Friday 28 March 2008

Show and Tell Friday over at Kelli's



Show and Tell

(Click on photos to enlarge)


We bought this painted slate engraving on holiday one summer, down in Tintagel. It evokes the memory of an unexpected overnight stay there (we had been heading slowly homewords from elsewhere in Cornwall). It was so lovely there, and the weather was beautiful, and so we stopped, and explored the castle on its headland, commanding the sea, with its legends of Arthur and Merlin. The Celtic design is based on interlaced carpet pages from the Book of Kells, which I saw when I was on an Archaeology Field Trip in Ireland. It is displayed in all its amazing glory inTrinity College, Dublin. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells
It truly is the most incredible piece of Insular art and links us back 1200 years or more and has links with St Columba - some scholars even submit it may have been Columba himself who crafted it.


These two needlework pictures came from a stall in Carmarthen Market. Some of you may recognize this as Thomas Hardy's cottage, so as you may imagine, this has special meaning for me and I am very fond of it.

This is Shakespeare's birthplace, and again beautifully embroidered. There is a third embroidery which I have in a drawer somewhere, and which needs to be framed. It's so long since I've seen it I can't remember the picture, so I had better go look!

I treasure anything which has been hand-embroidered or hand-made. Hours and hours of work went into creating these beautiful pictures.

13 comments:

Hootin Anni said...

Cool stuff!!! I would especially like the Shakespeare birthplace....wow.

Please do drop by. I'm sharing a bit of Gone With the Wind today.

Simply Heart And Home said...

The colors are so vibrant and clear. Lovely!

Gina

Baba said...

Wow.. what great items for you to share with us...thanks for your visit to my place today...

Constance said...

Lovely cottages, so warm and inviting! That invokes a cozy fireplace and good company over a cup of tea!
Connie

Susan said...

Beautiful, lovely hand crafted items. And yes, what work!!! Hope you'll show us the 3rd piece when you find it.
Susan

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

You have some real treasures there! Lots of memories too. I like needlework pictures.

Thanks for sharing.

Katherine

Kindra-At Home With K said...

Your art pieces are just wonderful! I love the slate piece! What a great find!

nancy said...

What an interesting piece. I have never heard about slate engraving. Is it a period thing or a geographical thing? I love the embroidery. Kelli, yuo and I are all talking about embroidery to day, so far! Nancy

JEWELGIRL said...

Lovely artwork. The embroidery
work is beautiful.

Rose of Sharon said...

What lovely things you have! I especially love the embroidered pictures, they are wonderful!

Bunny Chic Boutique said...

Beautiful embroidery!! Please show us the 3rd one next time. I'm very curious ~ maybe it's Beatrix Potter's Cottage. :)

Bunny Blessings ~

Jayne

Farrah said...

Very interesting artwork! I also enjoyed the link on the Book of Kells.

Thanks for dropping by my blog! Have a wonderful weekend!

Kelli said...

Lovely treasures, Jennie! The embroidery is amazing, the flowers are so pretty.
Hugs,
Kelli