Sunday, January 29, 2006

Okay, Is This Getting Weird Yet?


Above you see one portion of one of my bedroom walls; it is covered in religious art. A couple of people were in my house not long ago and I saw them looking at the walls and I thought, uh, oh, have I wandered into the weird with all of my artifacts?
The top painting is an original retablo, or folk art work made by someone or commissioned by someone to say thank you to God for some boon or miracle. It is done on tin and still has the nail hole in the top where it was nailed to a church wall or to some kind of display in the church. Below that is a plaster replica I got of an icon from a monastery on the island of Patmos in Greece; I love it because it is an icon, I bought it in Greece, and it has my favorite colours of peach and gold. To the right of it is a tryptych that I received from my son and daughter-in-law who are living in Portugal. They know how much I love religious icons (I was terrified I would lose it on the flight home somehow). I love this one for itself and because they gave it to me.

In this picture you can still the two "santos" or little wooden statues of saints that I have on the pedastels on either side of the mirrour. Beautiful colours delight me! (These santos are reproductions).

Finally here is a portion of my bedside table covered more artifacts: an old religious card framed in a mother-of-pearl style and rhinestone decorated frame that my sister Gaye bought for me (she's gotten me lots!). In front of it is a little firgure of the Virgin and Child I got in Granada, Spain, a lovely old metal framed Madonna that my daughter-in-law got for me from Portugal, and next to it a silver tryptych with a gold Madonna inside that I bought in Seville, Spain. To the right is my favorite porcelain bisque Infant of Prague figure - bought for me by my sister Gaye. He has on a peach robe edged in gold and he has blue rhinestones in his crown; I have never seen another one like this with blue rhinestones. It is a real treasure to me. My newest acquisition is the little blue and white church (you can't see all of it in the picture) that my daughter-in-law brought me when she came to visit from Portugal this week.
Okay, so is this weird or what? And if you think that this is weird, wait until I post pictures of the things in my study, the den, and the living room. This is a collection, but it is certainly a "loaded" one, not just with my memories.
Have I overdone it? (You can't even see all the rosaries I have, and, by the way, I'm not, nor was I reared, a Catholic).
Cluny Grey Jewelry