Giordano Bruno - Red-Haired Heretic ??

Another great find from Emanuela today :D

In previous posts we've mentioned how Galileo, Tycho Brahe and possibly Copernicus were all redheads. Now Emanuela has found a page suggesting that the famed philosopher Giordano Bruno may also have been a redhead. It describes him as "short, thin, [with] red hair and combative".

http://www.athame.it/in-memoria-di-giordano-bruno-martire/

Bruno lived from 1548 to 1600 and was burnt at the stake for heresy by the Inquisition (another redhead burnt for heresy :p). Wikipedia says this about him;

He is celebrated for his cosmological theories, which went even further than the then novel Copernican model. He proposed that the stars were just distant suns surrounded by their own exoplanets and raised the possibility that these planets could even foster life of their own (a philosophical position known as cosmic pluralism). He also insisted that the universe is in fact infinite and could have no celestial body at its "center".

Quite timely given that the Internet is currently abuzz with Flat Earth theory - a theory that calls for the end of this now universally accepted world model. I guess these things come in cycles. Yesterday's heresy now today's orthodoxy.

It's said Giordano Bruno also believed in the transmigration of souls - what we would call reincarnation. Maybe in his latest incarnation Bruno is a Flat Earther :)

Whenever the powers that be seek to limit the imagination of man, men like Bruno will stand as a light against the enclosing darkness. In this case maybe bright with red hair.

Some Beautiful Paintings Today :)

The following were all brought to my attention by Emanuela.

The first four are by the American painter and printmaker Mary Cassatt.

(The Family)

(Maternal Kiss)

(Nurse Reading to a Little Girl)

(Young Woman with Auburn Hair in a Pink Blouse)

This next one is by the English artist Luke Fildes. I'm not sure what its title is, but it's very beautiful nonetheless.

And this final, equally beautiful painting, is by the artist William Llewellyn, and is titled Girl with Pigtails.

Could Da Vinci Have Been A Redhead?

It's often mentioned on-line that Leonardo da Vinci had red hair. He would be a great addition to the roll call, however evidence is very difficult to come by, and so far we've only found suggestions that he had hair of a brownish colour at best.

Interestingly though, the following web page suggests otherwise. It states that Leonardo had "long brown hair with a tinge of red". The page is interesting, but quite unorthodox as it suggests that Leonardo appeared in many more paintings than is generally believed.
http://www.kleio.org/en/history/famtree/sforza/323.html#758

The following YouTube video also expounds upon this theme;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpzs7U0e9AY

Whilst watching the video I noticed the following picture of a red-haired Jesus, apparently posed for by Leonardo.

I'm not too sure the image is actually Leonardo, but it's certainly another ginger Jesus to add to the collection. It would be interesting to know who painted it. The seemingly see-through orb reminded me of the famous Salvator Mundi often attributed to the hand of Leonardo da Vinci. Another Christus with vaguely red hair.

Red Hair in the Works of Evelyn De Morgan

This first painting was brought to my attention by Emanuela. It's by the female painter Evelyn De Morgan. She lived from 1855 to 1919 and her works were strongly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite movement. This painting is called The Love Potion. It depicts a yellow-clad witch complete with black cat familiar at her feet.

Whilst reading up on her I also found another few works by her that feature redheads. This first is called Aurora Triumphans and in it the central figure appears to have bright red hair. Aurora, the naked figure on the right is symbolic of day (or dawn), the dark shrouded figure on the left is symbolic of night.

This final painting is called The Worship of Mammon. It's quite a vivid illustration of the love of money, and shows a red-haired woman in purplish-pink drapery.

The Creation of Eve - Michelangelo

Another great red hair find courtesy of Emanuela today :)

This image is from the Creation of Eve by Michelangelo. It shows Adam with red hair, Eve with hair a little more blond in colour, and God with whitish-blond (possibly strawberry-blond ;p) hair.

Schneewittchen - Snow White

Emanuela also brought this German stamp to my attention which shows the wicked step-mother from Snow White with red hair.

I also came across a Japanese manga comic called Snow White with the Red Hair. According to the Wikipedia page an anime adaptation has recently been made. Apparently the plot involves her cutting off her red hair after a prince tries to force her to become his concubine because of it.

Some More (Very!) Red-Haired Pictures of Jesus

They both come courtesy of Emanuela :)

The first is from the Italian painter Fra Angelico and is called the Entombment of Christ.

And this second comes from the duomo of Orvieto and is by the same artist. It's possibly the most red-haired Jesus ever painted :)