“Boy with Incense, 1912″ was taken and printed by Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976), a remarkable American photographer whose career as artist and mentor spanned eight decades. In 1912, she had a photo studio in Seattle, a city with its own Chinatown, but I could only guess if this photo was taken in her studio, or while [...]
Archive for April, 2009
Incense, 1912
Posted in Art, Incense, Photography on April 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Jesus Incense
Posted in Art, Incense, Religion on April 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
HEM Incense of India produces this, and many similar varieties in their “Saint” series. I love the illustration, the idea, all of it. I got mine at Nepali Shop; it arrived in perfect condition in three days.
On a Practical Note
Posted in Incense, Religion on April 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“In the temple rituals of the ancient world, incense played a symbolic and a practical role. Because it was rare, expensive, and would be completely consumed by fire, it was considered a suitable sacrifice to the gods. Furthermore, priests and people hoped that their prayers would rise to heaven like the great clouds of sweet-smelling [...]
Incense, 1898
Posted in Art, Incense on April 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I have hesitated to post one of the most famous paintings about incense because “L’Encens” (“The Incense”) gives me the creeps. No offense meant to the artist’s model, who was also his sister – all of the work of Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921), the Belgian Symbolist painter, gives me the creeps. His images are described as [...]
Fascination
Posted in Fashion, Literature on April 27, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I love reading beyond my demographic. In the May-June 2009 issue of Veranda, there is a feature about a wedding in France with a photo caption that reads, “Happy groom with the bride, who wears a white plumed fascinator.”
I applaud the writer, Tom Woodham, for knowing the word “fascinator.” I would have said, “The bride [...]
Incense, 960 AD
Posted in Art, Incense, Pottery on April 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
A Chinese incense burner, Jun ware porcelain with sky blue glaze. This breathtaking piece, unearthed at Yuzhou in Henan, dates from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD), and is on display at the Henan Museum in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. The museum was established in 1927, and holds more than 130,000 cultural relics.
Childlike
Posted in Literature on April 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Not by constraint or severity shall you have access to true wisdom but by abandonment, and childlike mirthfulness.”
– Henry David Thoreau, Journals, June 23, 1840
E.B. White and Blogging
Posted in Literature on April 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“He liked to ‘write short’; he liked the freedom to report whatever interested him at the time; and he liked to be published promptly.”
– Scott Elledge, E.B. White: A Biography (1984), p. 107
Incense, 2009
Posted in Incense, Photography on April 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Incense “flowers” in Hue, Vietnam, from Travel Vietnam.
Or Smith
Posted in Commentary on April 26, 2009 | 4 Comments »
“I do not, in fact, recommend that any young man enter into a marriage with a Bryn Mawr girl unless he is sure he can absorb the extra amount of emotional experience that is involved. To awake to a serene morning in a green world; to be overtaken by summer thunder while crossing a lake; [...]
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