Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Illumination

Oh, to be a reveler of the upper crust in the 18th century . . .

. . .

Yeah, alright, to be a reveler of the upper crust anywhere in time.

Claude-Louis Châtelet
Illumination of the Belvedere Pavilion for Emperor Joseph II

4 comments:

LC Douglass said...

Lovely - I know something about the history of this period. This is an enchanting piece and captures the fantasies of the empire at that time well.

Thomas Haller Buchanan said...

'Fantasies of the Empire' is a great title for a book that I would probably pay hard-earned money for—fully illustrated, of course.

borky said...

You know what this reminds me of? Bohemian Grove! All that's missing's the giant stylised owl.

Oh, but, Thomas, you've disillusioned me with this observation: "Oh, to be a reveler of the upper crust in the 18th century . . .to be a reveler of the upper crust anywhere in time."

...I'd automatically assumed what with your BOHEMIAN hat and the giant hashish filled Sherlock Holmes style pipe I just know you've got smouldering off camera, not to mention all those similarly unseen scantily clad houri strewn at your feet, you yourself already WERE just such a reveler!

Thomas Haller Buchanan said...

Borky, but I AM such a reveler as you describe.

What I bemoan is the devil-may-care, all expenses paid by someone else, wild and abandoned, carnivalesque, 'if you can't be with the one you love--love the one you're with', hail to the prince, nudge-nudge-wink-wink, no consequences for foolishness kind of revelry.

My wife tolerates fewer houri at my feet than you might think, and the hashish aggravates my allergies, so you know, I'm looking for something new to spin my bohemian hat (which by the way I DO wear all the time).