Showing posts with label Regina Garay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Regina Garay. Show all posts

Thursday, July 19, 2012

A Helping Hand....

While running to an appointment in Bologna, Italy recently, this fabulous doorknob caught my eye. I stopped long enough to photograph it as I have a love of hands used in architecture.

That is not a reflection. Their are two hands! One on the interior and one for the exterior.



Most people are familiar with the iconic "praying hands" by Albrecht Durer. He also made his way to Bologna around 1507 to "learn the secret art of perspective".

And then there is the lithograph of  Escher's "Drawing Hands"..


Hands used as door handles are more common in other countries, it seems.


These hands are examples of yoga positions. The hands are very important in healing the body and keeping it in balance.


This is a lovely example of a gas jet sconce(see the key on the wrist?)

Be still my heart! ....The best example is this one posted by Regina Garay of Fauxology and is the home of Thierry Bosquet featured in  Entra magazine.  This article is one of my favorites!
...I once left behind a wonderful wooden carved hand at a Paris flea market...have regretted it ever since! I am on the prowl now for vintage carved hands at antique sales. Wish me luck!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Cassapanca


It's a small world....now that we have the internet!  Recently, my friend Regina Garay of Fauxology, posted a link to Buzz Kaplan's word of the day-Cassapanca.


He posted these fabulous examples of a vintage cassapanca, a decorative bench with a back and a storage seat.


Italian in origin, cassapancas were usually large in scale and highly decorative.


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Finding a cassapanca on an auction site is not as easy as it might seem.

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They are a rare find and usually cost several thousand dollars.

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This one is not as elaborate as most, but shows the variety in style.




Italian artist Alison Woolley of Florence Art painted this wonderful example of a cassapanca.




I love this black one! Most seem to be done in earth pigments or lighter in color.

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When you "google" the word cassapanca, many times it wants to substitute "cassablanca"!
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The backs of the cassapancas are made of flat wood to fit against the wall and not take up a lot of floor space. The wood is cut into decorative shapes and given dimension through trompe l'oeil painting.

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As decorative as they are, I could not help posting this bench as well! Do you own a unique bench? I have my eyes out for a vintage Italian cassapanca!
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