Jigsaw 5, Series 3

Garafalo for the third time of asking. As it turned out, I was quite happy doing it for the third time, right after the second time. Much the same pleasure in solving the puzzle, if slightly reduced elapsed time. I have included the day's paper for avoidance of any doubt that I am indeed talking about a new solution.

Given that this was a 99p job from the Oxfam Shop, pretty good value at 33p a solution, much better value than Surrey Library DVD's, at least if one disregards the important point that puzzles, in our household anyway, are for one, while DVD's are for two.

Much the same order of solution as last time, although I was starting to recognise some pieces and had more things on the go at once than usual. I was also more conscious of the support provided by the vertical alignment provided by the base strips of the cutter, the base strips running up and down this puzzle. The knowledge than pieces had to align vertically, even if they did not horizontally, did enable me to avoid a number of mistakes. But I still made one or two, luckily not costing too much time.

I note in passing that the cupid is starting to be an integral part of the composition and my aversion to his ugliness is diminishing.

I shall now attempt a fourth solution, but after that I shall need to move back to the 'Ambassadors' as I am just presently reading North on the subject, a man who appears to believe that there is a lot more to the astronomical toys in the middle of the picture than just rich man's toys. I shall assess how well my thoughts of 19th December 2013 stand up to the North treatment in due course.

PS: given that this picture has a fairly high sex content, perhaps a good place to lodge a remark about Ruskin, from an article in the current number of the NYRB, the article being prompted by an exhibition in the National Gallery of Canada at Ottawa. They point out that a hundred years ago Ruskin was best known for his work in inspiring a generation of Labour politicians, a point which sets our current obsession with his rather sad sex life in a not very nice light. He was also known to many art students for his 'Elements of Drawing'. I think I have tried the odd architectural work in the past, without much success, but maybe now I shall actually get around to reading some of the 'Gems from Ruskin' (or some such), a handsomely produced book of extracts from Phaidon, picked up from somewhere or other.