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Art Restoration Reveals Originals, Abandoned Paintings, and Turns 60 Dollars into Riches

Recently we showed you what happened when very old, yellowing varnish was removed from a 17th century painting. In just a few seconds a drab, discolored portrait was transformed into a vibrant work of art, unveiling the piece as the artist originally meant for us to see it. It was like watching a magic trick, only instead of an illusionist, it was a highly skilled art restoration expert using the power of science. But like any good act it’s a trick worth seeing again and again, and fortunately for us the man who brought us the first one has a some more for us to enjoy, including a new one where a face is conjured up from nowhere, and another where the payoff was almost half a billion dollars.

It was art dealer Philip Mould who brought us the first example of varnish removal, and recently he shared more examples of restoration work. He also offered some insights into the kind of lost information it can produce.

A Jacobean beau begins to buck his mask of grime.
Discoloured resin not only optically reduces tones but modelling also; its professional removal will sometimes heighten the chance of identification and attribution. pic.twitter.com/1cyqSRg1fi

— Philip Mould (@philipmould) November 19, 2017

In this next one he explains how the varnish goes from being a protective cover for the work to becoming a yellow tomb for its real beauty.

What the mysterious 400 year old Prince Henry looked like before (with cleaning tests) and after cleaning. Mastic varnish – which is made from tree resin – biodegrades and turns yellow brown over time, and can almost completely hide a painting if left long enough. pic.twitter.com/taLUuy5cO4

— Philip Mould (@philipmould) November 15, 2017

But while removing the varnish reveals the painting’s true color, there’s another technique that reveals something much harder to see. Look at this painting from 1759.

X-ray drama! A surface anomaly in the belly area of this important portrait of Admiral Anson (1759) by Sir Joshua Reynolds took us to the radiography department of Chelsea and Westminster hospital. See next tweet for what we discovered…… pic.twitter.com/Kc6LWKS4lk

— Philip Mould (@philipmould) November 14, 2017

So what does taking an X-ray of it reveal? A horror movie premise.

A severed head! Who is he? This can only be an abandoned portrait by Reynolds himself. An abandoned canvas? A first idea? pic.twitter.com/iqbqjsM5AG

— Philip Mould (@philipmould) November 14, 2017

Getting an X-ray result like that is very different for a painting than from your doctor. (If you’re like us and find all of this work fascinating, check out his Twitter feed where he answered some questions about why it’s unlikely that abandoned painting was a self-portrait.)

Here’s another.

Recently discovered: when a threatening would-be queen is executed, her royal image is often buried alive with her.
Left: Adrian Vanson’s portrait of John, Lord Maitland of Thirlestane (1589); right: X-ray view of the same painting, showing the late Mary Queen of Scots beneath. pic.twitter.com/DLWl6mCHV5

— Philip Mould (@philipmould) November 21, 2017

So what about that whole “half a billion dollars” trick? Recently a painting by Leonardo da Vinci was sold for a world record price of over 450 million dollars. For years no one even realized it had been painted by da Vinci, because a bad restoration added paint and obscured the identity of the master who had created it.

So what was the value of the painting before it was restored?

It’s authenticity disguised by poor restoration and added paint, you could have bought this painting in 1958 for £45. https://t.co/O8jxGzS5Mn

— Philip Mould (@philipmould) November 16, 2017

How the $450 million Leonardo looked looked last century when you could have bought it for £45! Crude repaint by a later hand (left) to cover damage ended up hiding Leonardo’s hair and face. A restorer took months with solvent, scalpel and then paint brush to revive it(right). pic.twitter.com/KaGkVUrcDw

— Philip Mould (@philipmould) November 23, 2017

Turning sixty dollars into almost half a billion? Now that’s a magic trick.

What is your all-time favorite restored work of art? Paint our comments section with yours.

Featured Image: Philip Mould

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China’s Beautiful New Library Can Hold Over 1 Million Books

Libraries are a quiet refuge where you can read in peace and really focus in on whatever book  you pull off the shelf. Most are designed similarly enough that we know what to expect when we walk in, allowing us to zone out and dive into the words on the page. However, we don’t think we’d get much reading done if libraries started looking as beautiful as this new one in China.

This gorgeous room–brought to our attention via a Bored Panda–is part of a library in the Binhai Cultural District In Tianjin, China. The five story library that can hold up to 1.2 million books was created by Dutch design firm MVRDV; they collaborated with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute.

Like any library, there are offices, meeting rooms, stacks storing more books, and computer/audio rooms, but the main focal point is the gigantic sphere in the center of the main room that’s since been dubbed “The Eye of Binhai.”

If you’re particularly eagle-eyed, you’ll notice that the higher book-filled shelves in the space are actually decoration, which makes sense considering how impossibly difficult they’d be to get to. Still, even with the faux books, the space is so absolutely breathtaking that we doubt any reading actually gets done in this room.

While we’re happy no unlucky librarian has to drag out a few hundred of those wheelie step-stools to get to a high shelf, we certainly don’t envy the cleaning crew tasked with dusting all of them. But at least there’s no chance of books falling down?

Take a closer look at this mind-boggling beautiful book collection in the video below and let us know in the comments if you’d be able to concentrate in such a breathtaking room!

Images: MVRDV

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Tokyo DisneySea Uniforms Drawn in Cute Manga Style

DisneySea in Tokyo isn’t necessarily known for famously unique rides: Hong Kong has Mystic Manor, while Shanghai Disneyland is the home to the crazy new Pirates of the Caribbean movie ride. But what the Disney park may arguably lack in signature thrills, it makes up for in aesthetic experience, with nautical theming and a wide variety of specially styled uniforms.

Via RocketNews 24, Japanese Twitter user @koikoisararira has sketched more than 20 of them in an ultra-cute comic-booky style, so that even if you can’t afford to jet over to Tokyo and “sea” the real thing, you can now totally imagine an anime version in your head:

先月、何年かぶりに友人とディズニーシーへ行ったのだけど、キャストさんの衣装がよく見ると凝っていて可愛いな！という話になって、せっかくなので（回れた範囲で）メモした衣装をまとめてみました。 pic.twitter.com/xjfsHio5ut

— さらら (@koikoisararira) November 12, 2017

It’s the little things that stand out here, like the detail of what the lace-up backs of some of the outfits look like or the English “Halloween” flag wielded by the Little Mermaid stage show attendant. The balloon vendor, however, appears to have lost her balloons, and is now dispensing levitating strings that disappear into the air. Well, that or raw spaghetti strands.

RocketNews 24 also notes that DisneySea serves beer, because whoever heard of cartoon sailors not drinking? Popeye, maybe, but he’s not Disney. Donald Duck has definitely had an adult beverage or two in his life.

Do these designs make you crave a far-east trip to theme-park ports? Let us know in comments, me hearties.

Featured Image: Peter Pan Fan

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ThinkGeek’s Arcade Cabinet Recreations Put Classic Games in Your Pocket

Over three decades ago, games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders ushered in a new era for arcades and set the stage for the quarter munching classics that followed. For their era, they were some of the best arcade games ever created. Now, they can literally fit in your pocket for a retrogaming experience.

ThinkGeek has unveiled its new Tiny Arcade line, which are officially licensed recreations of the arcade cabinets for Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Ms. Pac-Man, with Galaxian coming at a later date. While the details are impressive, they aren’t there simply for decoration. These are fully playable versions of the games, which can be controlled by the joystick and two buttons.

As you can see in the picture above, the delightfully cheesy artwork from the side of the cabinets has also been retained for the Tiny Arcade titles, which stand 3.5″ tall and can literally attach to your key-chain. The next photo better illustrates how easily these recreations can be carried around.

These remind us of the RepliCade X miniature arcade games that we recently featured after a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring Centipede back to its tiny glory. However, ThinkGeek’s Tiny Arcade titles have the edge when it comes to the price: $19.99; which is considerably less than the RepliCade X titles.

ThinkGeek’s first three Tiny Arcade titles are currently available to be ordered here. We’re eager to see which games will be added to any future lineups!

What do you think about these mini arcade recreations? Insert coin in the comment section below!

Images: ThinkGeek

POKÉMON Zoology Project Shows What the Creatures Would Look Like IRL

I can’t be alone in wondering what it would be like to encounter a Pokémon in real life. I’d want to capture it, but not to pit it against other creatures in battles. I’d just want it to be my friend. I’m wishing Pokémon existed in the world even more now that I’ve seen Joshua Dunlop’s Pokémon Zoology series. He’s approaching the fantastical lil’ monsters in a new way by illustrating them and considering what their biology would realistically be. The result is images that are both adorable and a little unsettling–but in the best way.

Besides the careful consideration of how the Pokémon would appear IRL, Joshua’s put them into natural environments to help sell the concept. So far he’s tackled popular Pokémon like Pikachu, Cubone, and Bulbasaur among others. He’s even illustrated multiple evolutions of some of them.

Continue exploring Joshua’s Pokémon Zoology project in the gallery below–and bonus: there’s an IRL version of Bowser, too. If you’d like to help Joshua make more images, support him on Patreon and visit his Etsy store. Keep up with his art on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and ArtStation.

Do you create any sort of pop culture-inspired art? If so, I want to see it. Whether you focus on a specific fandom or pull inspiration from multiple stories and mediums, I’d like to highlight what you do. If you’re interested in being featured in a future edition of Fan Art Friday, get in touch with me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com with examples of your work.

Images: Josh Dunlop

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Get Ready to Party with a STAR WARS Death Star Disco Ball

Forty years ago, the original Star Wars was released at the height of disco’s popularity. And while George Lucas didn’t directly bring any disco into his first trilogy, bootleg Star Wars merchandise has previously combined two of the driving forces from the ’70s. Now, there’s an official Death Star Disco Ball that will allow fans to say “that’s no moon, it’s a dance party!”

Many Bothans danced to bring us these images of ThinkGeek‘s Death Star Disco Ball, and it is a fully operational dance station that is covered in tiny glass mirrors across its 16″ inch diameter. And as you can see in the picture below, the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of disco.

It’s a little known fact that Darth Vader was not only a Dark Lord of the Sith, he was also a Dark Lord of the Dance! Vader may have been more machine than man, but he could really get down.

All the way back in 1977, the musician known as Meco released an album called Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk; which offered a disco-themed rearrangement of John Williams‘ iconic music from the first film. With this new disco ball, it would be appropriate to begin your intergalactic dance party by playing Meco’s take on the Star Wars theme and the Cantina Band song.

If you want the Star Wars Death Star Disco Ball, head over to ThinkGeek’s official page to place your order. The price is $49.99 and it is in stock now.

What did you think about the Death Star Disco Ball? Stay on target and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Images: ThinkGeek

Win a Piece of Pawnee in This PARKS AND RECREATION Auction

Despite the fact that we said goodbye to our friends from the Pawnee Parks Department well over two years ago, Parks and Recreation‘s popularity has remained as strong as 5,000 candles in the wind. But before now, we were only able to hold the show metaphorically in our hearts. Thankfully, a new auction will let Parks and Rec fans have the chance to win some original Pawnee gear and props from the show.

The auction starts on November 27 and goes through December 1 with opening bids from $25 to $250 dollars. Screenbids and NBC Universal Television are offering up awesome items to let you bring Pawnee into your home in a way you’ve never been able to before. There are tons of fun and unique items for sale, but just a few of the items you’ll find up for auction are bits of Entertainment 720 swag, a Snake Juice bottle set, an “I Met L’il Sebastian” tee, Leslie Knope campaign material, Bobby Newport campaign pins and stickers, and even some Eagleton gear if you’re feeling controversial.

Of course, this is Parks and Rec we’re talking about, so this isn’t just a straightforward auction. Some of the proceeds will go to the LA Conservation Corps, an organization that empowers at-risk teens with education and job training–just the type of group Leslie Knope would be proud to support. So head over to Screenbids to see everything up for auction, and be sure you’re totally over any Turkey Day hangovers by Monday the 27th so you can nab yourself a bit of Pawnee history and support a great cause.

Are you going to be bidding? What items do you have your eye on? Any props or costumes from the show that you don’t see up for auction that you’d love to own? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Featured image: NBC Universal

Images: Screenbids

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Bésame’s New SNOW WHITE Makeup Set Captures the Film’s Signature Color Palette

With companies like Her Universe and WeLoveFine creating amazing, fandom-oriented clothes and companies like ThinkGeek selling more fandom and geek-themed home goods than any of us could ever fit into one home, there are a lot of great and unique ways we can bring our faves into our everyday lives. Now the makeup wizards over at Bésame have joined in the fun, and have created something truly awesome for Snow White fans by launching an entire Snow White makeup line.

BuzzFeed first tipped us off to this line, and we are SO excited about these products! Bésame is truly special in the makeup world because they take the time to painstakingly research and recreate actual color palettes from the past. In their new Snow White line, they didn’t just create Snow-inspired makeup. They worked to recreate a color palette that was based on the original 1937 animated classic. It’s a brand new way to experience a film we’ve all loved for ages!

The line has everything you need to truly feel like the fairest of them all. And everything comes at a range of prices starting at about $15, so there is something here for everyone. The line includes 12 pieces consisting of lipsticks, blush, a few bag options, and (my personal favorite) a magic mirror. Don’t worry, old ladies handing out poisoned apples not included.

And if you’re looking for a way to express your mood for the day, they also have a 7 Dwarfs lipstick set. So you can use your makeup alone to let everyone know which of the group’s signature moods you’re channeling that day. And if you’re a sucker for cute packaging like I am, you’ll love the look of each individual lipstick and the case they all come in.

But if you’re looking for something a tad more subtle than lipstick, you can always check out their balm trio with three adorable, scented lip balms.

If you just like to have a few solid staples in your makeup regime, they’ve got the line standalone lipstick colors (with Snow-themed names like “Love’s First Kiss” and “One Bite”) as well as individual blushes and concealers. Of course, you’ll need a bag for all of this makeup awesomeness. The line includes a vintage Snow White purse as well as absolutely adorable Snow White book bags.

Basically, this line is a must for Snow White and makeup fans alike. The makeup is adorable, expertly crafted, and will make you feel like a princess in no time flat. If you want to check out the entire line, you can head over to Bésame to grab your favorites!

What do you think of the new Bésame line? Have you tried any of the products? What other Disney Princesses would you like to see get a unique makeup line? Tell us in the comments!

Images: Bésame

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Nerdist Podcast: Dana Gould and Janet Varney

Dana Gould and Janet Varney chat with Chris about how dolphins and whales would talk to each other, getting trick or treaters on Halloween and how Janet is a good singer but never sings. They also talk about their early days of comedy, meeting their heroes and the new season of Stan Against Evil!

Watch the Beauty of Baby Squid Coming to Life Under a Microscope

Just when we begin to think we’ve seen all the wonderful weirdness that the internet has to offer, something comes along and surprises us. This time, it’s a video of microscopic squid embryos coming to life. Even if that doesn’t sound especially mesmerizing, we promise you: the video below is one of the coolest things we’ve seen in a while.

This video comes to us courtesy of a recent post on, of all places, Laughing Squid (via The Kid Should See This) and shows the beauty of teeny tiny cephalopods in the early stages of life. Nipam H. Patel, a developmental biologist at the Patel Lab at UC Berkeley, uploaded this and other beautiful videos to his Vimeo channel showing off development of a wide range of creatures most might otherwise think were, well, gross. The video above is an edited version of “Squid: Coming to Life,” that was made with images and videos from the Woods Hole Embryology course. The slightly longer version (below) includes some additional images and is just as mesmerizing.

What’s particularly interesting in both videos is how the footage of the baby squids as they start to move seems so similar other creatures in early development. It’s most likely just us projecting, but seeing them bump around their surroundings and begin to use their chromatophores for the first time is like seeing a baby take its first steps. Only, you know, a little less cute. (Just a little.)

What do you think of the footage of these squidly diddlies? Let’s talk about it over some calamari in the comments below!

Image: Vimeo | Nipam H. Patel

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