Not for lack of old postcards to share, but for lack of drive this week (!) I am re-publishing my OPW post from July 29, 2009 for today's OPW. When I decided to give myself permission to do this it was difficult to select which old postcard to honor with a second showing. I chose this one because it is one of my favorites esthetically and I enjoyed the heck out of the research behind it. I hope you will enjoy it, either again or for a first time. (Where some might consider me lazy for running the same post twice...and, as this postcard features a river, I am sorry but I cannot help it..... Here is "Up The Lazy River" sung by Michael Buble....)
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Original post follows:This postcard wasn't one that belonged to my grandmother. I actually purchased a few vintage postcards online recently that were particularly appealing to me, and this was one of them. It's gorgeous, even more so if you enlarge it.
Maybe the information is out there but I was unable to find, in a quick search, anything about the site where Moses was found by Pharaoh's daughter, or whether there has been a tree/series of trees planted on the spot for the eons to be able to identify and preserve a site thought to be where he was found among the bulrushes (which look like cattails in the photos I saw at Google images). As luck would have it, however, there is fairly fresh news relating to Moses, as reported by Thaindian News:
Staff of Moses may have been found in London
April 2nd, 2009 - 2:07 pm ICT by ANI
London, April 2 (ANI): A group of builders, digging at a site in London, have unearthed what they believe is the fabled Staff of Moses.
According to a report in The Sun, the piece of wood was found by digger Charlie Kingston and his team as he dug a 20ft-deep trench on a site in east London.
At first, the workmen thought the historic artefact, which dates back to hundreds of years before Christ, was just an old tatty piece of wood.
But, after initial tests by archaeologists and biblical scholars, the iconic find is being hailed as one of monumental importance.
The Staff was at Moses’ side throughout key milestones in the Bible story of Exodus.
It was used to part the Red Sea, invoke a plague on the Egyptian Pharaoh, produce water from a rock and could even transform itself into a snake.
The exact location of the Staff has been kept secret to stop ‘treasure-hunters’ and onlookers flocking to the area.
“I was tipping out some earth when one of my mates Archie Tan shouted to stop, and pointed at the bucket,” Kingston said.
“When we scraped off the mud, we thought it might just be a beaten-up walking stick. “We’re amazed at what they are saying it could turn out to be,” he added.
The builders and their bosses could now be in for a huge windfall, with experts confident other relic could also be hiding beneath the soil.
However, a comprehensive archaeological dig could take months, if not years, to complete so it may be some time before they see any financial reward.
According to historian Dr Henry Jones, the Staff might well run into millions of pounds if it is sold at an auction.
“If this is the Staff of Moses, it is of unimaginable importance,” he said. (ANI)
I'm curious to know how it got to London, if it is indeed the staff of Moses. As with the truth and particulars of him being found as a baby, the story will undoubtedly be open to interpretation for a long, long time. . . . .
Orazio Gentileschi, 1630
Edwin Longsden Long, 1886
Sebastien Bourdon, 1650
Clive Uptton
Charles de la Fosse
Hendrik van the Elder Balen
English School
Gustav Dore, 1866
Claude Lorrain
Francis Hayman, 1746
Nicolas Poussin, 1638
Veronese, 1580
illustration from a catechismFrench School, late 19th century
Pietro Liberi
Harold Copping, 1927
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1904(This one is my favorite among these paintings.)
Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, 1655-57obviously one painting of this event wasn't enough for him .....
Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, 1657
David Hayward (nakedpastor), 2009.
7 comments:
Good morning, Lydia :-)
Look at you, Miss Lazybones, sending a previous post floating down the river in a basket filled with postcards. What a marvelous subject and amazing selection of different depictions!
I love the the de la Fosse. I also really want to like the Harold Copping, except for one thing; no woman I know, upon finding a baby like that, would stand languidly at a remove. The Liberi seems more likely. Meanwhile, some of the depictions show ladies looking suspiciously European and 1600's-ish. Perhaps I've got my Old testament timeline and geography wrong! Kind of like 1950s westerns where the women all have perms.
Take care, my friend.
FB
Stunning post card and other stuff!
i think its great that you're carrying on the tradition of collecting postcards
A funny story - about 2 years ago now i did some training in london and went and had a meal half way through the week with some relatives. I wrote them a thank-you letter afterwards and they agreed it was really odd to get a letter - like something out of a Dickens novel
Much as i like the internet i hope we don't lose the ability to communicate in other ways - a postcard is much more personal than an email
Love the paintings as well
I must say that most of these paintings you put in this post Lydia, are my favorite kind. Renaisance or whatever...they have always been my favorite to look at in museums. Can't imagine how they could paint so well with so much detail and beautiful color and that special unique style.
Rhi
Color me skeptical, but I don't think there is any way of proving that an old staff belonged to Moses. And the spot where he was found in the bulrushes is suspicious, too. It reminds me of my cruise to the Mediterranean where there are about 4 or 5 houses where Mary was supposed to be living when she died. We visited one and I thought it was a nice stone house, but the provinance came from a nun who thought God sent her there because it was the house where Mary lived.
I do love the paintings, though. Egypt was on the top of my bucket list as I noted in my most recent post.
Woman at a meeting today mentioned she was going to Turkey. "Oh," would you send me a postcard?" the chair asked. Conversation followed about saving postcards and I told them about your weekly post. Thanks, Lydia, and take a rest if needed.
Fireblossom~ Thank you for your morning greeting and your astute observations of the paintings. I roared when I read the line about the WWWW (women in westerns with wired-up wigs!). :)
Phivos~ I am glad you enjoyed it/them. :)
Pixies~ Great story about your thank you note. I sent a birthday card in the mail to my brother this week and realized I know his address by heart. Can't say that for anyone else I know, however, which means I need to increase my hand-written communications - because I agree with you that it is special.
Rhi~ I know! I think some people think that modern society has it all locked up on talent and culture. It's just not true. :)
Darlene~ I am skeptical right there with you. My posting the article was in no way a personal validation of how correct I thought it to be! Nah, most of that stuff can never be proven.
Your post about your travels was so great and I'm sorry you didn't see Egypt. :)
naomi dogen bloom~ Interesting...I was listening to a journalist speak today on NPR about Turkey, etc. It would be fascinating to know what her impressions were upon her return. I really appreciate that you thought of me in that conversation about postcards. :)
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