It must have been my donation!

[intertext]

It was, of course, my two pounds, or whatever it was, that put this over the top. But I'm so happy to report that the John Donne portrait in the National Portrait Gallery has been saved.

http://www.artfund.org/news/441

Don't you love his long fingers? And such a big nose... oh, Mr. Donne, no wonder so many of your poems were about sex...

Comments

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

Good news, isn't it? I saw the painting for the first time when I went to the Shakespeare exhibition in March and it is fascinating. However, I'd dearly like to see them analyse it, maybe x-ray or clean it. Close scrutiny suggests to me it's been touched up at some point as some of the details don't make sense. I also want to know if it's just grubby or really that black to start with. Close to there are details of pleating on the doublet.

I love the hands too, but remain somewhat mystified as to claims that John Donne looks sexy. The mind yes, the poetry too (and it is poetry about love, not love poetry), but the face ... I'm not convinced.