There is a lot going on in Peter Paul Reubens’ The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt, painted circa 1615. The painting was commissioned by Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, of The House of Wittelsbach, for Schleißheim Palace.
Looted during the Napoleonic wars, the massive 98 in × 126 in work was returned to Munich, where The Wittelsbach collection formed the nucleus of the Alte Pinakothek, one of the world’s oldest art galleries.
Three classic episodes of The History Guy about how the Christmas season survives even tragedy.
The “Great Sedition Trial” uncovered shocking connections at the time with the German reich that we were fighting, and challenged the idea that the nation was of a single mind during the war. It also challenged exactly how far the national commitment to freedom of speech and opinion reached, especially in extraordinary times.