the human story is made of rituals (13 July 2016)

I guess my enthusiasm kind of rubs off on people.

- Margaret Murray, Egyptologist, archaeologist, anthropologist, historian, and folklorist. 

The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, photograph taken from Murray's The God of the Witches (1933)
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talismans against witches

I believe order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. On the whole I think that knowledge is preferable to ignorance, and I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable than ideology. I believe that in spite of the recent triumphs of science, men haven't changed much in the last two thousand years; and in consequence we must try to learn from history...
And I think we should remember that we are part of a great whole. All living things are our brothers and sisters.

- Kenneth Clark, Civilisation

Francesco del Cossa, Saint Lucy (detail), 1473-74


Look at this charming donkey!

- Kenneth Clark

Paola Pivi, Untitled (Donkey), 2003

the donkey that drew Sir Kenneth Clark's admiration is at the west portal of Autun Cathedral draw source