Objects of Curiosities
Find in this section objects of curiosities, unusual objects and unique pieces of Art & History and a selection of genuine and original antique furniture or current production drawing inspiration from the past.
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Blue Lotus Engravings, Set of 2
€680.00A set of two beautiful prints of magnificent large blue lotuses.
Engravings with blue marie-louis and very beautiful frame with black wood ornamentation and silver edging.
Glass size: 50x70cm
The lotus is an aquatic plant whose flower is magnificent and which is magnified in these two large engravings in a beautiful blue color. This particular tone of blue has earned it the name of a shade, azure tending to sky blue: caeruleum blue (ceruleum).
The blue lotus is actually a water lily.
Although it bears the name Lotus, the Blue Lotus (in Latin Nymphaea caerulea Savigny) is actually a water lily.
This aquatic plant grows on the edges of lakes and stagnant waters.
Today, it has almost completely disappeared from the Nile region and it is cultivated mainly in Asia (China and Thailand).
The blue lotus belongs to the family Nymphaeaceae (water lily family), group Apocarpiae, subgenus Brachyceras, and forms and subspecies None (cf. Slocum et al. 1996).
Lotuses were the most widely cultivated ritual plants in ancient Egypt. They grew wild and had also been planted in artificial bodies of water (Hugonot 1992).
The blue lotus was considered a sacred plant. The god of immortality and resurrection Nefertum was represented as a young man or a lion whose hair was decorated with a blue lotus flower. He offered the flower to the sun god Ra, to relieve the pain in his old body. The Egyptians especially appreciated their enchanting scent of hyacinth, their symbolism and probably also their intoxicating effects...
Lotus buds and flowers were popular head and hair ornaments. The garlands placed in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses II (1290-1223 B.C.E.) were almost entirely composed of white and blue lotus flowers (Germer 1988). Many buds, petals and garlands have been found as decoration for mummies or as funerary objects.
In ancient Egypt, the blue lotus was closely linked to the concepts of the afterlife and rebirth. The flower represents enlightenment and the awakened consciousness of the deceased; it is “this lotus flower which shines in the earth” (Book of the Dead, chapter 174, line 30; cf. Dassow 1994).
In the myth of the battle between Horus and Seth, the lotus flower appears as a symbol of the divine all-seeing eye: when Seth found Horus resting under a tree in an oasis, he plucked out both his eyes and buried them in the sand. After which they transformed into lotus flowers.
Lotuses are rustic aquatic plants of absolute beauty, vigorous and imposing and can grow anywhere in France!
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Red Crane in Porcelain and Brass, 70cm high
€2,200.00Superb figurine of a flamboyant red crane made of porcelain and brass, 70cm high and 46cm wide.
A contemporary artisanal work of great beauty.
The bird's legs are made of brass.
A remarkable piece for a refined and unique interior decoration.
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Engravings by K. Baerei, 19th C. Set of 2
€530.00A set of two beautiful engravings by the 19th century Japanese artist Kono Baerei.
Engravings with black marie-louise and very beautiful frame in aged black wood and gold edging or with a large pink marie-louise and a thin black bamboo imitation frame.
Glass size: 55x80cm
Engravings representing cranes and beautiful peonies under glass.
Bairei became a student of the Maruyama school painter Nakajima Raishō at the age of eight, and then a student of the Shijō school painter Shiokawa Bunrin at the age of twenty-seven. He continued his education in the Nanga school style under Nakanishi Kōseki and Maeda Chōdō. With Gennyo, abbot of Higashi Hongan-ji, he traveled throughout Kyūshū and central Japan, making numerous drawings.
In 1878, Bairei began preparations for an art school, which opened in 1880 as the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting. He left this school in 1881 and taught his students in his workshop until 1891. In 1893, he became a member of the Arts Committee of the Imperial Household. In 1894, he was commissioned to paint pieces of Higashi Hongan-ji.
Bairei was a prominent figure in Kyoto's artistic circles, where he organized and promoted artistic activities. He played a particularly important role in his educational work. His many students include Takeuchi Seihō, Kikuchi Hōbun, Kawai Gyokudō.
His own work, often characterized by bold brushstrokes, displays traditional charm and sensitivity.
Its flowers, birds (Kachō-ga), and landscapes show a touch of Western realism. Bairei is also known for his spontaneous woodcut sketches.
