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Whipping fantasies, American–British naval rivalry, and a medieval mix of purity and eroticism

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By Tony1 and Dabomb87
The week saw a new featured article on The Magdalen Reading, an oil-on-oak panel by the Early Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden (c. 1400–64). Here, Mary Magdalen is given pale skin, high cheek bones, and oval, arched eyebrows, typical of the idealised portraits of noble women of the period. Art critic Charles Darwent says that in her mix of purity and eroticism, she "feels whole; but she isn't". The work is a fragment from a larger, lost altarpiece, and is held by the National Gallery, London.


This week's "Featured content" covers Sunday 22 – Saturday 28 May


Composer and pianist Percy Grainger (1882–1961), who developed "distinctly abnormal" sexual appetites for whipping sessions and for his mother. He is the subject of a new featured article.
Transatlantic trauma: a new featured article describes how the USS Chesapeake was fired on by the Royal Navy in 1807 and captured by the British in 1813, who renamed the ship HMS Chesapeake and trashed it in 1820.
A slow loris hangs from a branch by its hind legs. Slow lorises are popular in the exotic pet trade, which threatens wild populations. The photograph was taken by David Haring at the Duke Lemur Center, and the free license was arranged by nominator of the new featured article on this topic, Visionholder.
A drawing of Myotis escalerai, a medium-sized bat by naturalist Ángel Cabrera. This is the latest in a prolific output of featured articles on bat and rat species by Ucucha
From the new featured article on the novel The Red Badge of Courage, a first-edition cover of this highly individual story, set at the time of the American Civil War
Twelve articles were promoted to featured status:
  • The Magdalen Reading (nom), one of three surviving fragments of a large mid-15th century oil-on-oak altarpiece by the Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden. (Ceoil, Truthkeeper88, and Johnbod). picture at top
  • Percy Grainger (nom), a composer and performer widely regarded as something of an oddity. Although innovative and original, he tends to be remembered for relatively trivial works such as the eminently whistlable "Country Gardens". "As to his private obsessions", says nominator Brianboulton, "well, the less said the better". picture at right
  • USS Chesapeake (1799) (nom), a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the US Navy—one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorised by the Naval Act of 1794. Chesapeake began her career during the Quasi-War with France and saw service in the First Barbary War. She captured five British ships during the War of 1812 (Brad). picture at right
  • Myotis escalerai (nom), a European bat that was only very recently and thanks to DNA data recognized as a separate species. (Ucucha). picture at right
  • Banksia marginata (nom), a species of tree or woody shrub found throughout much of southeastern Australia, and still the subject of taxonomic uncertainty. (Casliber) pictures at bottom
  • Jefferson nickel (nom), the five-cent coin that has been struck by the United States Mint since 1938. Nominator Wehwalt says if you've ever noticed that the image of Jefferson's residence Monticello "seems far more imposing on the coin than in real life, read on".
  • Slow loris (nom), a group of five species of primates found in South and Southeast Asia, and classified variously as "endangered" and "vulnerable". The nomination was a collaborative effort as part of the WikiProject Mammals Collaboration. The article has been receiving between 1,000 and 6,000 hits a day for many months, much of it apparently due to the controversial "tickling" and "umbrella" viral videos on YouTube, where parts of the article have been cited in viewers' comments. Such comments, according to the main nominator, Visionholder, caused multiple spikes in hits on the article while the article's appearance on DYK resulted in nearly 40,000 hits on 30 March. Visionholder says he has made efforts, with some success, to gain coverage in the press for primatologists working in the field of conserving this primate, and that the BBC has a documentary in production on the pet trade (co-nominators Sasata, Rlendog, and Ucucha). picture at right
  • The Red Badge of Courage (nom), the best-known novel about the American Civil War, according to nominator María. Striking and unique in its portrayal of fear, it was written by a sickly 23-year-old man. picture at right
  • 2012 phenomenon (nom), a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012. A New Age interpretation of this transition postulates that this date marks the start of a positive physical or spiritual transformation for the Earth or its inhabitants, or the end of the world by catastrophe such as the collision of the planet with a black hole. (Serendipodous)
  • The Autobiography of Malcolm X (nom), published in 1965, was the result of a collaboration between Malcolm X and journalist Alex Haley. The book is a spiritual conversion narrative that outlines Malcolm X's philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism, and is based on a series of in-depth interviews conducted between 1963 and Malcolm X's 1965 assassination. (GabeMc).
  • Richard Barre (nom), which nominator Ealdgyth says is "the only medieval biography article you'll likely ever see with a citation to the science-fiction magazine Analog science fiction and fact.
  • Nebula Science Fiction (nom), the first Scottish science fiction magazine and one of the best-loved features of the 1950s British science-fiction scene. Despite being launched by a teenager, it established itself as a significant market, and published the first sales of several well-known writers. (Mike Christie)


Two featured articles were delisted:


Seven lists were promoted:


One featured list was delisted:

The reviewers promoted only one image of 12 that were nominated:

  • Cabiria 1914 poster (nom; related article), a silent movie from the 1914 film, early years of Italy's movie industry. The movie is based on Emilio Salgari's Italian-language novel Carthage in flames and Flaubert's novel Salammbo. Set in ancient Carthage during the Second Punic War, it treats the conflict between Rome and Carthage through the eyes of the title character. Hannibal and his war elephants are featured in the plot of this epic film. (Created by N. Morgello; prepared and uploaded by Jujutacular.)


There are four new featured sounds

From the new featured article Silver Banksia. Here, of what are probably a thousand individual flowers, those at the base have opened and those further up the inflorescence are still closed. (picture by JJ Harrison).
The flowers in these inflorescences have a complex and subtle relationship with native Australian birds, insects, and marsupial species—much of it not yet well-described. Among the pictures in the article are those by Melburnian and the nominator, Casliber.
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Love the title of this article. Ed [talk] [majestic titan] 19:28, 31 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Signpost is looking for new talent.
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