Latest John Ruskin Stories

By Carolyn Hitt According to legend, eminent Victorian John Ruskin was so horrified to discover on his wedding night that his wife had hair on her nether regions, he never consummated their marriage. Basing his ideal of the feminine form on gleaming classical statues, poor Ruskin never realised that women can be as hairy as the next man. Almost 160 years later, female body hair is still subject to the ych y fi factor. If Ruskin was honey- mooning in 2007, however, he might not be so...

LONDON (Reuters) - An 1842 watercolor by JMW Turner could well set a saleroom record when it goes under the hammer in June, auctioneers Christie's said on Wednesday. The Blue Rigi: Lake of Lucerne is expected to fetch more than two million pounds ($3.47 million), putting it on target to beat the current record for a Turner watercolor on paper of 2.04 million pounds set in 2001 by Heidelberg with a Rainbow. It is also within striking distance of the world record for a British work of...