Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
November 10, 2023

Britain’s “Loneliest Sheep” Stuck at Bottom of Cliff for Two Years Is Finally Rescued

While was kayaking along the windswept shores of Sutherland—a highland Scottish county—and eyeing the beautiful shores, Jillian Turner spotted something unusual at the bottom of the tall cliffs. Roving beneath the rock was a sheep, wool coat vastly overgrown. It was totally alone, far away from its flock and trapped at the bottom of the cliff.

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November 3, 2023

Restored Rembrandt Is on Sale for $30 Million

Works by Rembrandt van Rijn are rarely seen at auction. The precious Old Master's works are worth many millions, coveted by private collectors and museums alike. In 2009, Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo (1658) set the Rembrandt record with a €23.2 million sale (over $24.6 million). Other sales, such as Abraham and Angels (c. 1646), have been private for amounts ranging upwards of $20 million. Now, another masterpiece is up for sale.

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October 30, 2023

Family Looking for a Lost Earring Accidentally Discovers a Viking Burial

Losing an earring is frustrating; but, for one family in Norway, their search for a lost gold trinket in their backyard led to an incredible discovery. While it remains unclear whether they ever found the missing earring, the Aasvik family found something else much more exciting with the help of a metal detector. They discovered an early medieval buckle and another item that date to the Viking period, a rare 1,000-year-old find.

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