Paradise Lost is written by John Milton, who has been blind since 1652 but has dictated to his daughters the 10-volume work on the fall of man ("Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." Milton's Adam questions the angel Raphael about celestial mechanics, Raphael replies with some vague hints and then says that "the rest from Man or Angel the great Architect did wisely conceal and not divulge His secrets to be scann'd by them who ought rather admire." The work enjoys sales of 1,300 copies in 18 months and will be enlarged to 12 volumes in 1684, the year of Milton's death; Annus Mirabilis by John Dryden is about the Dutch War and last year's Great Fire. The first Stradivarius violin is created by Italian violinmaker Antonio Stradivari, 25, who serves his apprenticeship in his home town of Cremona in Lombardy to Nicola Amati, now 73, whose grandfather Andrea Amati designed the modern violin. The younger Amati improves on his grandfather's design and teaches not only Stradivari but also Andrea Guarnieri, 43, who also makes violins at Cremona. Calculus is invented by Isaac Newton will prove to be one of the most effective tool for scientific investigation ever produced by mathematics. Robert Hooke's Micrographia, with illustrations of objects viewed through a microscope, appears. The book greatly influences both scientists and educated laypeople. In it, Hooke describes cells (viewed in sections of cork) for the first time. Fundamentally, it is the first book dealing with observations through a microscope, comparing light to waves in water. Fact is not just the physical things that happen, fact is also the way things are represented, the stories people tell.”

We are starting with a small number of achievable targets for funds raised as part of the Building and Library Funds: Pieter van Ruijven and his wife Maria Knuijt leave 500 guilders, a considerable, to Vermeer in their last will and testament. This kind of a bequest is very unusual and testifies a close relationship between Vermeer and Van Ruijven that went beyond the usual patron / painter one. It would seem that in his life-time the rich Delft burger had bought a sizable share of Vermeer's artistic output, most likely, fore than half.

Shelley Day and Books on Tyne delights

Molière's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme includes a ballet with music by court composer Jean Baptiste Lully, 38, who has come to France from his native Florence and changed his name from Giovanni Battista Lulli. The ballet is so popular that four performances are requested in the space of 8 days. During the break between these speeches, we had the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather at the Parkville Melbourne University campus and to walk by stalls for more insight, information and exciting prizes. After enjoying lunch with our friends, we watched a heartwarming documentary film called ‘One in a Million,’ following the lives of an American gymnast and one of her German fans. This film touched on deep themes of identity, growing up, and courage and dedication that is required to reach for your dreams. During the 17th century, wood panels were more readily available and cost-effective compared to canvases. Panels provided a smooth, hard surface texture compared to canvases, which allowed for different painting techniques. This surface enabled intricate details and fine brushwork, which were characteristic of the Dutch Leiden school of painting.

By studying and analysing the paintings of Johannes Vermeer, beginning with his landscape View of Delft (1660), and examining the scant documents detailing his life, the author builds up a picture of the world in which Vermeer lived; and from this he finds evidence of socioeconomic phenomena and globalization. In the case of the port in Delft in the Netherlands, for example, he finds evidence of the Dutch East India Company's operations. This is often said to be the world's first multinational corporation, which competing traders were forced to join; it had quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, negotiate treaties, coin money, and establish colonies, and played a powerful and prominent role in trade between the Dutch and Asia, including China. Grabsky stresses the crew had privileged access to the exhibition while the director says he found that paintings he had not seen before made an impression. “I had not seen The Allegory of Catholic Faith (around 1670, on loan from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) before which is one of the final paintings… he has brought all his craft to it, the theatrical set, the central figure with the dramatic gesture.”Is it the case that the more you look in detail at something, the more obvious these large themes become? On October 27th, out of the Year 9 and Year 10 cohorts, the classes learning German had the opportunity to participate in the German Careers Day at Melbourne University. Throughout the first half of the day, we attended several interesting presentations that gave us insights into the benefits learning German could provide, where the language could possibly take us and the various opportunities that could become available. These included speeches and presentations about what it is like to be a student and researcher in Germany, how Germany can open doors to careers both national and international, and how it is a powerhouse in the wider economy. De Verstandige Kok (The Sensible Cook) is published for the first time. Geared towards middle- and upper middle-class families, the book advises a regular and balanced diet, including fresh meat at least once a week, frequent servings of bread and cheese, stew, fresh vegetables and salads. While simple dishes, such as porridge, pancakes and soup with bread are eaten by all classes, studies reveal that only the affluent have regular access to fresh vegetables during the period; the less wealthy depend on dried peas and beans. One of the most common types of head covering was the coif, a close-fitting cap usually made of linen. Often worn under other hats or bonnets, coifs could be simple or intricately embroidered. For colder weather, hoods made of velvet or silk were popular and could be either simple or elaborately decorated with trimmings like lace or ribbons. Broad-brimmed hats, often made of straw, were also in vogue, especially for outdoor activities. These hats could be adorned with anything from feathers to flowers, adding a touch of individuality. I don’t know that they would have thought about ‘globalisation’ as such, I don’t know that they wouldn’t either. I think part of what Brook is suggesting is that these interiors — the Turkish carpets, the porcelain — are put together for a specific reason, which is that they show a cosmopolitan world view, which is particularly indicative of the cultural world of the Dutch middle class in this period. You could apply it to the middle class in London as well, or even to some English provincial towns. That world view is increasingly globalised, it’s increasingly showing knowledge of the rest of the world, an interest in commodities. In the late seventeenth century, in England, it becomes much more common in gentry houses to have cotton curtains, which were made in India. This causes all kinds of consternation among the wool industry in England because they’re worried about the competition. It shows that the world of at least some people is becoming increasingly globalised.