Sunflowers

"I have never found sunflowers to be particularly beautiful flowers. I dislike the color yellow, they stink, and they are just not very practical. They cannot be combined in a bouquet, so they always end up in a bundle. And that armful needs to be in a huge vase; not very subtle."

Ten years ago, my friend suddenly passed away.

In the aftermath, I found myself reflecting deeply on our recently rekindled friendship, clinging to memories of her, and questioning my right to mourn.

To process my feelings, I created an illustrated short story during my time at art academy. Recently, I felt a strong urge to revisit and recreate these images as a tribute to my friend.

She took off her shoes and ran through the surf.

I had always disliked the beach, but then again,

I had never walked on it with her before.

"Was she a good friend?" I had never considered that I might not have the right to be sad.

We cycled together to the orchestra. She with a cello, and I with a violin on my back. I had bought a brooch and attached it to the case. We had a discussion about whether the pin was supposed to represent a cello or a violin. I thought it was a violin, but as usual, she convinced me with strong arguments that she was right. The instrument didn't have a chin rest and did have a strange piece at the bottom.

I am grateful that I didn’t have internet in the days that followed. When I returned to the Netherlands, it felt as though my grief had been taken away from me. While I was still struggling to come to terms with it, the rest of the country had already inscribed July 17, 2014, into the history books.

To me, she was just away on vacation. Little by little, her death began to feel real. Yet, in my heart, she remains as though she is still here.

Far-off Faces

During my travels, I've sketched an array of captivating figures and faces, each with its own tale to tell. In this blogpost I'd like to introduce them to you.

Note to self: remember to document any given information. Retroactively uncovering the original purpose and significance, especially without detailed museum descriptions, is challenging.

Škoromat, Ljubljana

Encountering the life-sized Škoromat at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum in Ljubljana was quite an experience. Even as a stationary mannequin, the costume was quite scary. The Škoromat is a mischievous character from the Slovenian Shrovetide Carnival, a tradition dating back to the 14th century. They roam around, loudly ringing cowbells, and assist Škopiti - a frightening creature with a broad hat and clattering tongs - in catching children, especially young girls.

Here you can see them in action!

Happy guy, Viuz- Faverges

This terracotta statuette greets every visitor of the archeological museum of Viuz-Faverges with a smile. It is unclear why it was created in the 2nd century - is it a representation of a domestic deity? Or a bored potter's whimsical creation?

Either way, he's just happy to be here.

Dogū Mask, Oyu

"What is this place!?" Dogū is understandably experiencing a culture shock: she travelled from Japan in the Jomon period (14,000 - 300 BCE) to present-day UK.

Likely an earth goddess or spirit, she was ritually beheaded and scattered around a stone circle in a fertility or healing ceremony.

Mystery figure, Viuz- Faverges

This enigmatic silhouette adorns a bronze scarf-pin dating from the first to third century. Without a clear description, its identity remains a mystery. My guess? A symbol of fertility, not unlike Artemis of Ephesus with its numerous protuberances.

Two weary travelers from Mesopotamia, Viuz- Faverges

On the left, an unidentified bearded man. Possibly representing a god, king, scholar, or guardian.

On the right, a

worn-down Ishtar, the goddess embodying love, beauty, fertility, and war,

often linked with the planet Venus.

Jesus, Mary and death, Viuz- Faverges

This three-faced ivory rosary bead, discovered in 17th and 18th-century graves at the Church of Vuiz, ironically urges spiritual introspection and preparedness for death.

The combination of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and a skull symbolizes 'Memento Mori', a reminder of the inevitability of death and the importance of spiritual life.

It's quite dark to think about someone using this rosary as they faced the end.

Did the owner know that their time was near while holding this symbol?

Sources

Nebra Sky Disk

The Nebra Sky Disk is a unique object measuring about 30 cm in diameter. Adorned with gold illustrations on its greenish surface, this disk showcases an array of celestial bodies. Created around 1750 BC, it was buried as an offering approximately 150 years later.

The artefact resurfaced in 1999, dug up by treasure hunters alongside a collection of Bronze Age weaponry. Initial doubts about its authenticity have given way to scientific consensus that it's indeed a Bronze Age artefact.

With its golden stars, sun and moon, the Nebra Sky Disk stands as the oldest known realistic representation of astronomical phenomena. Unlike symbolic drawings of gods or mythical creatures, it shows stars as actual shining points. It was likely passed down through generations, with each version becoming more detailed.

Notable additions include golden arcs along the bottom and sides, one of which has fallen off. The objects on the sides are thought to mark points where the sun rises and sets during solstices. The bottom arc, with carved lines, could be a solar boat, a rainbow, the Aurora Borealis, or a comet. Back then, people believed the sun and moon were moved by a boat, as seen in other rock carvings and bronze artefacts.

Since there are no written records from its time, the purpose of the Nebra Sky Disk is a calculated guess. Most experts believe it served as an astronomical calendar. Its ceremonial burial transforms the disk from a mere tool into a religious symbol. People in ancient times aligned their monuments with the sun and moon, suggesting the disk combined these symbols into a visual representation of sacred knowledge.

Regardless of its exact role, the disk offers a valuable look into early human understanding of the night sky, revealing insights into the movements of celestial bodies during the Bronze Age.

While I initially found the Nebra Sky Disk fascinating, I didn't fully grasp its significance. Wouldn't there have been more decorative depictions of stars? Learning about the extensive sky observations needed to create an accurate calendar shifted my perspective on prehistoric knowledge transfer. For some reason, I had always pictured prehistoric society as isolated groups of people, unaware of other tribes or generations.

A good example of meticulous prehistoric knowledge transmission is found in the Iliad. Spanning centuries between the Trojan War and Homer's composition of the narrative, the epic vividly portrays Bronze Age warriors and their technology with remarkable accuracy.

“How Homer could have had so clear a picture of bronze tool-making and armoury can only be explained by precise and well-remembered oral transmission over a very, very long time.” - Stephen Fry, Troy, 2020

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