Store for Eye Cosmetics

Remember the tridacne shell sculpted in the shape of an owl in my blogpost from 2016: here?

I saw another sculpted shell, two months ago, in the exhibition 'Gods of Egypt' in Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Glenn Markoe writes in his book 'Phoenicians' (2000) that over a hundred examples of carved tridacna shells have been found from Italy to the Near East. Similar in artistic style, they were probably produced in the mid-seventh century BC, made or distributed from the southern coast of Phoenicia. They were probably used to store eye cosmetics.

And Yet I Knew

"

"When I'm gone you'll be happy, you and your friends," he said. "You will be able to take yourselves seriously again and do all your artistic work. I'm just a disturbance in your summer."

I assured him of the contrary, that without him I would pine away, and yet I knew there was truth in what he said. With him I thought only of the present, I lived from day to day. When he was gone I worried about the life ahead for which I must be prepared. "Work is the only thing that makes one happy," my mother always said, and inspired by Betsy, we had all taken ourselves seriously that summer until Jean came.

"

Small Hotel

Sometimes I have "Aristocratic dreams". Dreaming as in ... when I would have enough money I would:

• Be a specialist in the field of Prehistoric and Early dynastic period of Egypt. On the cutting edge of archeology, egyptology and petroglyphs #Egypt #StoneAge #Desert
• Be a specialist on 17th century Dutch WIC sources. Unlock these sources via translations into English #Writer #Translator #WIC
• Make long distance trips in gliders. A couple of weeks a year #soaring

 

• Read more
• Run a small hotel on the Mediterranean Sea
• Have long holidays in: Brazil, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Cape Verde Islands, USA, Canada, Rarotonga and Cook Islands
• Make a long distance walk once a year 
• ... - you know

P.S. Source image: here.

Motherly Woman

Maria Nys was married to Aldous Huxley. She was the eldest of four sisters: Maria (1899-1955), Jeanne, Suzanne and Rose. Claire, the eldest daughter of Suzanne, wrote a family history in the book 'The Elephant and the Rose' (2003). Lovely read with a lot of details.

Did you know:

• She was born in Sint-Truiden (French: Saint-Trond), a city located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium. 
• 'The Elephant' was the name of a wholesale grocery shop and 'The Rose' of a dry goods store next door. The girl next door, married to the boy next door. Making a family fortune.
• At home they mainly spoke French.
• All four sisters were married to writers, poets and artists.
• Maria was a motherly woman (a request of one of Aldous aunts) because above all that was what Aldous needed and she provided it.
• Maria and Aldous met at Garsington Manor, near Oxford, England. The home of Lady Ottoline and her husband, Philip Morrell. Maria was the niece of George-Marie Baltus, a friend of Lady Ottoline.

Matthew, Maria and Aldous Huxley:

Maria Huxley-Nys:

 

P.S. The two pictures are not in this book. I found them on The Internet.

Still Here Sea and Sky and Seasons

Sophia. I read two books with poems from Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919-2004).

Here the sixs poems I like best (Portuguese original and English translation). Between [] the image I love.

Dionysos [The abundance of fruits]

Entre as árvores escuras e caladas
O céu vermelho arde,
E nascido da secreta cor da tarde
Dionysos passa na poeira das estradas.

A abundância dos frutos de Setembro
Habita a sua face e cada membro
Tem essa perfeição vermelha e plena,
Essa glória ardente e serena
Que distinguia os deuses dos mortais.

Oásis [The linen white and fresh]

Penetraremos no palmar
A água será clara e o leite doce
O calor será leve o linho branco e fresco
O silêncio estará nu - o canto
Da flauta será nítido no liso
Da penumbra

Lavaremos nossas mãos de desencontro e poeira

Quem como eu [Se dispersa nas coisas e nos dias]
Quem como eu em silêncio tece
Bailados, jardins e harmonias?
Quem como eu se perde e se dispersa
Nas coisas e nos dias?

Sua beleza [A home for humanity]
Sua beleza é total
Tem a nítida esquadria de um Mantegna
Porém como um Picasso de repente
Desloca o visual

Seu torso lembra o respirar da vela
Seu corpo é solar e frontal
Sua beleza à força de ser bela
Promete mais do que prazer
Promete um mundo mais inteiro e mais real
Como pátria do ser

Será possível [Simply lost]
Será possível que nada se cumprisse?
Que o roseiral a brisa as folhas de hera
Fossem como palavras sem sentido
— Que nada sejam senão seu rosto ido
Sem regresso nem resposta — só perdido?

Quando [Just as if]
Quando o meu corpo apodrecer e eu for morta
Continuará o jardim, o céu e o mar,
E como hoje igualmente hão-de bailar
As quatro estações à minha porta.

Outros em Abril passarão no pomar
Em que eu tantas vezes passei,
Haverá longos poentes sobre o mar,
Outros amarão as coisas que eu amei.

Será o mesmo brilho, a mesma festa,
Será o mesmo jardim à minha porta,
E os cabelos doirados da floresta,
Como se eu não estivesse morta.