Birds of a Feather (originally entitled "Where Have You Gone, John Audubon?"

(The New-York Historical Society)

Orson Wells once remarked that Chaucer's England was a world where the sky was a little bluer and the hay a little sweeter. The same can be said of John Audubon's America.

In "Audubon's Aviary: Parts Unknown," the second of a three-part series, The New-York Historical Society continues to celebrate the career of the French-born American naturalist, showcasing watercolors by his own hand for the historic double-elephant-folio print edition of The Birds of America (1827-38), engraved by Robert Havell Jr., alongside other related works from the series.

(read the entire review at The New York Sun online)

^ "Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Havell pl. 181." (1833)

(The New-York Historical Society)

^ "Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Study for Havell pl. 211, 1821." (1834)

(The New-York Historical Society)

^ "Black-throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis), Study for Havell pl. 184." (ca. 1832)

(The New-York Historical Society)

^ "Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), Study for Havell pl. 206, 1821. " (ca. 1825)

(The New-York Historical Society)

^ "Atlantic Puffin (Fractercula arctica), Study for Havell pl. 213." (1833)

(The New-York Historical Society)

Patriarchs of the Pentateuch

(The Cloisters Museum and Gardens, Ft Tryon Park, NYC)

By ROBERT EDWARD BULLOCK, Special to the Sun | March 8, 2014

Once in 835 years qualifies as a rare event, and for the first time since their creation in 1178 six very fine and incredibly beautiful stained glass windows are on display outside of England's Canterbury Cathedral.

With "Radiant Light: Stained Glass from Canterbury Cathedral," The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan, continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Situated on the cliffs of northern Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades, The Cloisters seems centuries-removed from modern times and is the ideal setting for this small exhibit.

(Read the entire review at The New York Sun.)

              

^ "Abraham" from the Ancestors of Christ Windows, Canterbury Cathedral, England, 1178-80 (© Robert Greshoff Photography, courtesy Dean and Chapter of Canterbury)