Re: The Masks: Chinese art is the oldest art in history. Chines
masks have been used in theater representing the hyperbolic aspect of
man’s nature. They have been used by priests in order to scare away
demons. They have been used to represent gods.
Re: The Lady: She was born in Long Island, New York in 1929. Over the
years she acquired and eclectic array of jewelry … each image I
look at is more beautiful than the one before. She was born to
culture and wealth. She was a skilled horseman (horsewoman? …
horselady? … rider of horses of the female persuasion? … being
politically correct ain’t no easy task … I’m telling you). In any
case … as a child she showed great skill at horsemanship …
horseladyship?..
Re: The Masks: In ancient religions it was often believed that
deities resided in sacred masks and that the wearer of said mask was
possessed by the spirit of the inhabiting god and therefore shared
the psychic identity of that god. Wear the mask of a dragon or a
dragon-god … you are not pretending to be a dragon … you are a
dragon. Wear the mask of a Lion … you are a Lion. Wear the mask of
a Tiger … you are a Tiger. Wear the mask of a Kitten … but I
digress.
Re: The Lady: She attended Vassar. She attended the Sorbonne. She
attended George Washington University. She grew to represent the
epitome of culture and sophistication. Her name is recognized world-
wide. She was instrumental in planning a national cultural center
… later named after her husband and called the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts. She was–of course–Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis.
Re: The Masks: Chinese masks were often placed in temples in order
to prevent intruders from stealing sacred artifacts. This was
obviously before sophisticated central alarm systems … when one
tended to rely rather heavily on the supernatural. Methinks that the
more things change … the more they remain the same. But that’s a
philosophical discussion for another time.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits Graphics … and then click on the link that says: Mask …
where you’ll see an image of the yellow gold Chinese Design Earclips
made for a woman of extreme courage and gallantry and beauty and
intelligence and ethics.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark