamlessly integrated such eye-catching subjects into traditional formats, rendering architectural details and garments with as much attention paid to the love-making. Even in the Qing Dynasty, when erotic art was more suppressed in comparison to the Ming Dynasty, parents gifted graphic hand scrolls, albums, and paintings to daughters on their wedding days as instructive manuals, according to Sotheby’s Chinese Works of Art Specialist Emily Chang.

Qing Dynasty erotic handscroll, attributed to Qiu Ying

From a series of 10 erotic paintings from the Chinese School, Qing Dynasty

Less familiar to the eye may be a pair of watercolors from northern India that show very public acts of fornication: in one, a wide-eyed woman in ornate dress ogles another couple locked in a tight embrace; the other portrays a man and woman “making acrobatic love on a lake,” with crocodiles and fish jumping from the water gleefully observing the flexible folk. The rarest work, however, is likely a gouache-on-paper work of two men embracing each other, rendered in ink by Turkish artist Abdullah Bukhari in the 18th century.

“Just as erotic imagery held a special, almost secret place in European art at the time, it was a rare subject reserved for the Ottoman elite in Turkey,” Alexandra Roy, Sotheby’s Middle East Specialist told Hyperallergic. “Abdullah Bukhari (who flourished between 1725–50s) was one of the great painters of 18-century Turkey, and whilst he mainly painted scenes for collectors’ albums including fine depictions of flowers, he was also a specialist in the painting of women. This work is extremely rare, as only five, single-page erotic paintings with no associated story lines are known and of these, only one other known example represents a homoerotic scene.”

In the image, a young man reclines with his arms behind his head as a mustachioed man in a fez holds him close. Isolated from any specific location, it’s a quiet scene, capturing one intimate but universally understood moment: of two lovers simply reveling in each other’s company.

One of two erotic scenes, ascribed to Abdullah Bukhari

A loving couple watched by a maiden, from North India (ca. 1700-40)

A couple making acrobatic love on a lake, from Mewar, North India (ca. 18th-century)

“Haru no tempura (Spring intimate pillow)” (late 17th century), a Japanese erotic handscroll from the School of Iwasa Matabei

From a series of 10 erotic paintings from the Chinese School, Qing Dynasty

From a series of 10 erotic paintings from the Chinese School, Qing Dynasty

French, carved mahogany bed (19th-century)

Pablo Picasso, “Nu (Nude)” (1971)

Pablo Picasso, “Nu couché” (1972)

Paul Marc Joseph Chenavard, “Blowing Bubbles” (19th-century)

Paul Marc Joseph Chenavard, “Amorous Reflections” (19th-century)

The auction “Erotic: Passion and Desire” will take place at Sotheby’s (34–35 New Bond Street, London, UK) on February 16.

The post From a Table of Phalluses to a Ménage à Trois Watercolor, Erotic Art Heads to Auction appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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