Rainy Day Wonderings

Friday, November 16, 2007

Signs of the Times

Signs of the Times
by
Paul Laurence Dunbar

Air a-gittin' cool an' coolah,
Frost a-comin' in de night,
Hicka' nuts an' wa'nuts fallin',
Possum keepin' out o' sight.
Tu'key struttin' in de ba'nya'd,
Nary a step so proud ez his;
Keep on struttin', Mistah Tu'key,
Yo' do' know whut time it is.
Cidah press commence a-squeakin'
Eatin' apples sto'ed away,
Chillun swa'min' 'roun' lak ho'nets,
Huntin' aigs ermung de hay.
Mistah Tu'key keep on gobblin'
At de geese a-flyin' souf,
Oomph! dat bird do' know whut's comin';
Ef he did he'd shet his mouf.
Pumpkin gittin' good an' yallah
Mek me open up my eyes;
Seems lak it's a-lookin' at me
Jes' a-la'in' dah sayin' "Pies."
Tu'key gobbler gwine 'roun' blowin',
Gwine 'roun' gibbin' sass an' slack;
Keep on talkin', Mistah Tu'key,
You ain't seed no almanac.
Fa'mer walkin' th'oo de ba'nya'd
Seein' how things is comin' on,
Sees ef all de fowls is fatt'nin' —
Good times comin' sho's you bo'n.
Hyeahs dat tu'key gobbler braggin',
Den his face break in a smile —
Nebbah min', you sassy rascal,
He's gwine nab you atter while.
Choppin' suet in de kitchen,
Stonin' raisins in de hall,
Beef a-cookin' fu' de mince meat,
Spices groun' — I smell 'em all.
Look hyeah, Tu'key, stop dat gobblin',
You ain' luned de sense ob feah,
You ol' fool, yo' naik's in dangah,
Do' you know Thanksgibbin's hyeah?

*******

FYI

Roaming Tarantula Spiders are occasionally seen this time of year crossing rural roads or marching through some of San Diego's canyon-bordering neighborhoods. Doggedly searching for a mate, a male will try to hold its course despite your best effort to deflect or hinder him. Docile in temperament, most tarantulas will tolerate gentle handling; they may bite, however, if provoked. Despite their fearsome reputation, tarantula venom is less powerful than a bee's.

*******

Let the Thanksgiving preparations begin!

I have checked my pantry, freezer, cupboards and made my shopping list. I am determined not to forget anything this year. Last year it was cinnamon and the year before that I forgot pearl onions. I do know one thing; I have a good supply of the “special ingredient” that I put in everything I cook...lots of love! Yep, that is my secret to a great meal.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Labels: Holidays, misc

N Posted by Rain at 11/16/2007 12:01:00 AM

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Jewelry and Prostitution

Necklace, ca. 1900

By
René Jules Lalique (French, 1860–1945)
Gold, enamel, Australian opal, Siberian amethysts;

Overall diam. 9-1/2 in. (24.1 cm)

9 large pendants: H. 2-3/4, W. 2-1/4 in. (7 x 5.7 cm)

9 small pendants: H. 1-3/8, W. 1-1/4 in. (3.5 x 3.2 cm)

René-Jules Lalique was born in the Marne region of France. As a young student he showed great artistic promise and his mother guided him toward jewelry making. From 1876 to 1878 he apprenticed with Louis Aucoc, a noted Parisian jeweler. By the 1890s he had opened his own workshop in Paris and become one of the most admired jewelers of the day.

Lalique avoided using precious stones and the conservatively classical settings favored by other leading jewelers of the time. Rather, he combined semiprecious stones with such materials as enamel, horn, ivory, coral, rock crystal, and irregularly shaped Baroque pearls in settings of organic inspiration, frequently accentuated by asymmetrical curves or elaborate flourishes.

He designed this powerfully evocative necklace for his second wife, Augustine-Alice Ledru, around the turn of the century. The repeats of the main motif — an attenuated female nude whose highly stylized curling hair swirls around her head and whose arms sensuously curve down to become a border enclosing enamel-and-gold swans and an oval cabochon amethyst — are separated by pendants set with fire opals mounted in swirling gold tendrils.

Dragonfly woman corsage ornament, c. 1897-1898
By René Lalique
gold, enamel, chrysoprase, moonstones, and diamonds
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon

At the end of the nineteenth century, jewelry underwent a radical transformation--the Frenchman René Lalique was at the heart of it.Unlike traditional jewelers, who relied almost exclusively on precious stones for effect, Lalique used a variety of materials to create incredibly rich sculptural objects that are works of art in their own right. For the head and body of the woman in this glittering brooch, he chose semiprecious apple-green chrysoprase; the dragonfly wings are made of enamel set with gold and irregular moonstones, ringed with diamonds to convey the iridescent character of insect wings. Notice how the wings are hinged in four places and the tail bends, allowing this enormous brooch to adjust to and move with the body of the person who wore it.

The brooch embodies many of the themes that characterize the Art Nouveau style. Nature, metamorphosis, and eroticism are all expressed in this disturbing, fantastical image of a bare-breasted woman emerging from a large dragonfly. When it was shown at the Paris World s Fair of 1900, one English visitor to the fair commented, "Very remarkable and startling to the observer, but is it jewelry?"

Metamorphosis, or change from one physical form to another, was a major theme for many Art Nouveau artists. Here, woman and insect are fused into an almost menacing creature with golden claws. The idea of the femme fatale, or dangerous woman, was a recurrent theme in many Art Nouveau creations.

"Victoire" hood ornament Francec. 1928
Manufacturer: Lalique et Cie, Cristallerie French, founded 1909
Designer: René Jules Lalique French, 1860 - 1945
Molded glass
Dallas Museum of Art

Following the success of the automobile exhibit at the 1925 Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, the Citroen Company commissioned René Lalique to design a series of over twenty-five "mascots," or radiator cap ornaments. Victoire (Victory), dubbed "Spirit of the Wind" by British customers, features an androgynous head with a plume of sharply tapered, geometric hair intended to evoke the automobile's speed and power. Purchasers had the option of illuminating it from within by means of a light controlled by the automobile's engine. As the car accelerated and decelerated, the intensity of the light would change correspondingly

"Tourbillons" Vase, ca. 1925
By René Jules Lalique (French, 1860–1945)
Glass and enamel; 8 x 8 1/2 in. (20.3 x 21.6 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Want to know more? Please visit...
World Collectors Net

Monday, November 12, 2007

Mondays Crapola

Welcome to my monday, arrgh!

Labels: misc

N Posted by Rain at 11/12/2007 03:17:00 PM