Laura Morelli's Blog, page 12
April 9, 2014
Canopic Jars: An Integral Part of the Ancient Egyptian Mummification Process
Painted wooden canopic jars, 27th Dynasty (ca. 700 BCE)
Image © Trustees of the British Museum. British Museum Salt Collection, EA 9562;EA 9563;EA 9564;EA 9565.
During the mummification process, ancient Egyptian embalmers removed the organs of the body considered most important–the intestines, the liver, the lungs, and the stomach. These organs were then placed inside so-called “canopic jars,” often crafted from terra-cotta or wood.
Traditionally, the lid of each canopic jar bears the head of one of the four Sons of Horus, each believed to protect the jar’s contents.
Falcon (Qebhsenuef): intestines
Human (Imsety): liver
Baboon (Hapy): lungs
Jackal (Duamutef): stomach
The hieroglyphic text on each jar sometimes contains a protective inscription, specifies the respective guardian deity, and may name the deceased person whose organ it contains. Today, canopic jars are found in important museum collections of Egyptian antiquities around the globe.
To read about the ancient Egyptian practice of mummifying animals, click here.
April 6, 2014
Ancient Egyptian Mummification Process: Not Just for Pharaohs
Image via Mummies of the World touring exhibition
The ancient Egyptians were equal-opportunity embalmers. They mummified not only people but also many animals, especially those considered symbols of their gods: cats, falcons, baboons, crocodiles, and other creatures. These little mummies are preserved in museum collections around the world, notably the Royal Ontario Museum of Canada.
Much of our knowledge of ancient Egyptian culture is based on funerary monuments and objects, simply because they survived. Because the Egyptians believed that the “ka” or the spirit lived on after death but still required a body, there was great emphasis placed on preservation of the body, whether human or animal.
During the mummification process, all internal organs except for the heart were removed and preserved in canonic jars. The brain, thought to be useless, was pulled out through the nostrils with hooks, then discarded.
April 4, 2014
Ravenna, Italy: What You Should Know About Its Mosaics
Detail from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (d. 450 CE), Ravenna, Italy
The 300s and 400s CE were a time of great political and social upheaval across the Mediterranean, as the balance of power shifted away from Rome and to the Byzantine empire. Ravenna, on the eastern Adriatic coast of the Italian peninsula, was strategically placed. In 402, as Rome fell into a period of chaos, Ravenna became the capital for the western Roman emperor.
Wealthy and imperial patronage in Ravenna made possible several important buildings with breathtaking mosaics, including the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (ca. 425-426), the church of San Vitale (ca. 520-547), and the basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo (6th-9th centuries).
A more eastern aesthetic characterizes the mosaics completed in Ravenna during this early period. Elegant, slender, flattened figures on a shallow spatial plane stare out with huge, staring eyes. Flat, deeply hued decorative schemes take over entire wall, ceiling, and vault surfaces. In these forms the medieval visual vocabulary takes form, their more abstract modes better able to convey ideas about spirituality, earthly and heavenly hierarchies, and the divine order of the universe.
For more of Laura Morelli’s work on Italian art, click here.
April 2, 2014
Things to Do in Florence, Italy: Explore Traditional Woodcrafts
If I had to recommend a single traditional craft to bring home from Florence, Italy, it would be one of the ornate, gilded woodcrafts that fills the dusty workshops of the Oltrarno district. You won’t find anything more authentic and unique in this city full of souvenirs.
Everyone knows that Florence is famous for painting, and it’s no wonder that frame-making has been a big business for Florence for centuries. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Florentine woodworkers lavished gold leaf on everything from altarpieces to jewelry and frames. Today, the art of gilding wood remains highly prized.
Some wood masters specialize in details, hand-crafted wooden adornments for furniture and decor: scrolls, sconces, finials, animal feet, drawer pulls, and doodads of every shape and size. Some are gilded, some painted, some raw wood. In any form, the displays tucked into these Old-World workshops are a feast for the eyes.
For more on authentic shopping, click here.
March 31, 2014
Florence, Italy: Best Shopping Streets
Historically, makers and restorers of paintings, handmade paper, leather goods, frames, and other wooden items occupied the southern bank of the Arno River. Today, many of the city’s most traditional artisans still cluster in the Oltrarno (literally, the “across the Arno” district), which retains the flavor of an Old World artist neighborhood similar to the Left Bank of Paris.
Artisan workshops: Streets around the Piazza Pitti and the via Borgo San Frediano.
Antiques: via Maggio, via Santo Spirito, Borgo Ognissanti, Borgo San Jacopo, via de Fossi
Art and furniture restorers: Piazza Pitti, side streets off the Borgo San Jacopo
When money is no object: via Tornabuoni, via Calzaiuoli
One of the most wonderful things about Florence is that you can find a master craftsperson to custom-make just about anything your heart desires. From shoes to stationery, books, clothing, and furniture, a Florentine master can turn your dream into reality. Just ask!
For more on authentic shopping, click here.
March 30, 2014
Shopping in Venice, Florence, & Rome: Laura Morelli Talks with the Frommers
All of us love to bring home a special souvenir from a trip. But for many of us, selecting which silk scarf or wood carving to bring home can be intimidating in an unfamiliar environment. How do you know if something is authentic? If you’ve paid too much? If you’ve fallen prey to a tourist trap?
Pauline Frommer asks Laura Morelli how travelers can go beyond the tourist traps of Venice, Florence, Rome, and provincial France to discover authentic local traditions and artists.
The Frommers Travel Show podcast can be found here.
For more on authentic shopping, click here.
March 3, 2014
The Gondola Maker is out today!
Today's the day, friends! It's officially publication day for The Gondola Maker! Look for it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and the Apple iBookstore, or ask your favorite bookstore to order a few copies from their wholesaler. I am so grateful to each of you for your support. Thank you for continuing to spread the word!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gondola-Mak...
February 18, 2014
Congratulations to my latest Goodreads Giveaway winner!
February 7, 2014
The Gondola Maker Book Giveaway
February 5, 2014
Goodreads Giveaway for The Gondola Maker
I have just posted a Goodreads Giveaway for The Gondola Maker.
Enter for a chance to win one of two autographed advance copies. This giveaway begins at midnight on Wednesday, February 5 and lasts just two days.
Click here to enter the Goodreads Giveaway and good luck!
Click here to learn more about The Gondola Maker.
Click here to pre-order The Gondola Maker on amazon.
