I did not know about Il Commendatore, but now I wonder if he inspired these ghost sculptures at Castello di Vezio above Lake Como! We saw them in person a few years ago and loved them.
There's a similarly sinister shadowy figure in the background of this painting, which hangs in the Monk's House in Rodmell and which the curator told me they call "The Liverpool Ghost" -- not its real name, but the curators have to walk past it at night!
This is fantastic, Dave, thank you so much for sharing. It’s just the sort of painting I would walk past without a second thought but that figure is so creepy…did they give you any story behind it? Do we know what it’s supposed to be?
Glad you like it, Rebekah. The curators weren't able to give any more info. I like to think the Woolfs noticed that shadowy figure and liked the painting for that reason, but everything else about it is open to speculation -- even the fact that the child is described as a boy (?)...
Reminds me of these chaps that I encountered on a dark night in Tallinn: https://images.app.goo.gl/ijLLRHurETMSCnDF6 different artists, but very similar empty-cloak styling.
Very much so! The placement is great - you home through a passage in a giant wall, and there's one far ahead by the church, then - up to the left - there's one looming over you. Turn away from that and there's one beside you on the right. Very creepy and overall fantastic!
Don Giovani was the first opera I really enjoyed - jokes and scares throughout. I love it!
I don't specifically remember the first opera I enjoyed, but it must have been Magic Flute, Rheingold, Carmen or Aida. My mum was much more into Traviata and Trovatore, my uncle was an expert on Russian opera, and my dad was a rabid Gilbert & Sullivan fan.
I'm really enjoying this series, thanks again for writing them! I'm one of those tourists who's taken a picture with Il Commendatore, when I was in Prague about 16 years ago. Alas - probably fortunately - the hood in the picture was empty. Thanks for adding some context to a wonderful sculpture.
How lovely Kev, I’m glad you’re enjoying the series! There is another version in Salzburg which I’m going to try to take a photo with when I’m there this summer -although I’m not sure whether that one is supposed to be haunted. There’s only one way to find out…
I've never been too impressed by story monsters, but there are two exceptions. Foremost, the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who, and secondly, ghost stories can sometimes give me goosebumps. As a kid, the original "13 Ghosts" scared me enough I had to go out to the snack bar and buy some candy.
I did not know about Il Commendatore, but now I wonder if he inspired these ghost sculptures at Castello di Vezio above Lake Como! We saw them in person a few years ago and loved them.
https://streetartutopia.com/2025/03/16/ghost-sculptures-in-the-castle-of-vezio-in-italy/
These are so great, Molly, very similar! I can imagine children being terrified of those.
There's a similarly sinister shadowy figure in the background of this painting, which hangs in the Monk's House in Rodmell and which the curator told me they call "The Liverpool Ghost" -- not its real name, but the curators have to walk past it at night!
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/a-man-with-his-horse-and-a-boy-220640
This is fantastic, Dave, thank you so much for sharing. It’s just the sort of painting I would walk past without a second thought but that figure is so creepy…did they give you any story behind it? Do we know what it’s supposed to be?
Glad you like it, Rebekah. The curators weren't able to give any more info. I like to think the Woolfs noticed that shadowy figure and liked the painting for that reason, but everything else about it is open to speculation -- even the fact that the child is described as a boy (?)...
Reminds me of these chaps that I encountered on a dark night in Tallinn: https://images.app.goo.gl/ijLLRHurETMSCnDF6 different artists, but very similar empty-cloak styling.
Oooh I LOVE those, they look just like ‘The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water’
I love these - both the bronze and the white versions!
Very much so! The placement is great - you home through a passage in a giant wall, and there's one far ahead by the church, then - up to the left - there's one looming over you. Turn away from that and there's one beside you on the right. Very creepy and overall fantastic!
Don Giovani was the first opera I really enjoyed - jokes and scares throughout. I love it!
I don't specifically remember the first opera I enjoyed, but it must have been Magic Flute, Rheingold, Carmen or Aida. My mum was much more into Traviata and Trovatore, my uncle was an expert on Russian opera, and my dad was a rabid Gilbert & Sullivan fan.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Il Trovatore because it’s the opera that gets hilariously disrupted in the Marx Brothers’ Night at the Opera!
Similar to why I like Wagner: Bugs Bunny!
https://archive.org/details/whats-opera-doc_202210
Me too! There was talk of the marble one coming to London
I'm really enjoying this series, thanks again for writing them! I'm one of those tourists who's taken a picture with Il Commendatore, when I was in Prague about 16 years ago. Alas - probably fortunately - the hood in the picture was empty. Thanks for adding some context to a wonderful sculpture.
How lovely Kev, I’m glad you’re enjoying the series! There is another version in Salzburg which I’m going to try to take a photo with when I’m there this summer -although I’m not sure whether that one is supposed to be haunted. There’s only one way to find out…
I've never been too impressed by story monsters, but there are two exceptions. Foremost, the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who, and secondly, ghost stories can sometimes give me goosebumps. As a kid, the original "13 Ghosts" scared me enough I had to go out to the snack bar and buy some candy.
So, ghosts + scary statues? Yikes!
Excellent! I remember being absolutely terrified of the Weeping Angels.