Wouter Wagemakers
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wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Wouter Wagemakers
@wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
2.5K followers 360 following 1.9K posts
Art and architectural historian of renaissance Italy at Leiden University. Also in possession of a law degree
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wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
What a delightful read!
Book cover of The Buried City, by Gabriel Zuchtriegel
November 1, 2025 at 5:53 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
On my last full day here I went to Reggia di Caserta, the enormous palace designed by Luigi Vanvitelli from 1752 onwards. #Naples #Caserta
View from the garden of Reggia di Caserta, 3km from the Palace away which I walked) One of the four inner courtyards of Reggia di Caserta The staircase to the first floor One of the five fountains in the garden (a detail)
October 30, 2025 at 10:50 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Impressions from Pompeii.
Vesuvius Pompeiian road Fresco of an orchard View of a frescoed wall of a Pompeiian house
October 29, 2025 at 9:31 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
A visit to Pompeii included a stop at the wonderful Villa dei Misteri, named after the frescoes depicting the initiation of a woman into matrimony in accordance with the Dionysian Mysteries, painted c. 70-60 BCE.
Frescoes in the Villa dei Misteri. Frescoes in the Villa dei Misteri. Frescoes in the Villa dei Misteri. Frescoes in the Villa dei Misteri.
October 29, 2025 at 8:24 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Nou, echt heel mooi inderdaad!
Francesco Curia’s Annunciation, 1596-97. Francesco Curia’s Annunciation, 1596-97. Francesco Curia’s Annunciation, 1596-97. Francesco Curia’s Annunciation, 1596-97.
October 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
I also visited the Galleria d’Italia in #Naples, which has this wonderful painting by Artemisia Gentileschi depicting Samson and Delilah from c.1630.
Samson resting his head on his hands. Delilah’s maid is seen in conversation with her mistress as she’s pointing to something outside of the picture plane Delilah is shown in profile, holding scissors in her right hand A detail of two hands, one by Delilah handing a lock of Samson’s hair to her maid
October 28, 2025 at 7:27 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Today I visited the Museo di Capodimonte in #Naples, which has a stunning collection of Italian paintings.
Raffaello Sanzio’s Madonna and Christ with Saint Anne and John the Baptist (detail). Lorenzo Lotto’s portrait of bishop Bernardo de’ Rossi from 1505 surprises because of its stunning realism: Rossi’s face clearly shows the redness of his skin and several warts. (Detail) Detail from Il Sodoma’s Christ resurrected with an angel sitting on an empty sarcophagus. Detail from an annunciation scene by Francesco Curia in which you see layers of textile caught by wind.
October 28, 2025 at 7:14 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
In the same church you’ll also find the Caracciolo del Sole chapel, dating from the second quarter of the 15th century. #Naples
The funerary monument of Sergianni Caracciolo, essentially a raised sarcophagus resting on three caryatid knights. Detail of the frescoed interior: a medaillon of a man The wonderful majolica chapel floor made of Valencian tiles. View from the nave of the funerary monument for King Ladislaus by Andrea da Firenze, with a view of the entrance to the Caracciolo del Sole chapel behind it.
October 27, 2025 at 9:20 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
One of the true hidden gems of #Naples: The early 16th-century Caracciolo di Vico chapel in San Giovanni a Carbonara. Its architect is unknown, but seems to have come from the circle around Bramante in Rome.
Caracciolo di Vico chapel in San Giovanni a Carbonara in Naples. Caracciolo di Vico chapel in San Giovanni a Carbonara in Naples, with a view of the main altar of the Epiphany sculpted by Diego de Siloé and Bartolomé Ordóñez. Entrance to the Caracciolo di Vico chapel, made in a beautiful classicizing style. View of the cupola of the Caracciolo di Vico chapel in San Giovanni a Carbonara, Naples.
October 27, 2025 at 8:59 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
The Vesuvius. #Naples
A panoramic view of the Bay of Naples with the Vesuvius in the background. On the foreground to the right you see two empty chairs.
October 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
And some highlights from MANN in the art of fresco painting, all originally from the Vesuvian area. #Naples
Portraits of a baker and his wife A pensive woman in an interior from the Villa of Ariadne, Stabiae Sappho Flora, seen from behind picking flowers in a green field, from the Villa of Ariadne, Stabiae
October 26, 2025 at 9:34 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Also here at MANN: the famous and stunningly beautiful faun of Pompeii’s House of the Faun (NB: it’s not a faun, but a satyr). #Naples
Head of a bronze satyr (confusingly called faun), found at the so-called House of the faun in Pompeii, Italy. Body of a bronze satyr (confusingly called faun), found at the so-called House of the faun in Pompeii, Italy. Statue of a bronze satyr (confusingly called faun), found at the so-called House of the faun in Pompeii, Italy. Backside of the bronze statue of a satyr (confusingly called faun), found at the so-called House of the faun in Pompeii, Italy.
October 26, 2025 at 9:08 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
One of the great surprises at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale a Napoli (MANN): a wonderful scene with street musicians from a floor mosaic in the opus vermiculatum technique. #Naples
Detail from a floor mosaic from the late 2nd to early 1st century BCE, Pompeii, at MANN in Naples. Detail from a floor mosaic from the late 2nd to early 1st century BCE, Pompeii, at MANN in Naples. Detail from a floor mosaic from the late 2nd to early 1st century BCE, Pompeii, at MANN in Naples. The floor mosaic bears an inscription in Greek that shows the name of its maker: Dioskourides of Samos.
October 26, 2025 at 8:51 PM
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Hercules Farnese, a copy made in c. 216 CE from a Greek original in bronze, rediscovered in 1546. It depicts Hercules leaning wearily with the apples of Hesperides in his hand behind his back. #MANN #Naples
Hercules Farnese at MANN, Naples Hercules Farnese seen from the back. Detail of his right hand holding the three apples of Hesperides. Hercules Farnese, detail of front with Hercules leaning on his club. Hercules Farnese seen from the back.
October 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
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Perhaps this murder mystery is not Levy’s most accessible or accomplished novel, but it has beautiful writing, it foreshadows Swimming Home (which I absolutely love) in its themes and characters, and Part two about Algeria’s independence war is reason alone to read this.
Book cover of Deborah Levy’s The Unloved (1994)
October 25, 2025 at 8:19 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
So I decided to go to Naples for a few days to celebrate my birthday. This is day one - just a bit of exploring, ‘cause I had an early flight
View of a painted cupola in the San Gennaro chapel of the Cathedral of Naples. Painting by Giovanni Lanfranco View of a nave-arcade of one of the side-chapels of the Cathedral of Naples Façade of the duomo My very tired but happy face early this morning at the airport just before I had my coffee
October 25, 2025 at 5:15 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Jammie, kaas!
boter
October 23, 2025 at 7:50 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Attended the opening of the wonderful new exhibition at Teylers Museum in Haarlem (NL), Michelangelo and Men with beautiful drawings, lots of friends and colleagues and modern dance. #art #renaissance #exhibition #Haarlem
Flyer of the exhibition with three drawings by Michelangelo in neon colours Photo of a male dancer emulating one of Michelangelo’s marble statues Drawing by Michelangelo of a nude male seen from behind Drawing by Michelangelo: three studies - one of a left hand, one of a right arm, and one of the upper part of a torso with both arms stretched and a head looking up
October 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Always make sure to read the Letters to the Editor in @lrb.co.uk
Dirty Books: Barbara Newman, writing about Boccaccio, notes that ‘in modern Italian, the adjective boccaccesco mean “lascivious”’ (LRB, 14 August). She might have added that in the UK, ‘Chaucerian’ means about the same, though with a scatological edge. Meanwhile here in Japan the Decameron has a special following because slang for ‘big’ is deca and for ‘penis’ is Mara, while ron means ‘a treatise’. Timon Screech, Kyoto
October 11, 2025 at 10:48 AM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Will go see Otto e Mezzo (1963) later this afternoon at the cinema. So excited…!
Movie still from Otto e Mezzo (1963)
October 11, 2025 at 10:14 AM
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Spent a delightful evening with Deborah Levy at the International Literature Festival Utrecht where she was interviewed and read from her work. #ILFU
Author Deborah Levy interviewed by journalist Femke van der Laan in Utrecht #ILFU Deborah Levy reading from August Blue.
October 2, 2025 at 8:22 PM
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Als je op je 26e een salaris hebt waarbij je in drie maanden tijd 10,000 euro studieschuld kan aflossen weet ik niet of je representatief bent voor een hele generatie studenten met een torenhoge studieschuld. rtl.nl/lifestyle/ar...
Kop van rtl nieuws-bericht
September 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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Written in an elegant and measured style, the protagonists of this satire lead an expat life in Berlin that is carefully curated on their social media profiles, but their perfectly curated online lives become increasingly stifling when reality catches up with them. #books
Book cover of Vincenzo Latronico’s Perfection
September 14, 2025 at 3:10 PM
wouterwagemakers.bsky.social
Movie still from The Shining in which the character played by Shelley Duvall looks scared as an axe hits through the door. The text on Duvall’s outfit reads ‘Academics’ whilst the text on the axe reads ‘August turning into September’
September 1, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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Attempted restoration of 'Jesus' by Spanish amateur restorer Cecilia Gimenez
August 30, 2025 at 3:47 PM