11 Nov: St Martin of Tours, convert, soldier, bishop. A very important saint for the early #Irish church. Here he gives his cloak to a beggar - El Greco

26 Aug 1349: d. Thomas Bradwardine Archbishop of #Canterbury of the Black Death #otd philosopher & theologian, archbishop for only 38 days

13 Aug 1553: William Herbert 1st earl of #Pembroke admitted to Mary I's Privy Council #otd (Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum of Wales)

Portrait of Charlotte Duchesne c. 1628 Done by her husband Philippe de Champaigne who had been hired by her father Nicolas Duchesne to assist in the decoration of the Luxembourg Palace for Marie de' Medici. (Met Museum) De Champaigne died #otd 12 Aug 1672.

Castleworkhouse, Wexford

Dirk (Theodorus) Helmbreker, Studies of a Man Smoking and a Man Drinking about 1650–1660 (The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)

I cut this image out of a sale catalogue years ago. Never been able to find its source since (and I have tried a lot!). If you know where it is from, I'd be thrilled to find out.

The Virgin with the Infant in swaddling clothes; a woodcut copy by C van Sichem after a print by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) V&A Museum, London.

This happened exactly six years ago. Never found out what it was, but it's a handy little kitchen knife: I looked up at the skylight in my study which is at the end of the garden just now and saw this... Knife-throwing competition ? Dropped by a magpie? Threat? A sign?

Portrait of Fani the painter sitting with one knee bent up for steadying the page, dipping the brush or pen in a small ceramic bottle and wearing pince-nez spectacles. Safavid dynasty Isfahan, c. 1590-1610 (British Museum)