Word: 1400s
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...trade and diplomatic force, its authority backed up by the thousands of troops who accompanied Zheng He on his travels. If countries could be said to "own" centuries - the 20th century is often viewed as America's; the previous one arguably belonged to colonial superpower Britain - the 1400s were all China's. Or at least they could have been, had the country not suddenly turned inward...
...Matthew the angel, John the eagle, and Mark the lion. Two sets of plaques from processional crosses are beautifully enameled with these figures, the greens and blues breathtakingly vivid through so many centuries. Sometimes Adam rises from his tomb on the bottom spar, and in one mid 1400s Italian work it's Mary Magdalen at his feet. Another striking theme is to show the crucified Christ on one side of the cross, and Christ-in-Glory (complete with halo and benevolent-yet-judging expression) on the reverse-a visual crash course in basic theology...
...clear evening in Florence, from a rear terrace of the 15th century Palazzo Frescobaldi, you can see the lighted campanile of Brunelleschi's late masterwork, the Santo Spirito Church, commissioned by a Frescobaldi in the mid-1400s. The church is almost 150 years younger than the family's 700-year-old business. Now the Frescobaldis, best known for their sumptuous Brunello di Montalcino wine, are coming out of the Middle Ages, forming international alliances that would impress even their arch rivals, the Medicis, and embarking on a marketing strategy for the 21st century...