Queen Anne: The First Monarch of Great Britain

Anne was born on 6 February 1665 in London, the second daughter of James, Duke of York, brother of Charles II. She spent her early years in France living with her aunt and grandmother. Although Anne’s father was a Catholic, on the instruction of Charles II Anne and her sister Mary were raised as Protestants. […]
Phobos: The Doomed Moon of Mars

Mars, often called the Red Planet, has two small moons: Phobos and Deimos. Their names come from Greek words meaning Fear and Panic. Scientists believe these moons may once have been asteroids, possibly formed in the belt between Mars and Jupiter before being pulled in by Mars’ gravity. This image shows Phobos, the larger of […]
Li Gonglin’s The Classic of Filial Piety: A Masterpiece of Song Dynasty Handscroll Painting

Song scholar-artists believed that painting was not just a record of sensory experience but also a reflection of the artist’s mind, a revelation of his personality, and an expression of deeply held values. In giving form to this ideal, Li Gonglin fundamentally transformed Chinese art. Prior to Li’s time, painting served a public function: it […]
Imperial Ideals in Stone: Tibetan Rock Carvings of Buddha Vairochana and Power

In the years 804 and 806, Yeshe Yang, Master of meditation of the Tibetan Triga Monastery near Lake Kokonor (in present-day Qinghai Province), commissioned two series of stone carvings of a crowned buddha , seated on a lion throne, surrounded by eight bodhisattvas The first was carved at Denma Drak, some 186 miles (300 kilometers) to […]