As expected, there was a very large number of correct answers to the Christmas Details competition. Well, it is Christmas.
The Competition puzzle for 924 was as seen on the left: I suggest that it was one of the most tedious details to find. However, I did eventually discover that it was painted by Thomas Couture.
The week after that was an exceptionally easy detail - a knee from the Stonebreakers by Courbet. The winners will be published this week, but I should imagine that there would have been a bagful of correct entries.
This week's, 926, was in a different catergory, though. It was a real poser:
I thought it might be an engraving by Mantegna, but in the end it turned out to be by an artist I had never heard of: Girolamo da Treviso. It is a bizarre piece of political satire, a 16th century anti Roman Catholic picture showing the Four Evangelists Stoning the Pope.
This answer won't be published until a week tomorrow: 8th February.
This blog may not be continuing for too long as I think the Independent on Sunday will be taken over or "fold" fairly soon. It is losing readership hand over fist and is too London centred.
