Jordanian Staircase, Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia,

The Holy Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of San Salvador

Foundation 8th century 

Construction1 3th - 17th century

Decorated pages from the Beinecke Rare Book Library at Yale University

Konstantin Andreevich Ukhtomsky, The Small Winter Garden in the Apartments of Alexandra Fyodorovna from Types of Rooms in the Winter Palace, c 1870s, watercolor.

BꙆottɩ ᥱᥒtɾᥱ ʋɩɠᥒᥱ⳽ ᥱt ᥴoꙆꙆɩᥒᥱ⳽ ᑯoɾᥱ́ᥱ⳽, Cᖾᥲtᥱᥲᥙᑲᥙɾɠ ᥱ⳽t ᥙᥒ ʝoყᥲᥙ ᑯɩ⳽ᥴɾᥱt ᑯᥱ Ꙇ’Aɾᑯᥱ̀ᥴᖾᥱ, ᑲᥲɩɠᥒᥱ́ ᑯᥱ ⳽oꙆᥱɩꙆ ᥱt ᑯ’ᥲᥙtᖾᥱᥒtɩᥴɩtᥱ́. Sᥱ⳽ ɾᥙᥱꙆꙆᥱ⳽ ᥱ́tɾoɩtᥱ⳽ ⳽ᥱɾρᥱᥒtᥱᥒt ᥱᥒtɾᥱ Ꙇᥱ⳽ ʋɩᥱɩꙆꙆᥱ⳽ ρɩᥱɾɾᥱ⳽, ρᥲɾƒᥙຕᥱ́ᥱ⳽ ᑯᥱ Ꙇᥲʋᥲᥒᑯᥱ ᥱt ɾყtᖾຕᥱ́ᥱ⳽ ρᥲɾ Ꙇᥱ ᥴᖾᥲᥒt ᑯᥱ⳽ ᥴɩɠᥲꙆᥱ⳽. Iᥴɩ, Ꙇᥱ tᥱຕρ⳽ ɾᥲꙆᥱᥒtɩt, Ꙇᥱ⳽ ⳽oᥙɾɩɾᥱ⳽ ⳽oᥒt ⳽ɩᥒᥴᥱ̀ɾᥱ⳽, ᥱt Ꙇᥱ⳽ ᥴoᥙᥴᖾᥱɾ⳽ ᑯᥱ ⳽oꙆᥱɩꙆ ᥱຕᑲɾᥲ⳽ᥱᥒt Ꙇᥱ⳽ ᥴotᥱᥲᥙx. Uᥒ Ꙇɩᥱᥙ oᥙ̀ ᥴᖾᥲϙᥙᥱ ɩᥒ⳽tᥲᥒt ᥲ Ꙇᥱ ɠoᥙ̂t ᑯᥙ ʋɾᥲɩ, ᑯᥱ Ꙇᥲ tᥱɾɾᥱ ᥱt ᑯᥙ ⳽oꙆᥱɩꙆ.

Cᖾᥲ̂tᥱᥲᥙᑲᥙɾɠ / Fɾᥲᥒᥴᥱ 🇫🇷

Bყ ©️LM®️

Azure Grotto, Naples (1841) by Ivan Aivazovsky

The painting "Lady in a Fur Cloak" is a work of art that has generated much debate over its authorship over the years. Initially, it was attributed to the renowned painter El Greco, but recent analyses have confirmed that it was painted by the Spanish artist Alonso Sánchez Coello.

Details of the work:

Title: "Lady in a Fur Cloak"

Artist: Alonso Sanchez Coello (c. 1531-1588)

Data: 1580-1588

Technique: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 79.8 x 65.7 cm

Location: Pollok House, Glasgow

History and Authorship:

The painting was exhibited at the Louvre in 1838, and was attributed to El Greco at the time. In 1853, it was acquired by Sir William Stirling Maxwell, who donated it to the City of Glasgow in 1967, along with Pollok House.

The authorship of "Lady in a Fur Cloak" has been debated for over a century. Detailed technical analyses, including X-rays and comparison with other works, have revealed that the painting shares stylistic and material characteristics with the works of Alonso Sánchez Coello.

The figure portrayed:

The identity of the woman depicted in the painting is unknown, but her elegance and clothing suggest that she belonged to nobility or royalty. Some scholars have speculated that she could be El Greco's companion Jeronima or even an idealized representation of the Virgin Mary. However, the lack of concrete evidence keeps her identity a mystery.

Painting features:

"Lady in a Fur Cloak" stands out for its realistic representation of the female figure, with meticulous details in her clothing, jewelry and facial expression. The use of warm, dark colors, together with the somber background, gives the work a mysterious and elegant air.

The painting is considered one of the most important of the late 16th century in Europe, and is an example of Alonso Sánchez Coello's ability to portray Spanish nobility with precision and refinement.

Statue of Jupiter, late 1st century AD. From the villa of Emperor Domitian (Flavian dynasty). Hermitage Museum.

Scotland’s World Heritage Sites span millennia—etched in stone, cast in iron, and rooted deep in the land.

On #WorldHeritageDay, we honour the places that carry history forward.

🏛️ Scotland’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

St Kilda — A remote archipelago in the Outer Hebrides, notable for its dramatic landscapes, seabird colonies, and 4,000 years of human history. It holds dual status for both natural and cultural heritage.

Old and New Towns of Edinburgh — A unique urban landscape where medieval alleyways meet Georgian elegance, showcasing centuries of architectural and civic development.

Heart of Neolithic Orkney — A collection of prehistoric monuments, including Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar, offering insight into Neolithic life.

New Lanark — An 18th-century mill village on the River Clyde, renowned for its role in social reform and industrial innovation under Robert Owen.

The Antonine Wall — The northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire in Britain, representing Roman military engineering and imperial ambition.

The Forth Bridge — A 19th-century cantilever railway bridge spanning the Firth of Forth, celebrated as a masterpiece of engineering and design.

The Flow Country — Designated in 2024, this vast peatland in Caithness and Sutherland is the world’s largest blanket bog, recognised for its ecological importance and role in carbon storage.

The Painter's Honeymoon (c.1864) by Frederic Leighton