Craig Clunas

I'm dreaming of an unheimlich Christmas
Just like the ones that seem vaguely familiar for some reason

Detail of Bernini's Apollo and Daphne showing the heads of two sculpted figures looking toward the right. Daphne flees from Apollo as her fingers transform into twigs and leaves.

Bust-length caricature of Cardinal Scipione Borghese in pen and ink depicting a heavy-jowled prelate wearing a biretta with a wide collar.

Cathedra of St. Peter in St. Peter's, Rome. Over-lifesize bronze statue with gilded highlights featuring a chair / throne raised aloft on volutes by four Fathers of the Church, two on each side. Above the entire ensemble, a longitudinal oval stained glass window with the Dove of the Holy Spirit at the center emanates golden rays of light while a swarm of putti in clouds surrounds the whole.

Pen and ink drawing of Bernini's first design for the Louvre, 1665. The palace elevation features a colossal order with a convex bay at the center, connected with two concave segments on either side to orthogonal end pavilions. The central bay is surmounted with a drum-without-a-dome and statues top the entablature of all the bays.

Happy Bernini's birthday to all who celebrate! 🎂 #OTD 7 December 1598 #earlymodern #baroque #art #architecture

One face of the Govan Sarcophagus featuring interlace decoration and a hunting scene.

The Govan Sarcophagus was discovered by the sexton while digging a grave in the grounds of the old church #OTD in 1855. Dating from around AD 900, it is the only sarcophagus carved from solid stone known from pre-Norman northern Britain. 📸The Govan Stones / Sketchfab #medievalsky

ASPA1846.org home page

The American Society for Premodern Asia web portal is now live on our new domain name: www.aspa1842.org

Our second weekend Umlaut appears over a word that can be found on all good xmas gift lists.

YouTube video by Photo Oxford A talk on Constance Talbot, early photographer and lifelong artist by Rose Teanby

Grateful thanks to Photo Oxford for recording my recent talk about the photographic and artistic life of Constance Talbot held at @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
The talk is available here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fmB...

Muban Educational Trust The Muban Educational Trust was established in 1997 by Christer von der Burg and the late Verena Bolinder-Müller. It is a small charity based in south-west London and is dedicated to the preservation,...

There's a bunch of high-quality stuff about #Chinese #printmaking and #graphics on the Youtube channel of the Muban Educational Trust, quite the resource:
www.youtube.com/@mubaneducat...

Stein-Arnold Exploration Fund The Stein-Arnold Exploration Fund was established according to the terms of the will of Sir Aurel Stein FBA, to commemorate his friendship with Sir Thomas Arnold FBA, for 'the encouragement of researc...

If British or Hungarian, @britishacademy.bsky.social has grants for 'research on the antiquities/historical geography/early history/arts of those parts of Asia within the sphere of the ancient civilisations of India, China, Iran, including Central Asia’
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...

#BOTD: Feng Youlan/Fung Yu-lan 馮友蘭 (1895–1990). Chinese philosopher, author of A History of #ChinesePhilosophy 中國哲學史 (1934, trans. by Derk Bodde). #ModernChina #諸子百家 #哲學 #Philosophy

Ingirisu-jin, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Ingirisu-jin, 1863, 7th month (Bunkyu 3), by Utagawa Yoshitora
Class: Prints
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/55536

Art history is too important to be the preserve of the privileged The subject is endangered at A level just as it couldn’t be more essential or universal. Helen Barrett makes the case for its survival in British schools

‘Elitism is detrimental to everyone. If art history is a subject only for the wealthy, most people won’t care if it dies’ – and it’s far too important for that to happen, writes Helen Barrett

Columba depicted with mitre and crozier from Bodleian Library MS. Rawl. B. 514.

Dec 7: Feast of Nativity of Colum Cille (Columba), founder of Iona, born in Ireland #OTD in 521. He consecrated Áedán mac Gabráin as king of Dál Riata; preached to the Picts, including ‘the tribes of Tay’; and reputedly banished a monster from the River Ness. 📸Bodleian Libraries #medievalsky

In University Library Leuven (Belgium), exhibition on 600th anniversary of Leuven University w/this huge 17thC world map in Chinese (from BNF Paris @labnf.bsky.social) made by Jesuit astronomer Ferdinand Verbiest for/at Ming court 🤩 @speccoll-kuleuven.bsky.social
'Routes to Knowledge' < 22 Feb 26

Here’s the link.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

doi:10.1017/S1356186325101247

Image shows a vintage illustrated postcard depicts a stylized street scene featuring traditional Chinese architecture with bright red pagoda-style buildings, ornate tiered towers, and curved tiled rooftops. The composition includes several figures walking along a wide pathway, some carrying parasols or pushing carts, while others stand near vendor tables. Flags in red, white, and blue tones hang from tall poles, and banners with Chinese characters are displayed near the right edge. The overall color palette is warm and saturated, with detailed linework and a textured print surface typical of early 20th-century postcards. Sort available posts on Bluesky using #Buddhasinthewest | All posts archived here: tinyurl.com/4kmcwp87 🔍 🗃️ 📜

In the midst of a growing Pacific War, the young Republic of China withdrew from the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933.

Private individual ensured China's symbolic presence, however, with local Chinatown businessmen erecting two giant pagodas for the “Streets of Shanghai” concession. 🧵
🗃️ 📜 #Chicago

As the year slowly draws to an end, here's 5 key publications by/with scholars of premodern #ChineseStudies published in 2025. 🧵
#books #chinesehistory #chinese #sinology #wrapped2025 #academicbooks #research

Wooden bureau type desk (via Christies)

The desk J.R.R Tolkien used during his tenure at Merton College as Professor of English Language and Literature is up for auction at Christies, with an estimate of £50,000. It was subsequently owned by Dame Iris Murdoch and John Bayley.
www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6...

David Berry Fellowship in the History of Scotland and the Scottish People - RHS Launched in 2023, the David Berry Fellowship provides an annual award of up to £2,500 to undertake research on the history of Scotland and the Scottish people worldwide. Applications for the 2026 Fell...

The Society currently invites applications for its David Berry Fellowship in the History of Scotland and the Scottish People.

The Fellowship, for up to £2500, supports research by historians of Scotland at any career stage: bit.ly/4ns6LJj

Closing date: Friday 6 March 2026 #Skystorians

Little known but delightful fact: this stunning church has a carving of a hedgehog.

Do you want to know about experts in Chinese history? How astronomers, artisans, interpreters, servants, sailors, diviners, and surveyors worked? Then check out this special issue edited by Sarah Schneewind and Yang Qiao!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Wait no The Blackness is definitely an early 2000s rock band from Aberdeen

Trading firm XTX donates £26mn for maths research at UK universities Billionaire Alex Gerko says Britain is missing out on top academic talent

This is good. If anyone wants to do something similar in humanities and social sciences give me a shout
on.ft.com/48pT7jP

If you’re looking at the nonconsecutive reign names with the multi-year gap in between and thinking there must be a story there, you are in for a treat

…

New publication!
My article in Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art @intellectbooks.bsky.social.
I explore how two photo projects by Li Jun and Jiang Pengyi use the appearance and disappearance of everyday objects to reflect on our relationship with material things in a rapidly changing China.

A Japanese woodblock print of a Japanese village in snow. The village is by a river and has a lot of trees and some traditional buildings.

#AshmoleanAdvent Day 1: Snow at Kinryūzan Temple

Our Ashmolean Advent Calendar is here! Check back each day until Christmas for a new seasonal treat from our collections.

The first festive treat from the collection is Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s View of Snow on Benten Hill at Kinryūzan Temple in Asakusa.

Number 1 surrounded my stars

A Christmas tree decorated with colourful ornaments stands on a snowy windowsill with miniature figures around its base. A girl is outside looking through the window at the tree.

It's art advent time! We're sharing a festive artwork each day until Christmas 🎄

Here's day one ✨

‘The Christmas Tree’ by Harry Bush (1883–1957) © the artist's estate. 📷 Grundy Art Gallery

St Nicholas, Barfrestone, in all its Norman 5* small-but-splendidness

RIP Tom Stoppard (1937-2025), among many other major significant plays and screenplays, he brilliantly adapted Empire of the Sun for the cinema…