Youth on the Prow, and Pleasure at the Helm is an 1832 painting by English artist William Etty. It was inspired by a metaphor in Thomas Gray's poem The Bard in which the apparently bright start to the misrule of Richard II of England was compared to a gilded ship whose occupants are unaware of an approaching storm. Etty chose to illustrate Gray's lines literally, showing a golden boat filled with and surrounded by nude and near-nude figures. The Bard was about a curse on the House of Plantagenet placed by a Welsh bard following Edward I's attempts to eradicate Welsh culture, and critics felt that Etty had misunderstood its point. Some reviewers praised the piece, and in particular Etty's technical abilities, but audiences of the time found it hard to understand, and the use of nudity led some critics to consider the painting tasteless and offensive. It was bought in 1832 by Robert Vernon. In 1847 Vernon donated his collection to the National Gallery, which in turn transferred it to the Tate Gallery in 1949. Youth and Pleasure remains one of Etty's best-known works, and formed part of major exhibitions in 2001–02 and 2011–12.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_on_the_Prow,_and_Pleasure_at_the_Helm

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1825:

After no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes, the U.S. House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Quincy_Adams

1920:

The Svalbard Treaty was signed, recognizing Norwegian sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, but all signatories were also given equal rights to engage in commercial activities on the islands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard

1969:

The Boeing 747 made its first flight, with test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle at the controls and Jess Wallick at the flight engineer's station. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747

1976:

The Australian Defence Force was formed by the unification of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force

2001:

The American submarine USS Greeneville accidentally collided with the Ehime Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehime_Maru_and_USS_Greeneville_collision

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Judas goat: 1. A goat trained to lead other goats to a place of slaughter. 2. A goat trained to find feral goats. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Judas_goat

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend When people can be so cold They'll hurt you, yes, and desert you And take your soul if you let them Oh, but don't you let them.   --Carole King https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carole_King