White done, on to blue, The Temptation cometh home!

So I finished white a few days ago and its starting to look like something! I sorted out green grey and blues last night (in that color priority meaning if it had any green it takes precedence over grey over blue etc. There is a lot of blue!

In exciting news I found a new copy of classic Ravensburger 12,000pc "The Temptation of St. Anthony". Found on eBay Australia and with shipping cost 275usd (25 more dollars than when I bought it the first time.) When I told the seller about the story regarding the tragic loss of the first puzzle his response was,

Happy to help replace your old puzzle. I rather like the image of a stripper destroying an old religion-related artwork, especially about temptations. I can't think of a better way to trash a puzzle.
Cheers
Simon

So its on its way and should be home soon!

i also had a new friend George come visit for a while. Baby iguanas are hella cute!


Here are some progress pictures

White complete

Miles of blue to do. One piece at a time!

St Anthony a flight! What is that dude in the house doing...?

Baby George!

Temptation of St. Anthony Lost to Stripper, please help!!!!

Hey readers. It's been a while. A couple of you know the story. But Mercedes and I split up and it's been too hard to puzzle and obviously we are doing different things. Interestingly enough, I got a call from her yesterday and this missing box we shipped with all of our completely puzzles finally showed up 9 months later at her moms house!!! 9 months!!!! Not exactly speedy delivery but I am interested to see how the puzzles faired. From the first report, its not well.

We are going to split the collection  a bit, not much really, I think M will take life and Rizzi. Life was her favorite and of course, Nothing like a Rizzi city is the inspiration for our matching tattoos! I think I might have to do that one again because I miss looking at it.

I am not sure how to get back on the puzzling wagon. It's so much effort to do these big boys. I suppose like any other time, you start with the first piece and go from there. If you are reading this, thanks for sticking with us during this time of no communication. I hope you all are puzzling and I know that we both actually still like hearing from you.

On another note, I just suffered a bit of a tragedy. In a twist of irony, my 12,000pc Temptation of St Anthony was destroyed by a naked stripper (long story, but seriously, who fucking destroys a puzzle?!?!?). Much like the temptation in the third panel!!!! If anyone has one, I need another one!!! Hieronymus work is my favorite and I was hoping to get back into puzzling with this one! Please help!!!!!!!!


-Thomas

New Puzzle Day: The Temptation of St. Anthony, 12,144pc

Yesterday, Hieronymus Bosch’s The Temptation of St. Anthony - 12,144pc from Ravensburger showed up (at the same time as Sistine Chapel). This is the original really big puzzle. It was released in 1983 and was the undisputed worlds largest puzzle for nearly 20 years until it was unseated by Clementoni’s 13,200 pressing of Tiziano Vecelli’s Sacred and Profane Love in 2002. It is our first 12,000 piece puzzle.

The puzzle itself is still sealed in 4 bags. The pieces are on light green board and the knobs are less eared than their Wedding Feast at Cana or 4 Historical World Maps (It reminds me much more of a Clementoni cut). When assembled, this big boy will be the actual size of the original painting at 7.9ft x 5.5ft

Here is what Ravi has to say about this puzzle:

Hieronymous Bosch (Jheronimus van Aken) was born in ‘s-Hertogenbosch approx 1450 and buried there on 9/8/1516. 

Of the painters who lived around 1500, Hieronymous Bosch was certainly the most enigmatic. Little of nothing is really known about his life. Unlike his contemporaries, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528), he left no notes or comments on his works. In the parish register of this birthplace, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, he is first mentioned in 1480 as Jheronimus van Aken, son of Anthonis van Aken. Although the family can be traced back to living in ‘s-Hertogenbosch since 1399, it isn’t thought that they originally came from Aachen. Both his father Anthonis and his grandfather Jan were painters. Hieronymous van Aken travelled widely and was commissioned by many foreign patrons. Perhaps a wish to honor his brithplace made him call himself Hieronymous Bosch. 

His paintings show Hieronymous Bosch to be a very astute and critical observer of this time. It is mostly the faults and the dark side that he pinpoints in very unusual and wildly fantastic allegories. An abundance of detail, strange apparitions, demons, innumerable fantastic and bizarre creatures, have led to very many and often contradictory interpretations of his works. 

The Temptation of St. Anthony, one of his later works, is also one of the most inaccessible because of its overabundance of allegorical detail.
There are 2 passion scenes on the outside panels of this triptych: on the left, the capture of Christ, and on the right, Christ carrying the cross.
On the left-hand panel the saint is carried off into the air by demons. He resists them and they release him, to fall to the ground. There he is found and saved by the monks of his order. 

On the right-hand panel temptation comes in the shape of a beautiful nude woman. St. Anthony, however, armed with his bible, is looking away. 

The composition of the middle panel is striking: the saint’s head is exactly at the intersection of the diagonals. He is looking at the onlooker, with a gesture of giving benediction. At his feet three priests with animal faces are celebrating a black mass. A witches’ Sabbath is going on behind hi. From the left, the storm troop of the Inquisition is approaching with two dogs in amour (The Dominican Friars, the main agents of the Inquisition, used to call themselves God’s blood hounds). But the whole is built upon the unsafe foundation: mud water and rubble give us an idea of the coming end. 

This painting is in the Museo Naciaonal de Arte Antiga is Lisbon

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