what do you think this guy is carrying?

M

mercyonthesubway

Registered Guest
It's a great handkerchief I couldn't resist acquiring recently. When I bought it, I was convinced the guy was reading something. I've continued to believe he's carrying something to read: a writing tablet? Then I settled down to write a quick blog post about it, looked carefully, and got confused.



What do you think? Canapes? Entertainment system control panel? Any other perspectives would be great. I'm going off to look for comparisons in some old pictures...

Thanks everyone. L
 
It could be candy, but that would make more sense if someone else was to the left in the picture unless we are to imagine they are hiding behind the border. I would say it could also be a book. If you look at it, the item could be open towards us, making us think it was candy, or could the outside of the book where the inside is facing towards him. If this is Chinese or somewhere in the orient, it would not be weird if the part we think is the cover is on the wrong side, because I do believe they would read back to front, right to left = the opposite of English. Or maybe the back is the author's photo LOL. The book is not pointed towards the face because he is pausing a moment to look around or wistfully stare into the distance, dreaming about what was read. Okay, that's a stretch, but I can see that scenario too.
 
I sent ur pic off to someone I think will be able to shed some light on this for you. Will post back as soon as I hear.

I think it is a pop up book! ;)
 
"I can say for sure, it is not a Kindle" haha! This thread is brilliant, I'm really glad I asked! I love the idea of 'Hulu'. I also love 'chocolates'. I think he totally has that 'I've just read the whole of the internet and now I'm a little bored' expression.

Good call, Chris, I think there is a bit of meditation going on. That's why i was leaning towards reader or writer. I think 'poet' might get the air of general distraction. But the squiggliness of the text/writing platform is what's confusing me. One half looks like a few numbers (well, mostly ones) and the other just looks a bit sketchy, although potentially evoking an Arabic script.

Here's the whole hanky design, just a garden setting really:

 
Is he flying on a magic carpet or is it just sort of a stylized skewed perspective and we are looking down through the trees? I wouldn't expect the print to be legible in a print such as this. If it were supposed to be Arabic, then def. a western interpretation because isn't there something against portraying people and living things in certain art forms, and that's why everything is geometric-ly based? The only other "squiggly" writing I know would be Hebrew or the a pictogram language done in really sloppy penmanship. But even in settings such as this, I would think English cursive would be portrayed as squiggly.

Even though a book makes sense, it would be more fun if it were indeed a Kindle or remote or candy.
 
Got a quick reply from my "expert" - he didnt have a lot of time but sent short message. Said scarf was meant to be an "Arabic/Persian" scene. Also said he believes it to be a book that he is reading and that it is Arabic writing. Sounds like you are on right track based upon your last message.

Think he may provide more insight later when he has more time.

Great scarf - so interesting.
 
Could it based on this painting?

arecliningprince.jpg


Detail - A Reclining Prince
Attributed to Aqa Mirak - Tabriz 1530, Vever Collection, Arther M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC.

Here is link to info and you can also see the other part of the pic which matches your scarf.

http://www.spongobongo.com/EKOM63.htm

Better picture:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Gq...nepage&q=A Reclining Prince aqa mirak&f=false

This composition, attributed to the celebrated painter Aqa Mirak, embodies sixteenth-century Persian ideals of beauty and sophistication. The reclining youth is dressed in sumptuous clothing and holds up an open book inscribed with a poem that establishes a literary parallel to his refinement. Written in minute characters, it refers to the legendary beauty of Yusuf, the biblical Joseph, who was considered the ideal man in Islamic mysticism.
 
Quick reply before I keel over for the evening. Interesting that you should both say that about the carpet (and you know I'm obsessed with those: http://vintagevoyager.blogspot.com/2010/03/magic-carpet-ride-flying-above.html) but I think in this case we're looking at the artist copying the kind of open, flattened perspective found in Persian illustrations.

The whole idea of this prohibition against representation in the stuff grouped under Islamic art is a bit of a misunderstanding, actually. I'm not an Islamic art historian, so can't give any kind of lecture on it, but a quick flick through a Persian painting catalogue would show parallels for this kind of thing. I need a better selection of books, though...

*very* glad to hear that someone informed thinks that this could be a book. My doubt over this really makes me remember how dependent we are on familiar visual shorthand to recognize patterns, sketches etc. When something looks a little odd, it can really throw you off.

It's unusual to see attempts to represent Persian or Arabic in these things, especially not on a book. This kind of thing is much more usual (musical instruments, flasks, flowers...) http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmel/505226197/in/pool-365882@N22/

thanks again!
 
you know, I think you've cracked it. From the bits I can see, that sure looks like the same image. :clapping:

And so perfectly shows how that angle that's odd in the handkerchief is derived from a slightly more understandable pose/perspective in the original.

Fan-tastic. (to understand how happy it makes me to find the inspirations for these things, you may need to witness my geekiness: http://vintagevoyager.blogspot.com/2010/04/islamic-art-inspiration-two-takes-on.html)

But that is some seriously brilliant sleuthing. thank you!
 
So welcome. If my friend had not chimed in, I would not have found. He suggested Persian miniatures and that got me on right track. I love solving a mystery and it is RARE (ok never) that I can actually provide help to someone here.

There is a TON of info on the painting - got better results when I added the artist's name to my keyword search.

Have fun!
 
Checked out the book link. *perfect*. And in Washington too, so they may have bought it from a US-based collector - I'll have to snoop around and see where it might have been published earlier (I *think* the handkerchief is 50s or 60s - I really am terrible at knowing how one dates hankies)

I really have to go to sleep now, but you've made me a very happy novelty-print-nerd!
 
Well, to update this morning, Maureen, you led me down a really fascinating rabbit hole with this one. One of the links you posted suggest that this painting, which I have no doubt is the original, is from the Vever collection, which was in storage between about 1943 and 1985. Here's that really interesting story:

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198901/the.lost.treasures.of.henri.vever.htm

This all looks a bit mysterious, but I expect what I should be looking for is a pre-war exhibition catalogue, possibly from the 1930s, which shows a black and white reproduction of this. I reckon something like that might have been in wide enough circulation to be sketched and used for inspiration by a textile designer.

Anyway, here's the resulting blog post. I got so much out of this one little handkerchief by bringing it to this forum first. Many thanks!

http://vintagevoyager.blogspot.com/2010/08/stray-vignettes-my-lengthening-foray.html
 
MADAME GEEKNESS to you

:adore::adore::adore:
I stumbled on your blog and love it. Please title yourself and if I could get you knighted I would. I visited every connection and learned SO MUCH.
~a fan
 
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