Posted in Antiques, Clothing & Accessories | Tagged Antiques, Christmas, Christmas greetings | Leave a Comment »
Japanese pottery teapot, plate and tea bowl with lid. The marks indicate that the pottery was produced and decorated by Gyozan, Kyoto pottery, in first half of the 20th century.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Gyouzan began to export the reproductions of Ninsei and Kenzan and original Kyo-Satsuma ware.
Gyozan Mark
Factory girls decorating cheap pottery for the foreign markets, Kyoto, Japan, 1904.
Posted in Antiques, Asian art, Porcelain | Tagged Gyozan, Japanese pottery, Kyo-yaki, Kyoto, Kyoto Ware, teapot | Leave a Comment »
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 98,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Posted in WordPress.com | Tagged 2012 annual report | Leave a Comment »
Christmas Sweatz
by
Rhett And Link
You get some green sweats
I get some red sweats
Then we switch em up
We’ve got Christmas sweats
You get some red sweats
I get some green sweats
Then we switch em up
We’ve got Christmas sweats
She’s got a green sweatshirt
Yeah
And got some green sweatpants
They match
That’s just a green sweat suit
You see that every other motherfruitcaking day
He’s got a red sweatshirt
Boring
And that’s a red sweatpants
Yawn
That’s just a red sweat suit
You see that every other motherfruitcaking day
You get some green sweats
I get some red sweats
Then we switch em up
We’ve got Christmas sweats
You get some red sweats
I get some green sweats
Then we switch em up
We’ve got Christmas sweats
He’s so festive
He’s gonna get himself arrested
She’s probably a pro-sleigh rider
I bet she pees apple cider
He’s probably done all his shopping
I bet he actually wears Christmas stockings
Is she texting Santa?
He’s spending time with Amanda
Who’s Amanda?
His step-daughter
He’s in a second marriage
It’s cool
You get some green sweats
I get some red sweats
Then we switch em up
We’ve got Christmas sweats
Yeah, What, Wow
You get some blue sweats
I get some white sweats
Then we switch em up
We’ve got Hanukkah sweats
You get some red sweats
I get some green sweats
He gets some black sweats
Kwanzaa Sweats
Posted in Collectibles | Tagged antique, Antiques, Christmas Sweatz, marbles, Merry Christmas, Rhett And Link, Santa Claus | Leave a Comment »
Attractive cloisonné (*) enamel lady’s table mirror depicting three yellow five-clawed dragons on black ground, in pursuit of flaming pearls. This item was made in China in the late 19th or early 20th Century, probably during the reign of the Guangxu emperor 光緒帝 (reigned 1875-1908).
(*) Cloisonné 景泰蓝
Although popularly associated with Chinese art, the word “cloison” is actually French and means “compartment.” The technique was common in many parts of the world. Ancient Egyptians were the first to employ the cloisonné method.
Cloisonné enamel techniques were brought to China from Persia during the Yuan Dynasty. The techniques were developed further in the Ming Dynasty and became widespread during the reign of seventh Ming Emperor Jingtai 景泰 (reigned 1449-1457). This is the origin of the Chinese name for cloisonné Jingtailan 景泰蓝, with lan 蓝 (blue) being the most common background color. To produce a cloisonné utensil, the artist first produces a copper roughcast, attaches some copper wires forming decorative patterns, adds enamel between the spaces in the wires, and then fires the item in a kiln. Chinese cloisonné is sometimes confused with Canton enamel, a similar type of enamel work that is painted on freehand and does not utilize partitions to hold the colors separate.
Chinese black cloisonné
2012 The Year of the Dragon
As per the Chinese Zodiac, the coming year of 2012 is Year of Dragon that would commence on 23rd January 2012 and go on till 9th February, 2013. The Dragon is the fifth sign and signifies luck, especially for the Dragon people. Some people say 2012 is a Black Dragon or Water Dragon year.
The Year 2012 is the 4709th Chinese year. The Chinese believe that the first king of China was the Yellow King (he was not the first emperor of China). The Yellow King became king in 2697 B.C.
People born in the Year of the Dragon share certain characteristics: energetic, enterprising, self-assured, brave, passionate, innovative, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious.
Posted in Asian art | Tagged 2012, antique, Antiques, chinese, Chinese New Year, cloisonné, dragon, God of Wealth, Tsai Shen Yeh, Year of the Dragon, 接财神, 新年 | 1 Comment »
The Infant King
Sing lullaby!
Lullaby baby, now reclining,
Sing lullaby!
Hush, do not wake the Infant King.
Angels are watching, stars are shining
Over the place where he is lying:
Sing lullaby!
Sing lullaby!
Lullaby baby, now a-dozing,
Sing lullaby!
Hush, do not wake the Infant King.
Soon comes the cross, the nails, the piercing,
Then in the grave at last reposing:
Sing lullaby!
Sing lullaby!
Lullaby! is the babe a-waking?
Sing lullaby!
Hush, do not stir the Infant King.
Dreaming of Easter, gladsome morning,
Conquering Death, its bondage breaking:
Sing lullaby!
Posted in Antiques | Tagged Cambridge, Choir of Kings College Chapel, Christmas Greeting, Sing Lullaby, The Infant King | 1 Comment »
These dolls were purchased as souvenirs in Noord Holland and the costumes are stylised and simplified. The fabrics and decorations are selected to make the dolls aesthetically pleasing. The Dutch girl has a beautiful face– rosy cheeks, and pretty blue eyes that open and close. Her face is hard plastic but looks like bisque. The male dolls wear black harem pants (broek) with two buttons at his waistband, shirts, vests (borsik) and hats. His feet are sitting in wooden shoes (klompen). These dolls were made in the late 1970s.
Atelier de poupées – 1950
Dutch Costume
Dutch clothing and costumes originated in the country now called the Netherlands, which has 14 provinces. Every province has its own traditional costumes. The most well-known type of dress, considered the national costume, came from Volendam.
Traditional dress for women includes long skirts, blouses, aprons and shawls or other shoulder decorations.
In almost all provinces, Dutch ladies wore some type of head covering made of fabric or lace. Some of them wore small lacy caps tied under the chin.
The men also wore hats, or fishermen’s caps.
The Marken men wear a blue and white or gray and white. A double-breasted red vest is worn on top, which shows below the shirt. The costume is finished off with gold buttons.
The dutch men are still proud to wear the baggy woolen trousers.
Meisje ik ben een zeeman (Girl I am a sailor)
by De Havenzangers
Posted in Collectibles | Tagged antique, Antiques, costume, De Havenzangers, doll, dolls, Dutch, Holland, Huizen, Marken, Noord Holland, vintage, Volendam | 2 Comments »
“The City of Dreadful Night”
by James Thomson, (1834-1882)
O melancholy Brothers, dark, dark, dark!
O battling in black floods without an ark!
O spectral wanderers of unholy Night!
My soul hath bled for you these sunless years,
With bitter blood-drops running down like tears:
Oh dark, dark, dark, withdrawn from joy and light!
My heart is sick with anguish for your bale;
Your woe hath been my anguish; yea, I quail
And perish in your perishing unblest.
And I have searched the highths and depths, the scope
Of all our universe, with desperate hope
To find some solace for your wild unrest.
And now at last authentic word I bring,
Witnessed by every dead and living thing;
Good tidings of great joy for you, for all:
There is no God; no Fiend with names divine
Made us and tortures us; if we must pine,
It is to satiate no Being’s gall.
It was the dark delusion of a dream,
That living Person conscious and supreme,
Whom we must curse for cursing us with life;
Whom we must curse because the life he gave
Could not be buried in the quiet grave,
Could not be killed by poison or the knife.
This little life is all we must endure,
The grave’s most holy peace is ever sure,
We fall asleep and never wake again;
Nothing is of us but the mouldering flesh,
Whose elements dissolve and merge afresh
In earth, air, water, plants, and other men.
Picasso & Weeping Women
Posted in Clothing & Accessories | Tagged antique, Antiques, Beirut, handkerchiefs, hankies, James Thomson, Picasso, vintage, Weeping Women | Leave a Comment »
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.
Crunchy numbers
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 180,000 times in 2010. If it were an exhibit at The Louvre Museum, it would take 8 days for that many people to see it.
In 2010, there were 2 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 84 posts. There were 15 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 5mb. That’s about a picture per month.
The busiest day of the year was February 3rd with 1,012 views. The most popular post that day was My Armand Marseille Doll – 390 A11M.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were search.aol.com, images.yandex.ru, stumbleupon.com, search.conduit.com, and translate.google.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for marie antoinette, queen victoria and prince albert, queen victoria, princess diana, and renoir.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
My Armand Marseille Doll – 390 A11M August 2009
3 comments
My crystal spear point prisms – c.1900 January 2009
My art deco compact by Houbigant August 2008
3 comments
My vintage sunglasses April 2009
12 comments
My problematical artifact – The Hookah February 2009
6 comments
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