housed in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples. It was commissioned by the
Farnese family and painted during Titian's visit to Rome between autumn
1545 and June 1546. It depicts the thorny relationship between Pope Paul
III, born Alessandro Farnese, and two of his grandsons, Ottavio and
Alessandro. The painting explores the effects of ageing and the
manoeuvring behind succession; Paul was at the time in his late
seventies and operating within an uncertain political climate as Charles
V came into ascendancy. Paul was not a religious man; he viewed the
papacy as a means to consolidate his family's position. He appointed
Alessandro as cardinal against accusations of nepotism, fathered a
number of illegitimate children and spent large sums of church money
collecting art. Titian abandoned the commission before completion, and
for the next 100 years the painting languished unframed in a Farnese
cellar. It ranks as one of Titian's most penetrating works. The panel
contains subtle indications of the contradictions in the character of
the Pope, and captures the complex psychological dynamic between the
three men.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_III_and_His_Grandsons>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1483:
The last king of the House of York and the last of the
Plantagenet dynasty, Richard III (pictured), was crowned King of
England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_of_England>
1614:
The Ottoman Empire made a final attempt to conquer the island
of Malta, but were beaten back by the Knights Hospitaller.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_of_%C5%BBejtun>
1892:
During a steelworkers' strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a
day-long battle between strikers and Pinkerton agents resulted in ten
deaths and dozens of people wounded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_Strike>
1940:
The Story Bridge in Brisbane, the longest cantilever bridge in
Australia, was opened by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_Bridge>
1989:
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad member carried out a suicide attack
by hijacking a bus and forcing it into a ravine near Kiryat Ye'arim,
Israel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv%E2%80%93Jerusalem_bus_405_suicide_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Higgs boson:
(physics) A hypothetical elementary particle predicted by the Standard
Model; a boson with zero spin, it is thought to give mass to other
particles.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Higgs_boson>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
 If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you
want to be happy, practice compassion. 
--Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tenzin_Gyatso,_14th_Dalai_Lama>
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