Collections

This week I will post about collections. What are collections? It is a process of gathering, accumulating, assembling, and bringing together like-wise articles of interest, such as my Feather Art.  Here’s a bit of history.       

 

Mexican Feather Art      

It is well known that birds have a prominent place in Aztec mythology and Mexican history. The Mexican symbol is in itself represented by an Eagle perched on top of a cactus devouring a snake. History speaks that this was the fulfillment of the Aztec prophecy for the location of their capital on the present site of Mexico City. Quetzalcoatl, known also as the feathered serpent of the Aztec tribe, was a light-skinned deity who is said to have taught the Toltec’s their art and craft, and is still considered as the evening star that constantly watches over them. Cortés, the Spanish conqueror of Mexico speaks many a great thing of the feathered jewels of the Aztecs. The last Aztec Prince by the name of Cuauhtemoc (EAGLE THAT FALLS) brought about the final battle against the invaders, who burned his feet unsuccessfully persuading him to reveal the whereabouts of a great treasure. 

 

Suzanne Muchnic, Times Staff Writer Los Angele Times wrote on Oct 14, 2007: Feathers have come to roost in art and ethnographic museums because many cultures have conferred great value on them. Symbolizing fertility, abundance, riches and power, they have been used as currency or tribute and have been incorporated into ceremonial attire, ritual objects and decorative arts. But the feathers themselves haven’t had a lot of respect in the modern Euro-centric art world. Latin American feather art was in great demand by the Spanish conquistadors who took spectacular examples back to Europe. As Catholicism spread in the New World, the art form was adapted to Christian subject matter, liturgical objects and ecclesiastic vestments. Many of the best pieces were given to popes, kings and noblemen who shared them with an appreciative audience. No less than French 18th century philosopher Voltaire praised Mexican craftsmanship, including featherwork, for having “the most beautiful patterns with the variety of their colors and tones.

                                                                                                                         

How is Mexican Feather Art Created

                                                                                                      

The feather bird art requires great skill, imagination, a lot of patience and an artistic touch to recapture the glamour of the millions of exotic birds as colorful and charming as their multicolored ancestors. It is a slow process to dress up a paper pattern, starting with the tiniest feathers for the head and gradually increasing in feather size as the body is completed and finishing with the largest feathers forming the magnificent tail. The finished picture vividly recalls the dynamic color and haunting songs of the birds that lived and sang in the ancient forest of Mexico so long ago. 

                                                     

The hand carved cedar frames 

are as traditional as the birds themselves and stands for patient work, artistic taste and a tradition as colorful as the multicolored plumes of the bird. The distinctive carved patterns are repeated in frame after frame with at least five or six different patterns and are the result of very patient and skillful hand work, which require painful manual labor.  Although feathers of wild fowl are no longer used, the selection of the various qualities let you hear the haunting songs of birds in ancient forests of mysterious beauty which still hold something of that mystifying beauty. 

 

My collection started with my mother’s purchase she made when she went to Mexico with her sister on her honeymoon in 1945.  She passed it onto me after I married. Since then I collected many more and always on the lookout for others. Here’s a bit of history.

 

As Margaret Aspegren stated in “The Joys & Pitfalls of Collecting” I quote: “The hobbyists who gain the most from their hobby are probably not the ones who collect for profit but for the love of the item sought.” Margaret describes me perfectly. It is impossible to portray my feelings each time I see a different Mexican Feather Bird picture at a garage sale and then discover the price is only a few dollars. WOW! May the hunt continue!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexicanfeatherwork

 http://myauctionfinds.com/2013/03/19/a-collection-of-mexican-feather-art/

Diamonds in the Rough at Pawn Shops

To conclude my posting on Diamonds in the Rough, the subject is on the ancient practice of pawning. When I started to research this topic, I was overwhelmed with how much information there is on the Internet. I personally have not dealt with pawn shops, so I will let the experts guide you. As in the previous post, I listed some websites for your information. But fir intents and purposes of offering a post on the subject matter, I thought a little history would be interesting. Let’s start with Queen Isabella. If it wasn’t for her and her husband, Ferdinand, who supported and financed Christopher Columbus’ 1492 voyage, he would not have discovered the “New World.” In depth history can be found on Wikipedia.  

 The story about the pawnbroker’s symbol is just as interesting. The three sphere

symbol is attributed to the Medici family of Florence, Italy, owing to its symbolic meaning of Lombard. This refers to the Italian province of Lombardy, where pawn shop banking originated under the name of Lombard banking. The three golden spheres were originally a symbol medieval Lombard merchants hung in front of their houses, and not the arms of the Medici family. It has been conjectured that the golden spheres were originally three flat yellow effigies of byzants, or gold coins, laid heraldically upon a sable field, but that they were converted into spheres to better attract attention.

 

Most European towns called the pawn shop the "Lombard." The House of Lombard was a banking community in medieval London, England. According to legend, a Medici employed by Charlemagne slew a giant using three bags of rocks. The three-ball symbol became the family crest. Since the Medici’s were so successful in the financial, banking, and money lending industries, other families also adopted the symbol. Throughout the Middle Ages, coats of arms bore three balls, orbs, plates, discs, coins and more as symbols of monetary success. Pawnbrokers (and their detractors) joke that the three balls mean "Two to one, you won't get your stuff back."

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of pawnbrokers. The symbol has also been attributed to the story of Nicholas giving a poor man's three daughters each a bag of gold so they could get married.

Don’t you just love history? The stories told about people, places and things is in fact, what you do as you create your family museum as you assemble your family heirlooms, display your collections, and preserve your antiques. And when you need to add to your museum, there is a plethora of resources to find what you are looking for, including pawn shops.  

One of the research sites I visited talks about how to use a pawnshop. Written by Lauren Kaminsku, Vice President, EZ Pawn Corp, I think you will find it interesting, too. The website is:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-kaminsky/how-to-use-a-pawnshop_b_960887.html

Also, I read that more Americans are going to Pawn Shops to get fast cash. This article was written by Bonnie Kavoussi at Huffington Post.

And according to a new report by  Marketdata Enterprises, more Americans are turning to pawn shops to get by, hawking jewelry, electronics, tools, and other personal items for quick cash. Twenty-five million Americans used pawn shops last year, according to data from the National Pawnbrokers Association cited by WSAV, the NBC affiliate in Savannah, Georgia. There now are 11,000 pawn shops in the U.S.: 59 percent more than in 1988. 

And then there is Pawn Stars. Need I say more. Wikipedia gives a wonderful account on the history of this very popular reality TV show.

 

I hope you all enjoyed the Blog posts this week and I look forward to getting your comments. Next week I will post about two traditional events: School Graduations and Father’s Day.  Have a great weekend.