Roland-designs , Virginie's blog.

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday 16 April 2013

More Berlin woolwork

 

Recently I saw a seller on Ebay who tried to sell a hand painted Berlin wool work chart for 999,-$, that was certainly exaggerating a bit, but those old charts are popular these days.... 

Of course, I keep to a tight budget when buying charts, and the past couple years I have become a bit picky and only betting/purchasing interesting ones. The main reason naturally is the cost, but also the storage problem with antiques. They cannot be in a humid, dusty, or sunny place. I'll never forget the time I bought a set of hand painted wool work charts from Germany and when I opened the package I was taken back by the smell of mold. The charts were all moldy/mildewy ! Yuck ! I re-charted the best ones, and have to store them away from other paper items.

The same has happened with books purchased on Ebay, it's rare but frustrating to be the recipient of a moldy antique. The best solution is to wipe the covers with a damp cloth, if possible dipped in  alcohol, but that is not always possible. One thing I did once was to put a moldy 100 + years old book in bright sunlight to kill the mold. It does damage the colors, but it might be the only way to save it.

Back to Berlin wool work, this is the latest addition to my collection. I am sure the seller was very disappointed in selling it to me for so cheap, but there was almost no interest in it. Two bidders, and I got it for 2 Euros.... I felt like those people in bargain hunter who bag a deal. Of course, religious pictures are not as sought after as the floral ones.

The seller had a fuzzy photo and described it as ' Madonna'. But when I received it, I noticed  that the Madonna had a chin shadow, and pierced hands. It's an illustration of the Christ after the resurrection.

Now, any opinion as to the snake depicted under His feet ?

Berlin wool work handpainted chart.



Update January 2021:
After some messages from my readers and more research I concluded that this must be a depiction of Mary after all. 
 
The pattern is available here: ETSY , Website

6 comments:

  1. It probably refers to Genesis 3:15 where God tells the serpent that the woman's offspring (Jesus) will bruise and thread on the serpents head.

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  2. Great posibility Elga !

    I was thinking about the snake in the story of Moses, since it is now used as the symbol for pharmacies as a sign of healing.( resurrecting ?)

    Numbers 21:8
    And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

    Or, it could be Our Lords defeat of the the serpent's ( devil ) temptation in the desert before the start of His ministry.

    I guess there are many possibilities.....

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  3. The verse in Genesis has a lot of references that takes you to all the new testament verses that refers to Jesus having overcome the works of the devil through His death and resurrection on the cross.

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  4. The Serpent under Christ's (or, occasionally, the Virgin Mother's) feet, is the symbol of Christ's triumph over death, and particularly, disease.

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  5. I think this is the correct explanation....https://www3.nd.edu/~wcawley/corson/serpent.htm from the last book in the Bible. Thank u for sharing this image.

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    1. https://www3.nd.edu/~wcawley/corson/serpent.htm
      Very interesting, thank you for sharing. I guess it could be Mary afterall ? But could be interpreted both ways, the marks in the palm would mean Jesus, but could also just be the colour choice of the artist ?

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