On 10th March 1844 Marie Spartali aka Stillman was born to Michael Spartali and Euphrosyne Varsini. Her mother's name some spelled Valsami, sometimes Varsami.
1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti [aged 29]. Portrait of Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 13].
Between 1863 and 1865. James Abbott McNeill Whistler [aged 28]. "Rose and Silver: The Princess from the Land of Porcelain". Frequently described as "The Princess from the Land of Porcelain". Model Christine Spartali Countess d'Anvers [aged 16] sister of Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 18].
Christine Spartali Countess d'Anvers: On 19th May 1846 she was born to Michael Spartali and Euphrosyne Varsini. In December 1868 Eduard Joseph Cahen d'Anvers Marquis de Torre-Alfina and she were married.
On 2nd December 1865 [her daughter] Lisa Romana Stillman was born to [her future husband] William James Stillman [aged 37] and Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 21].
1867. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 22]. "The Lady Prays - Desire".
1867. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 22]. "Mariana".
1868. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 23]. "Portrait of a Young Woman".
March 1868. Julia Margaret Cameron nee Pattle [aged 52]. Photograph of Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 23].
1870. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 25]. "La Pensierosa aka Thoughtful".
1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti [aged 41]. Portrait of Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 25].
1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti [aged 41]. "A Vision of Fiammetta". Model Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 25].
1870. Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet [aged 36]. "The Mill: Girls Dancing to Music by a River". Left to right: Maria Zambaco [aged 26], Marie Spartali Stillman [aged 25], and Aglaïa Coronio née Ionides [aged 35].
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Around 1870. Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet [aged 36]. "Cupid and Psyche". The models Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 25] and Maria Terpsithea Cassavetti aka Zambaco [aged 26].
1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti [aged 41]. Head Study for Dante's Dream. Model Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 25].
1871. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 26]. Self-Portrait, or a portrait of the artist's sister Christine Spartali Countess d'Anvers [aged 24].
In 1871 William James Stillman [aged 42] and Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 26] were married.
1872. Dante Gabriel Rossetti [aged 43]. "The Bower Meadow". Models Alice aka Alexa Wilding [aged 25] right in green, Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 27] left in red.
Around 1872 [her daughter] Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman was born to [her husband] William James Stillman [aged 43] and Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 27].
1874. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 29]. Self-Portrait in Medieval Dress.
1878. Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet [aged 44]. "Danaë and the Brazen Tower". The model Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 33]. See Hyginus Fables 63.
1879. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 34]. "Fiametta Singing".
1881. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 36]. "The Meeting of Dante and Beatrice on All Saints Day".
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1881. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 36]. "The Enchanted Garden".
1881. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 36]. "Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni". From the poem Sestina of the Lady Pietra degli Scrovigni by Dante Alighieri.
Dante Alighieri: Around 1265 he was born. On 14th September 1321 he died.
1885 to 1890. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 40]. "A Florentine Lily"
1885. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 40]. "Love's Messenger". A dove has just carried a love letter to a woman standing in front of an open window. Model the artist's daughter Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman [aged 13].
Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman: Around 1872 she was born to William James Stillman and Marie Spartali aka Stillman. On 18th August 1911 she died.
1887. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 42]. "The May Feast at the House of Folco Portinari".
1888. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 43]. "Dante at Verona".
1889. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 44]. "Messer Ansaldo showing Madonna Dionara his Enchanted Garden". Illustrating a tale from The Decameron.
1891. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 46]. "How the Virgin Mary came to Brother Conrad of Offida and laid her Son in his Arms".
1891. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 46]. "Cloister Lilies".
1894. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 49]. "A Rose from Armida's Garden".
1894. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 49]. "Love Sonnets".
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1894. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 49]. Portrait of the artists daughter Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman [aged 22].
1896. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 51]. "Beatrice".
On 6th July 1901 [her husband] William James Stillman [aged 73] died at Frimley Green, Surrey. He was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking.
On 18th August 1911 [her daughter] Euphrosyne "Effie" Stillman [aged 39] died.
1914. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 69]. "Pilgrim Folk".
On 26th January 1914 Jane Morris nee Burden [aged 74] died at 5 Brock Street, Bath. On 29th January 1914 she was buried at St George's Church, Kelmscott [Map] in the same grave as her husband William Morris. Her body was driven in a 'motor' from Bath to the manor house just before the service. Her coffin was 17th century style and in oak with brass furniture and a simple inscription of her name and date of death, and was carried into the church by six village men. The church was well attended by the villagers as well as familiar names from the world of art and literature including Marie Stillman [aged 69] whose wreath was noted in the papers. The hymn 'Now the labourer's task is o'er' was sung and the organist played the Dead March as the coffin was carried out to where William was already buried.
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 82]. "A Clear Well With A Little Field".
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 82]. "Dante's Vision of Leah and Rachel".
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 82]. "Childhood of St Cecily".
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 82]. "Girl Playing Music".
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Before 1927. Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 82]. "Sir Tristram and the Belle Isolde".
On 6th March 1927 Marie Spartali aka Stillman [aged 82] died at Ashburn Place, Kensington. She was buried with her husband at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking.