Tag Archives: ceramics
A Melon for Ecstacy.
A woman for duty, A boy for pleasure, But a melon for ecstasy. – Old Turkish proverb For some months I’ve been playing about with the idea of the Vegetable Tortures. I would like to be able to say that … Continue reading
Raphanidosis: the birth of the vegetable tortures.
Rhaphanidosis is the act of inserting the root of a plant of the raphanogenus (commonly known as a radish) into the anus. It is mentioned by Aristophanes as a punishment for adultery in classical Athens in the fifth and fourth century BC. … Continue reading
SylvaC Stories: Bunny Boilers.
Once upon a time, rather more years ago than I care to remember, I found a dear little green pottery bunny in a junk shop on the Isle of Wight. As I have a predilection for green ceramic items I … Continue reading
La Fontana delle Scimmie.*
*warning blog post contains references to Florence (again) This is the Museo delle Porcellane di Boboli, an exquisitely faded small palazzo in the gardens of the Pitti Palace. It has a superb collection of porcelain and chinaware and delicious … Continue reading
Egrets: I Have a Few.
Ever since I came back from Florence I’ve been thinking about egrets. In fact, I’ve already written about them here: The Lake of Lettuce The one pictured above is a lesser egret – you can tell by the black beak and … Continue reading
Lares et Penates II: Knick Knacks
The Oxford dictionary defines a knick knack as a “cheap ornament, trinket, trifle, bauble, bric-a-brac, bagatelle, gimcrack, gewgaw, bibelot or kickshaw.” A sample sentence in the dictionary uses the word thus – “Her flat is overflowing with knick knacks.” But … Continue reading
Lares et Penates.
Henry Willet* once described the commonplace pottery ornaments on our mantelpieces as a ‘kind of unconscious survival of the Lares and Penates of the Ancients.’ The lares and penates were the household spirits of the ancient Romans. They were represented … Continue reading
