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Bizarre Self-Portraits by Joseph Ducreux who was a French painter active in the latter part of the 18th century. He was a portraitist in the court of Louis XVI & continued his career after the French Revolution. But he is increasingly remembered for his series of self-portraits.
4 Elements by Joachim Beuckelaer 1564-1570 are like giant stage sets, teeming with life. In the backgrounds are biblical scenes & upfront superficially scenes, different types of food represent the elements: vegetables for earth, fish for water, poultry for air & game for fire.
Illustration by Jules Tavernier - The Christmas Dream (Featured in the 1871 Harpers Weekly)