Saturday Morning, December 12, 2020
Masks Required.
Senses and Sensibility
It wasn't the noise bothering him. Not at all, although it was loud enough to wake the dead. The comings and goings of cartage all day, and night. Horses neighing, struggling to navigate the cobblestone streets. Stopping. Starting. Shouting from drivers, foremen. And the shrieking. Loved ones distressed for their loss, a few from misdirected wills. It wasn't the smell bothering him. Not at all, although the fluence would spellbind the most-seasoned Saharan caravan. To be fair, at times the air would be laced with a bakery aroma. Cinnamon. Anise. Myrrh. How myrrh carried a fragrance like no other. Most times the atmosphere was rancid, putrid, a byproduct of business at hand. Only a strong Sirocco provided relief, provided it blew away from you, of course.
Boy Scout sash includes Star Badge with Knot and
Life Pin with Knot, ca. 1930's.
Salvation Army Sunbeams sash, for grade school girl participation in the Salvation Army, ca. 1930's.
Here we find true commitment to humanity.
It wasn't the scene bothering him. Not at all, although it was surreal. Overladen carts bent beneath the weight of human corpses. Gilt chariots portaging the mourners. People on foot without coin. Those attendants, in their familiar uniforms, undesirables in any other neighborhood, scurrying about transforming order from chaos. But traditions must be followed. Sacrifices gifted. It is all written in The Book of the Dead. No variation allowed. This wasn't a tale of morbidity, instead, of eternity. What was really bothering him? The young man took one last look and walked away. Holy Osiris. He muttered under his breath.
Les Craig, Navajo sterling, turquoise, & coral bracelet.
Fit for a Chief, a Pharoah, and everyone inbetween. A time-honored tradition in the jewelry business.
Paint-by-number
For ancient Egyptians, mummification was vital. The goal was preservation of the body for use in the afterlife. The process? Ritualistic. Organs and brains removed (but not the heart, not yet anyway), cleansing of the body, saturation of natron, a salt used for curing, then waiting. Seventy-two days by the book until all moisture was removed. The end product was startling. The body retained shape and character. After this, the loved one was slathered in ointments then wound with narrow bands of linen. Next stop was a wood coffin or stone sarcophagus, highly polychromed, depending upon your wallet. The pharoahs got the Valley. All else a wind swept sand lot. And there everyone lay for thousands of years, waiting for Horus to blow his horn. It wasn't the process bothering him. What was it?
Ted Ott, silversmith located in Orlando, Florida.
The frog, for ancient Egyptians, represented the goddess Heqet, symbolizing fertility.
An animal directly associated with the Nile River and its annual flooding/resurrection cycle.
Take the Last Train to Ra'sville
Death for the ancient Egyptian was a spiritual journey. Much was expected from one's soul. The release from mortality to immortality was nearly impossible. Final Judgment. Failure erased your soul from existence. Those are high stakes. Standing before forty-two demons, Anubis, God of Embalming, Thoth, God of Wisdom, and finally Osiris, God of the Underworld, you were forced to defend your virtue. One great feature about Ancient Gods was their interchangeability. One day they represented fertility, another day war. Handy in life, better in the afterlife court. But Egyptian redemption was not admitting your sins. No. Today we confess, then are awarded forgiveness. Heaven? Sure. Leave the keys to your new Beemer by the door on the way out. For an Egyptian, confession meant attesting to having never obliged those sins in the first place. Pretty much guessing this was the moment he who is without sin...cast the first stone, was written into the Bible. Anyway, if this test was passed, the best was waiting down the corridor in the Hall of Judgment.
Amber necklaces. Much academic discourse surrounds the topic of Ancient Egyptians using amber. Resin, they did, as a base for many applications, including mummification. But amber jewelry examples are difficult to assess. What survives is brittle amber colored resin chunks, long past their surface appeal.
Weighing of the Heart
Osiris stepped forward staring the young man in the eye. He reached out and seized the heart from his mummified body. Osiris held it high for all to see then walked over to an oversized balance scale. Very gently he placed the salt laden organ on one pan. Immediately the pan dove down, driven lower and lower by the weight. A murmur filled the hall. From Goddess Ma'at, Osiris was handed the White Feather of Truth representing honesty and ethics. It showed little wear.
Georg Jensen sterling heart pin.
Here is a designer who knew hearts, and how to fulfill their desire.
The Egyptians believed all knowledge resided in the heart.
The reason for weighing in the afterlife.
Osiris placed the feather on the opposite pan. Slowly, very slowly, the heart began to rise. Up, up it climbed. Down, down dropped the feather. When the scale needle pointed straight up, all movement stopped. Murmurs evaporated. This, the final line between damnation and the Field of Reeds. In its last breath, the needle exhaled toward the feather. Salvation.
A Death to Remember
Egypt had its Cleopatra. We have our Marilyn. Weekly Tempo Magazines, these two published in 1954 & 1955.
How did the Egyptians find enough parishioners to fill their temples? When life is based on such exemplary behavior, perhaps the bar is placed a bit too high. To aggravate the situation, Egyptian rulers issued edicts for the many while they flaunted about. Even the Gods participated. One never knew who was begetting whom. And so it goes. Now this, this is what bothered him. Forget the ritual, the overkill for those already dead. Rules for thee, not for me is an even greater aggreviance passed down to us through time. Though, even in this at least we find continuity. Stay at home, while I dine in luxury. Cast your vote, while I mail in three. Coincidentally, litmus tests color either blue or red. Even science has a sense of humor. A joke the Gods can enjoy all the way to Hades. Is Lady Justice really blindfolded, or is she peeking? This, this is what bothers us. Keep the faith. We remain your Elysian Fields forever, or at least until the needle points the opposite direction.
Doors open at 8 AM. Auction starts at 9 AM. PA AU 1265L [bb]