The Duffield Memorial is a gravesite monument located in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary in Great Baddow, England. Designed by Herbert Maryon and installed in 1912, it commemorates Marianne and W. W. Duffield, who died in 1910 and 1912, respectively. A second plaque commemorates their son, W. B. Duffield, who died in 1918. The memorial is made of riveted sections of bronze sheet metal and comprises edging and a vertical cross. The edging follows the rectangular perimeter of the grave plot, with short pillars at each corner. Within the plot sits a Celtic wheel cross, decorated in relief with leaflike motifs. A curved shaft connects it to the foot; both the shaft and the four-sided base upon which it is mounted have curved and splayed sides. The plaques commemorating the Duffields are riveted to the base; a medallion, now lost, was once riveted to the centre of the cross. In 2022, Historic England designated the work a Grade II listed building, noting its unusual Art Nouveau metalwork. ( Full article... )
April 6 : Śmigus-dyngus in Poland (2026); Tartan Day
| | Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and the supreme god in the tradition of Shaivism. Worshipped throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and parts of Southeast Asia, he is an amalgamation of various older deities into a single figure. Alongside Brahma and Vishnu, Shiva forms part of the Trimurti, in which he is known as the "destroyer", although in many traditions he also creates, preserves and transforms the universe. He is depicted as both an ascetic yogi and as a householder with his consort Parvati and his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Shiva's iconography includes the trishula (trident), the third eye, the damaru, the serpent king Vasuki, the crescent moon, and the river Ganga flowing from his hair. Usually worshipped in the form of the lingam, Shiva is regarded as the patron of meditation, yoga and the arts. This painting depicts Shiva and Parvati seated together on a terrace at night, with iconographic elements including skulls, snakes, and the Ganga flowing through his hair. The work was painted around 1800 on paper in bodycolour and gold, inlaid with pieces of iridescent beetle carapace, and is now in the collection of the British Museum in London. Painting credit: unknown Recently featured: |