This interdisciplinary study examines painted portraiture as a defining metaphor of elite self-representation in early modern culture. Beginning with Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier (1528), the most influential early modern account of the formation of elite identity, the argument traces a path across the ensuing century towards the images of courtiers and nobles by the most persuasive of European portrait painters, Van Dyck, especially those produced in London during the 1630s. It investigates two related kinds of texts: those which, following Castiglione, model the conduct of the ideal courtier or elite social conduct more generally; and those belonging to the established tradition of debates about the condition of nobility –how far it is genetically inherited and how far a function of excelling moral and social behaviour. Van Dyck is seen as contributing to these discussions through the language of pictorial art. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, cultural history, early modern history and Renaissance studies.

Here, in more than one thousand full-colour illustrations, is the history of Western costume, from ancient Egypt to Paris fashion. John Peacock's meticulous drawings are organized in chronological sections and accompanied by detailed descriptions of each figure, including the individual items of costume shown and the many types of fabric, cut, pattern and colour that have been used over the centuries. An illustrated glossary gives additional information on technical terms. The Chronicle of Western Costume is the unrivalled reference work on its subject. No student or designer in the performing arts, costume and fashion enthusiast, collector or social historian will want to be without it.

Told in a simple mythical style, the story of Siddhartha is an inspirational classic by Hermann Hesse, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library, a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold-foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated from German by Hilda Rosner with an introduction by John Peacock. Siddhartha, the son of a wealthy Brahmin, is unable to find peace within his own religion and community so sets off on his travels through India in search of enlightenment. First he spends time with a group of ascetics called Samanas. For a while he embraces their doctrine and rejects all worldly goods. When he hears about a man called Gotama the Buddha he leaves the Samanas. However Buddhist teaching disappoints him and he realizes that self-discovery must come from his own experiences. He rejects the spiritual life, takes a lover and becomes a rich merchant. But after some years, dissatisfied with materialism, he takes off again in search of the spiritual peace he longs for.

This book examines the importance of the topic of 'feeling tone' (vedana) as it appears in early Buddhist texts and practice, and also within contemporary, secular, mindfulness-based interventions. The volume aims to highlight the crucial nature of the 'feeling tone' or 'taste of experience' in determining mental reactivity, behaviour, character, and ethics. In the history of Buddhism, and in its reception in contemporary discourse, vedana has often been a much-neglected topic, with greater emphasis being accorded to other meditational focuses, such as body and mind. However, 'feeling tone' (vedana) can be seen as a crucial pivotal point in understanding the cognitive process, both in contemporary mindfulness and meditation practice within more traditional forms of Buddhism. The taste of experience, it is claimed, comes as pleasant, unpleasant, and neither pleasant nor unpleasant - and these 'tones' or 'tastes' inevitably follow from humans being embodied sensory beings. That experience comes in this way is unavoidable, but what follows can be seen in terms of reactivity or responsiveness. This book was originally published as a special issue of Contemporary Buddhism.

This book examines the importance of the topic of 'feeling tone' (vedana) as it appears in early Buddhist texts and practice, and also within contemporary, secular, mindfulness-based interventions. The volume aims to highlight the crucial nature of the 'feeling tone' or 'taste of experience' in determining mental reactivity, behaviour, character, and ethics. In the history of Buddhism, and in its reception in contemporary discourse, vedana has often been a much-neglected topic, with greater emphasis being accorded to other meditational focuses, such as body and mind. However, 'feeling tone' (vedana) can be seen as a crucial pivotal point in understanding the cognitive process, both in contemporary mindfulness and meditation practice within more traditional forms of Buddhism. The taste of experience, it is claimed, comes as pleasant, unpleasant, and neither pleasant nor unpleasant - and these 'tones' or 'tastes' inevitably follow from humans being embodied sensory beings. That experience comes in this way is unavoidable, but what follows can be seen in terms of reactivity or responsiveness. This book was originally published as a special issue of Contemporary Buddhism.

This interdisciplinary study examines painted portraiture as a defining metaphor of elite self-representation in early modern culture. Beginning with Castiglione's Book of the Courtier (1528), the most influential early modern account of the formation of elite identity, the argument traces a path across the ensuing century towards the images of courtiers and nobles by the most persuasive of European portrait painters, Van Dyck, especially those produced in London during the 1630s. It investigates two related kinds of texts: those which, following Castiglione, model the conduct of the ideal courtier or elite social conduct more generally; and those belonging to the established tradition of debates about the condition of nobility -how far it is genetically inherited and how far a function of excelling moral and social behaviour. Van Dyck is seen as contributing to these discussions through the language of pictorial art. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, cultural history, early modern history and Renaissance studies.

Based on a close study of Van Dyck's Self-portrait with a Sunflower, this book examines the picture's context in the symbolic discourses of the period and in the artist's oeuvre. The portrait is interpreted as a programmatic statement, made in the ambience of the Caroline court after Van Dyck's appointment as 'Principal Painter', of his view of the art of painting. This statement, formulated in appropriately visual terms, characterizes painting as a way of looking and seeing, a mode of vision. In making such a claim, the artist steps aside from the familiar debate about whether painting was a manual or an intellectual discipline, and moves beyond any idea of it as simply a means of representing the external world: the painter's definitive faculty of vision can reach further than those realities which present themselves to the eye. John Peacock analyses the motif of looking - the ways in which figures regard or disregard each other - throughout Van Dyck's work, and the images of the sunflower and the gold chain in this particular portrait, to reveal what is essentially an idealist conception of pictorial art. He contradicts previous opinions that the artist was pedestrian in his thinking, by showing him to be familiar with a range of ideas current in contemporary Europe about painting and the role of the painter.

Based on a close study of Van Dyck's Self-portrait with a Sunflower, this book examines the picture's context in the symbolic discourses of the period and in the artist's oeuvre. The portrait is interpreted as a programmatic statement, made in the ambience of the Caroline court after Van Dyck's appointment as 'Principal Painter', of his view of the art of painting. This statement, formulated in appropriately visual terms, characterizes painting as a way of looking and seeing, a mode of vision. In making such a claim, the artist steps aside from the familiar debate about whether painting was a manual or an intellectual discipline, and moves beyond any idea of it as simply a means of representing the external world: the painter's definitive faculty of vision can reach further than those realities which present themselves to the eye. John Peacock analyses the motif of looking - the ways in which figures regard or disregard each other - throughout Van Dyck's work, and the images of the sunflower and the gold chain in this particular portrait, to reveal what is essentially an idealist conception of pictorial art. He contradicts previous opinions that the artist was pedestrian in his thinking, by showing him to be familiar with a range of ideas current in contemporary Europe about painting and the role of the painter.

This lavishly illustrated book is a full-length study of Inigo Jones as a stage-designer. Jones's designs for the Stuart court masques (and associated court entertainments) between 1605 and 1640 played a crucial role in transmitting the visual language of the Italian Renaissance tradition into English culture, where, because of geographical and historical factors, it had not yet become acclimatized. John Peacock shows that almost all of Jones's designs were copied and adapted from Italian and continental sources (many identified here for the first time), and argues that this is to be understood in terms of 'imitation', a concept and a practice central to the very tradition of which Jones is a messenger and propagandist. His exploration adds an alternative dimension to our knowledge and understanding of a figure who is generally considered the most important English artist of the seventeenth century.

This beautifully illustrated, full-colour history of costume has been produced by bestselling author John Peacock especially for children.With over 320 hand-drawn illustrations, and clearly written descriptions on every page, the book offers a broad survey of Western costume from ancient times through to the present day, and is sure to delight any child with an interest in fashion or history, as well as being an invaluable educational resource.

Here, in over 2,000 specially drawn illustrations, is the most comprehensive and detailed history and sourcebook of shoes ever published. John Peacock charts the development of every kind and style of footwear for both men and women from earliest times to the present day. Reproduced in meticulous detail and full colour is a host of representative examples of footwear: the simple sandals of ancient Egypt, made from natural fibres and held onto the foot with narrow thongs; the embroidered and bejewelled shoes of the Byzantine empire; the fantastic pike-toed boots newly fashionable in the fourteenth century; the hugely exaggerated platform heels of the sixteenth century; eighteenth-century silk slippers; as well as a huge range of contemporary shoes, from brogues and baseball boots, stilettos and winklepickers, to today's fashion footwear in radical materials and experimental styles. Neatly arranged in six chronological sections, the pictures are accompanied by full descriptions, including details of all materials, heel and toe styles, decorations including embroidery and beading, and fastenings including buttons, laces and ribbons. An invaluable reference section includes an at-a-glance time chart showing the development of footwear through the ages, a concise bibliography, and biographies of the world's leading shoe designers and companies, including Salvatore Ferragamo, Charles Jourdan,Terry de Havilland and Manolo Blahnik.

A bumper edition of John Peacock's renowned costume drawings, charting the development of women's and men's clothing from the 1920s onwards. This beautifully illustrated, easy-reference volume features over 2,100 meticulous illustrations that record in fascinating detail the ways in which fashion has changed year by year, decade by decade, from the boyish silhouette of the 1920s right through to the structured `power dressing' of the 1980s. Day wear, evening dress, sports and leisure wear, accessories, underwear and wedding wear are all portrayed, accompanied by complete descriptions of colour, cut, necklines, lapels, sleeves, pockets, fastening, buttons and belts. The reference section includes a chart that summarizes the evolution of fashion and garment-shapes through the decades, as well as biographies of the outstanding designers of each era. The Complete Fashion Sourcebook will be indispensable to all fashion enthusiasts, historians and collectors, and will be an invaluable sourcebook for any designer or student working in the performing arts.

In April 1863 after the U.S. Dakota War of 1862, after the hanging of thirty-eight Dakota men in the largest mass execution in U.S. History some 270 Dakota men were moved from Mankato, Minnesota, to a prison at camp McClellan in Davenport, Iowa. Separated from their wives, children, and elder relatives, with inadequate shelter, they lived there for three long, wretched years. More than 120 men died. Desperate to connect with their families, many of these prisoners of war learned to write. Their letters, mostly addressed to the missionaries Stephen R Riggs and Thomas S. Williamson, asked for information, for assistance, and for help sending and receiving news of their loved ones. Dakota elders Clifford Canku and Michael Simon, fluent Dakota speakers, provide both the Dakota transcription and the first published English translation of fifty of these letters, culled from Riggs's papers at the Minnesota historical society. They are a precious resource for Dakota people learning about the travails their ancestors faced, important primary source documents for historians, and a vital tool for Dakota language learners and linguists. These haunting documents present a history that has long been unrecognised in this country, in the words of the Dakota people who lived it. The dedication written by the authors, both of whom are descendants of Dakota prisoners of war, declares: "Our relatives are watching over us. / We are humbled as we honour our ancestors. / Woecon kin de unyakupi do / We accept this responsibility you gave us".

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

In Two Parts. Part One, On Various Divine Subjects; Part Two, Suited To The Lord's Supper. Due to the very old age and scarcity of this book, many of the pages may be hard to read due to the blurring of the original text.

In Two Parts. Part One, On Various Divine Subjects; Part Two, Suited To The Lord's Supper. Due to the very old age and scarcity of this book, many of the pages may be hard to read due to the blurring of the original text.

Robin and Linda are 21-year-old twins who were given up for adoption shortly after birth. Having traced their biological mother, Helena, they lure her to an abandoned house on the pretext that she will be meeting Michael, her former lover. Here the twins reveal their identity to Helena, taunting her with sinister re-enactments of her past. Eventually she is forced to confess the true circumstances of her children's birth. With echoes of the myth of Romulus and Remus, Children of the Wolf is a dark, engrossing play with an intensely shocking twist.