Polychrome Portable Statues

I think these Religious statues are amazing...the carving and painting skills alone are humbling. The first I found was a Saint George the Dragon Slayer from the 15th century. I spent 100+ hours researching it and my appreciation for these statues grew ten fold, not only as religious works of art but for what they endured over history. A dissertation written by a University of Maryland student, Tanya Jung in 2006, prooved to be one of the most enlightening and educating reads of the year! Stunning...and thanks Tanya...I did learn a lot.

Another site that was phenomenal for researching these statues in their respective museums was the Web Gallery of European Art.

A brief and incomplete sampling of these Statues would tell you they were first first carved in the late 1200's and early 1300's as Portable Religious figures...in Southern Germany, Italy, and Portugal before they found footing throughout Europe. They were often carved from well seasoned Limewood, also called Bass wood. Then they were painted with chalk - a gesso, to provide a smooth base layer for the paint (natural dyes) and gold and silver leaf. If you have not read A Perfect Red by Amy Butler, you really should. But I digress, many of the statues went from the Arabic style of a beautiful angelic carving to a more European use of fear (take a gander at Tanya's dissertation)...that is to make mankind humble of, and be afraid of God and Hell. I know this is a blunt take and there is much more, but I'll leave it here when the Protestant schism began and these statues were burned by the wagon load.

This would be a fun design job.

Imagine being on this Island for a summer? A cool getaway yes, but I hear stir crazy creeping in!

If you could go on vacation this week, where would you go?

I would go to Turkiye, my favorite country and one of the most beautiful and intriguing places in the world. This hotel on the Bosphorus is stunning, and I will say midnight walks around Ottoman palaces with the wind kicking up off the water is unforgettable. Of course antiquing there is another story, but if you're interested in cool hotels around the world, this e-magazine is the place to check them out.

The Unknown History of an Antique

...is a alluring. I've always loved old things and old places and that magical je ne sais quoi moment when you first make eye contact with it. After the 'wow' moment and the 'is it worth something' hype fades into the 'I wonder who else it belonged to' and you find yourself just smiling...you know you're in love. And now for the fun part: Research. Ughh. Yep, good old sweet computer time. And that is how I found out this painting once was exhibited at the Louvre in 1930. Cool.

Welcome: Bienvenue: Benvenuto

Thank you for taking time and looking around. As I am a newbie to blogging, I am sure I'll stumble here and there, but I'll sure try to keep it entertaining!

Dash & Albert Window Displays are Cool

I miss my store's former location...high tin ceiling, brick walls and awesome bay windows for displaying sidewalk bait! My summer favorite was using 50 or so Dash and Alberts and huge sunflowers.





This night shot of my shells and glass window was another favorite. The simplicity of the white tones and textures of the hydrangea, starfish and coral really popped with the glass sticks.

A new D&A vignette in my new store.

The Belgium Barn House

This converted Barn is fabulous....and the living room is très cool. The Belgian architectural and interior office BrunoII put this together and I found it on Arch Daily. Makes me want to slip out of Brussels after an antique run and relax in the country side.

A House Should be Collected

I love a blend of old and new and the old tends to be the focus of my collections. There is something about groupings of interesting old objects that draws me to them... I don't like buying a collection all at once, but slowly putting it together.... for some reason it develops a stronger personality and the joy of the never ending hunt is addictive as well as the stories you acquire in the process.