5 May - The Hunt Continues

I didn’t realize when I planned this trip that our first weekend fell on a bank holiday. The result is that anything vaguely touristy is overcrowded.  That said, I couldn’t resist going to the newly opened Michelangelo exhibition at the British Museum. It looks at the last 30 years of Michelangelo’s life when Pope Clement VII summoned him to Rome to paint a fresco of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, and features sketches for the Last Judgement along with his letters and other bits. I booked in advance and good thing, too, because only advance ticket holders were allowed in.  The exhibition was astounding. That all of these charcoal sketches have survived since the 16th century is mind-boggling. Upon entering, there was a projection of the Last Judgement on the wall, and around the room were framed sketches of figures that ended up in the painting.  One interesting technique they employed was to focus on an area of the painting, then fade in on what the original sketch looked like, then fade back again to the painted version.

Image from the Sistine Chapel:

Sketches sent to his friend Tommaso de' Cavalieri

Sketch for The Fall of Phaeton, black chalk on paper:

The Pieta, engraved in rock crystal and framed for use as a pax, an object used for the kiss of peace in the Catholic mass:

Studies for the dome and lanterns of St. Peter's:

Study of a kneeling man:

I loved this translation of a letter that Michelangelo wrote to his nephew.

The Cleansing of the Temple by Marcello Venusti, based on sketches by Michelangelo:

The Epiphania, a "cartoon" (full-scale preparatory drawing used to transfer a composition to another surface. Displayed here for the first time since the 1550's:

Leaving the exhibition I decided to continue my dragon quest. Happily, the next dragon was a short walk away, and it was spectacular! It was on a giant stone plinth that also featured statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

I then caught a bus across town to Farringdon where my next dragon was standing outside the derelict old market buildings that will soon be converted into the new Museum of London.

From there I walked past the old Smithfield Market which has its own dragon,

and past remains of the old London Wall, built by the Romans in 200AD.

The last dragon was about a 20 minute walk away in the Barbican area. It's in front of a public housing estate and is in a rather sorry state, paint peeling from its shield.

That was dragon #9. I know I told you that there were 10 dragons, but apparently the dragon on Moorgate has been removed due to Crossrail construction. Large trucks need to come down the road to the construction area and the poor old dragon was just in the way. Reportedly it will be put back when the construction is completed.

It was quite a day, so I celebrated with a trip to the London Mowgli restaurant on Charlotte Street then home.