Psyche ₊˚⊹ 𐀔

and could not withstand the temptation.

The loyalty and devotion of Michael Alexandrovich❤️‍🩹💌

Michael was known for his sincerity, loyalty, and devotion, particularly to Natalia, whom he married despite imperial disapproval

Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna in the Hall of the Noble Assembly, 1913 🖤

Notably, in 1915 the Hall of the Noble Assembly was used to accommodate wounded servicemen.

.....and the marriage was fulfilling to both parties, until she died sixteen years and twelve children later. When separated, Maria Theresa sent letters to him daily, and her complaints were only that he did not respond quite as frequently. "Dearest, best Francis," she wrote on a sheet of writing paper which she had decorated with hearts, forget-me-nots, and red flowers:

"On some really pretty paper I am writing to you a really thundering letter. I am angry at you, first because you sent me no news of yourself and I fear lest something has happened to you and second, because I am told that you will remain away longer than had been anticipated. But my entire anger will vanish immediately upon your casting your first glance upon me again. Please, dearest love, come back soon."

Gold ring with carnelian intaglio of Empress Sabina, Roman, circa 130 AD

We were, indeed, all about to perish, when a man with a long beard came up, exclaiming, “Spare the women; don’t dishonour the nation!”

Apollo of Gaza

Gaza, 

?5th century BCE

rare bronze sculpture of the Ancient Greek god Apollo was found in the Gaza Strip in 2013. It was put for sale on eBay, and subsequently withdrawn from sale and seized by police thanks to the publication of the story along with photographs by the Italian journalist Fabio Scuto on La Repubblica.

The statue was claimed to have been recovered from the sea in August 2013 by Joudat Ghrab, a local Palestinian fisherman. Ghrab said that he saw the statue lying in shallow waters near the Gaza border with Egypt, and initially thought the statue was a badly burnt body. It took four hours to get the statue ashore. The statue was later put for sale on the internet auction site eBay for $500,000 by members of Ghrab’s family. The sale price is believed to be significantly below its true value. Police appointed by Hamas, the rulers of the Gaza Strip, subsequently seized the statue and are investigating its provenance.

The statue has not been examined by archaeologists, but a Reuters report published in The Guardian attests to “a few blurred photographs of the intact deity, who is laid out incongruously on a blanket emblazoned with Smurfs”. The evidence dates the statue to between the 5th century BCE and the 1st century BCE. The statue depicts Apollo with curly hair and one eye possibly inlaid with a blue stone iris, standing upright with an outstretched arm, and with his palm held up.

Temple of Rome and Venus seen from Colosseum. In the apsis a copy of famous “Capitoline Venus”.