Author

Alexandra Kiely 9 posts 0 comments

Alexandra Kiely is a twenty-something writer, researcher, and art historian from the United States. She loves reading, figure skating, ballroom dance, and art especially gargoyles. Visit Alexandra on her website Writer to the Arts (alexandrakiely.com) and blog A Scholarly Skater (ascholarlyskater.wordpress.com)

Art History

Santa Claus Imagery Through the Ages

Alexandra Kiely Dec 20, 2016 0

“’Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there”. – 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'…

Art History

Halloween Creatures in Five Centuries of Art

Alexandra Kiely Oct 31, 2016 0

The holiday we now know as Halloween has a long and somewhat complicated history, beginning as an ancient solstice ritual and transforming over several centuries before emerging as the largely commercial celebration it is today. It should…

History

History’s Best Moustaches

Alexandra Kiely Nov 27, 2014 0

November, or more accurately, Movember, is the month when men across the world grow moustaches in support of men’s health advocate, the Movember Foundation. It also tends to be the month when everybody wants to talk about moustaches in…

Literature Features

CREEPY MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS – DEATH, DEMONS, AND DECAPITATION

Alexandra Kiely Oct 30, 2014 2

Those looking for an enjoyable scare for the Halloween season are unlikely to seek one out in a European medieval manuscript. Those things are stuffy and deeply religious, right? It would just be silly to look for anything creepy…

History

Cultural Heritage in Peril: Ancient Victims of Modern War in the Middle East

Alexandra Kiely Aug 7, 2014 3

Upon opening the newspaper or turning on the television in search of news surrounding the ongoing Middle East crisis, archaeology and cultural heritage are not at the forefront of most people’s minds. It is easy to forget that the area of…

History

A Brief History of Art Forgery in Four Crazy Case Studies

Alexandra Kiely Jul 15, 2014 1

Fraud! Scandal! Forgery! Over the past several years, articles with such attention-grabbing headlines have regularly appeared in the American media, all concerning what is probably the biggest art forgery case of the twenty-first century.…

History

The Origin of the World’s Art: Prehistoric Cave Painting

Alexandra Kiely May 7, 2014 2

Prehistoric cave paintings are among the world’s first-known and least-understood works of art. At least two hundred painted caves, some dating to as early as 30,000 BCE, have been found throughout the Pyrenees regions of southern France…

History

The Tara Brooch: Gold and Jewels from the Ancient Irish Past

Alexandra Kiely Mar 17, 2014 2

The Tara Brooch is justifiably among the most celebrated of all works of Celtic art. Dating to the early eighth century, the “Golden Age” of Celtic Irish history, this brooch has been called “The Book of Kells of Irish jewelry”.1 It is one…

History

A True Art Adventure: The Real-Life Story of the Monuments Men

Alexandra Kiely Mar 13, 2014 3

Priceless works of art disappearing throughout Europe. Centuries-old monuments imperiled. Masterpieces hidden inside salt mines. A world-famous museum evacuated via ambulance. Clandestine inventories of war loot secretly compiled by quiet…