Journal of a Nobody

– Michael Boiano

Marina Tsvetaeva, from a letter to poet Boris Pasternak

giovanni previdi

Where are you leading her? Do you even know?

Étienne Boissise - Mystery

John Ashbery, Rivers and Mountains; from ‘The Ecclesiast’

San Remo by John William Casilear, 1888

As here, the central picture under the taffrail shows an angel of the apocalypse (1), as indicated by the armament and the fact that he is holding a shield with the image of the king on his lap (3). This should convey that the angel destroys in the name of the king all those who are in his way and that he was already victorious. This is also shown by the empty armour on the taffrail (2). The enemy has been defeated. In addition, two putti are taking care of the war trophies (4). Two more putti decorate the victory with the king’s initials (5). Below the first row of windows is the coat of arms of the Order of St. Michael with the fleur-de-lis and the crown (6). (7) Shows the name of the ship and (8) again the initials of the king. It was to show the enemy that L'Ambitieux was fighting all in the name of the King and would only be victorious. Unfortunately, this was not the case as she burnt and sank just one year after her launch in the Battle of Hougue in June 1692.

This photograph shows the steel barque "Newfield" after she was stranded off the coast of Australia on 29 August 1892. Built by Alexander Stephen of Dundee for Brownells & Co. of Liverpool, the 1,512-ton sailing ship was carrying 1,850 tons of salt from Sharpness to Brisbane when Cape Otway Light was reportedly mistaken for King Island. The wreck claimed the lives of nine crew members. A replacement Newfield was launched the following year and later sailed under the name Gwydyr Castle before being scrapped in 1932.

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