Sculpted

It was a marriage that lasted barely 10 years, producing a single daughter, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi. The divorce was officially attributed to the health risk posed to the queen by the "Persian climate". But during that time, the Egyptian princess who looked like a movie star became one of the most recognised faces in the world, captured on the cover of Life magazine in September 1942 as the "Queen of Iran" by the legendary photographer Cecil Beaton.

The queen, Beaton wrote: "Had sad and mournful eyes, pitch-black hair, a perfectly sculpted face and soft, graceful hands bereft of the wrinkles of labour."

Then as now, the world loved a fairy tale princess. The public was enamoured by the royal graces, fashions and poise of real-life royalty.

Even today, the princesses and queens of the Arab world still capture the imagination of the masses and set trends in both the political and social arenas.

Queen Rania of Jordan, like her predecessor, Queen Noor of Jordan; Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco; Sheikha Mozah of Qatar; Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid; and Princess Ameerah Al Taweel, wife of the Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, are just some of the royals today who have become fashion icons and some of the most photographed women in the Middle East.

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/a-forgotten-egyptian-princess-remembered#ixzz2YfUVaUSX
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Mourners

Aromatic sage and mint linked graves were discovered on Israel's Mount Carmel.

Imprints of the stems and flowers of aromatic plants stamped into the dirt of ancient graves are the oldest definitive proof of putting flowers and fresh plants in the grave before burying the dead (here, an ancient burial pit dating to nearly 14,000 years)-a mundane practice around the world today-a new finding says.

Scented flowering plants, such as mint and sage, were imprinted in soft mud after they decomposed some 12,000 years ago in the graves located in a cave on northern Israel's Mount Carmel. Ancient mourners lined four graves with the flowers, most notably one that holds a pair.

In The Chapel

In the Chapel at Nelahozeves Castle there hangs an imposing, full-length depiction of a Black Madonna and Child, based on the celebrated statue known as The Madonna of Einsiedeln. It is by an unknown artist, probably of the Central European School. The ducal arms of Baden emblazoned on the image suggest that it was commissioned by the Baden family. Black Madonnas, as a distinct subject, spread throughout medieval Europe and eventually reached the shores of the Americas. A number of theories have linked the Black Madonna to pre-Christian earth goddesses or perhaps to the Egyptian goddess Isis, but these are still the subject of debate among art historians.  

This rare oil painting returned to Nelahozeves Castle on 20 June 2013 after a complete restoration by Collections conservator Martin Martan and was graciously sponsored by Mr and Mrs Jürgen Stackmann. In its previous state, as a result of brittleness caused by age, the Black Madonna required structural conservation work such as patching and re-lining. The original canvas had suffered numerous tears that could have enlarged and undermined the stability of the fragile layers of paint. The painting also needed cleaning to bring out the subtle white-and-gold palette of the Madonna’s garments.

The restoration not only saved the painting from further damage, it also confirmed its iconographic provenance: the Black Madonna from The Lobkowicz Collections is inspired by the famous Madonna of Einsiedeln in Switzerland. Like the original statue, this Black Madonna is holding Baby Jesus in her left hand and a sceptre in her right, and the Baby is holding a small black bird, probably a goldfinch, to remind us of the Passion.