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 Replies: 61 / Views: 8,993 |
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Moderator
  United States
34410 Posts |
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Valued Member
United States
447 Posts |
If music can be called "art" (which I think it can) here's a good one.
The song Happy by The Rolling Stones begins with:
Never kept a dollar past sunset,
Always burned a hole in my pants
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
188440 Posts |
Excellent!  |
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
188440 Posts |
Fascinating! Mo money, mo problems.  |
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
This oil-on-canvas was painted by David Dick of Bern Switzerland in 1687. The title, Bauamt, roughly translates into English as "Building office", or as the placard at the Historical Museum of Bern read, "Payday in the Office of Public Works". If you examine the subjects' clothes closely, you will see that the government workers wear a somber black, while the workers wear brown and have removed their hats as a sign of respect. On the table are stacks of silver coins (perhaps Batzen, which for reference are approximately 25 mm in diameter) with a smattering of small copper pieces in there as well. Unfortunately, I don't happen to have any 17th Century Swiss coins in my collection to provide as examples.   "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
From the same exhibit in Bern, I found this contemporaneous Bernese painting by Albrecht Kauw. Called "Reckoning up in the Accountant's Office", this piece shows a wealthy merchant performing the business of the day. As with the previous painting, there are several silver coins on the table.   "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
188440 Posts |
Nice examples! |
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
As it turns out, the same painter (Albrecht Kauw) had his paintbrushes on our next work of art as well. Between AD 1516 and 1520, the Swiss painter Niklaus Manuel painted a series of murals called Dance of Death or "Danse Macabre" on the cemetery wall next to a Dominican convent. Each panel features a pair of people (or group of people) with their own mocking skeleton. Prior to this wall being taken down in 1660, the mural was fortunately copied by Albrecht Kauw (circa 1649). The Historical Museum of Bern has a whole room with these panels and the one below caught my eye numismatically. It is called "Knight and Jurist" and is a juxtaposition of the lowest rung of nobility (the knight) and the highest rung of secular learning (the jurist). After removing it from his purse, Death confronts the Jurist by holding out a sizable silver coin, which is only identifiable by a long cross. Below I have included a silver Denier made in nearby Lausanne between AD 1517 and 1536. It features a small, floriated cross on the rev, but represents the closest coin in my collection to what Niklaus Manuel likely would have painted.     "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
This oil-on-wood painting by Jacob Jacobs is called "Portrait of Dorothea Walrave". It was painted in 1606 and currently hangs at the Museum of Hamburg History in Neustadt Hamburg (Germany). Her clothing is appropriate for the upper class in 17th century Hamburg, with a pleated apron, lace cuffs, and white collar. This modesty contrasts sharply with the heavy gold chains and mounted Portugaleser coin, which would have been struck around AD 1570 in Hamburg. According to the placard in the museum, these gold coins were referred to as "current seagoing coins" and due to their excessive value were used only for large bills (as opposed to daily transactions). More specifically, one Portugaleser amounted to approximately 108 days wage for a laborer. Rather than post my extensive collection of Portugalers , I have included pictures of an early 18th Century Hamburger 4 Schilling from my collection. This small silver coin roughly corresponded to one day's wages for a laborer. Plainly visible on both coins are the three towers of Hamburg.     "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
188440 Posts |
Excellent! |
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
24885 Posts |
Very interesting post! |
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Moderator
United States
34410 Posts |
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Replies: 61 / Views: 8,993 |
First Page
Posted 11/12/2019 6:59 pm
