Monday, March 17, 2014

Masters of Photography: Antonio Beato


"The Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre"

"Nubie", ca. 1880's

"Forecourt, Temple of Horus"


"Karnak, Interior"

"Pyramid at Saqqara"

"View of the Aswan Along the Nile"


ca. 1870

"Arab Children"

"Egyptian Woman"

"Water Carriers", ca. 1864
     


Biography from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: 

Antonio Beato (after 1832 - 1906), also known as Antoine Beato, was a British and Italian photographer. He is noted for his genre works, portraits, views of the architecture and landscapes of Egypt and the other locations in the Mediterranean region. He was the younger brother of photographer Felice Beato (1832 - 1909), with whom he sometimes worked. 

Little is known of Antonio Beato's origins but he was probably born in Venetian territory after 1832, and later became a naturalized British citizen. His brother, at least, was born in Venice, but the family may have moved to Corfu, which had been a Venetian possession until 1814 when it was acquired by Britain. 

Because of the existence of a number of photographs signed "Felice Antonio Beato" and "Felice A. Beato", it was long assumed that there was one photographer who somehow managed to photograph at the same time in places as distant as Egypt and Japan. But in 1983 it was shown by Italo Zannier (Bennett 1996, 38) that "Felice Antonio Beato" represented two brothers, Felice Beato and Antonio Beato, who sometimes worked together, sharing a signature. The confusion arising from the signatures continues to cause problems in identifying which of the two photographers was the creator of a given image. 

Antonio often used the French version of his given name, going by Antoine Beato. It is presumed that he did so because he mainly worked in Egypt, which had a large French-speaking population. 

In 1853 or 1854 Antonio's brother and James Robertson formed a photographic partnership called "Robertson & Beato". Antonio joined them on photographic expeditions to Malta in 1854 or 1856 and to Greece and Jerusalem in 1857. A number of the firm's photographs produced in the 1850s are signed "Robertson, Beato and Co." and it is believed that the "and Co." refers to Antonio. 

In late 1854 or early 1855 James Robertson married the Beato brothers' sister, Leonilda Maria Matilda Beato. They had three daughters, Catherine Grace (born in 1856), Edith Marcon Vergence (born in 1859) and Helen Beatruc (born in 1861).

In July 1858 Antonio joined Felice in Calcutta. Felice had been in India since the beginning of the year photographing the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Antonio also photographed in India until December 1859 when he left Calcutta, probably for health reasons, and headed for Malta by way of Suez. 

Antonio Beato went to Cairo in 1860 where he spent two years before moving to Luxor where he opened a photographic studio in 1862 and began producing tourist images of the people and architectural sites of the area. In the late 1860s, Beato was in partnership with Hippolyte Arnoux. 

Interestingly, in 1864, at a time when his brother Felice was living and photographing in Japan, Antonio photographed members of Ikeda Nagaoki's Japanese mission who were visiting Egypt on their way to France. 

Antonio Beato died in Luxor in 1906. His widow published a notice of his death while offering a house and equipment for sale.


Source.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

tapestry crochet

Dada's place: Blooming garden crochet bag: I've been thinking about colors. I'm not sure I know the answer to the question whether I am the one who chooses a particular col...

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

mahashivratri.

The Story Of King Chitrabanu

In the epic of Mahabharata, the great Bhishma, relates the tale of King Chitrabanu of the Iksvaku dynasty and the observance of Mahashivratri. King Chitrabanu was observing a fast on the day of the Mahashivratri with his wife when the sage Ashtavakra came to the king’s court. When the sage inquired as to the reason for the fast, King Chitrabhanu explained that he had the gift of remembering events from his previous birth, and related one such event to the sage.

In his previous birth, the King was a hunter named Suswara in Varanasi, and made a living by killing and selling birds and animals. One day while hunting in the forests, Suswara shot a deer but could not return home as night fell on the forest. Seeking shelter, Suswara climbed a bael tree to pass the night. Tormented by hunger and thirst, Suswara was unable to sleep and keep awake through the night. He shed tears thinking about his wife and children who would starve until he returned home with his kill. Suswara engaged himself in plucking bael leaves and dropping them as a way to distract himself from hunger, thirst and thoughts of his family.

When he returned home the next day, he sold the deer and bought some food for his family. But before he could break his fast from the previous day, a beggar came to him and begged for food. Suswara served the beggar before eating himself.

Years later, when he died, Suswara saw two messengers of Lord Shiva sent down to conduct his soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. It was then that Suswara learned of the great merit he had earned by his unconscious worship while sitting on the bael tree during the night of Shivaratri. The messengers told him that there had been a Shiva Lingam at the bottom of the tree, and the bael leaves had fallen on the Linga as well as his tears that washed it. Furthermore, Suswara had fasted all day and night. Suswara had lived in the abode of Lord Shiva and enjoyed divine bliss for ages before being reborn as King Chitrabanu. 










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