Was it Proust that compared great cathedrals to novels? Or, more likely, his own great novel to great cathedrals? In any case, it's not just the churches of Venice by which one can find oneself overwhelmed with details, images and stories equal to the entire life's work of the greatest and most prolific of the world's novelists, but civic buildings as well. I know that I walk past entire libraries of material--all contained in the facades of a single building, and almost all of which I fail to notice--every time I wander around the city. Here's a character from one such "library" whom I noticed for the first time yesterday, though I'd walked past him I don't know how many times.
I have a feeling, though, that he won't have been overlooked by many attentive others who read this.
What a wonderful photo. Thank you for sharing this image. I love that however much one looks at, and learns about Venice, there is always SO much more to see and to learn.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you like the pic. I sometimes remind myself that perhaps there's always so much more to see and learn about wherever one is in the world, but, well, in Venice you're reminded of this fact with every step and ever glance.
DeleteOh, Siggy, you're right, those details that leave you with a 'crick' in your neck, at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of days (as I was), 154!! :-)
I thought it was the kind of detail you would find, Y, and I wasn't so sure that you hadn't already! But, actually, I think you manage to find even more obscure (& fascinating) details.
Delete154 is really not so bad at all!
A representation of Pride (Superbia), one of the seven deadly sins.
ReplyDeleteHe's a rather impish emblem of (knightly) pride, ain't he?
DeleteHe looks like a boy knight from a children's book. And his horned helmet resembles the headgear of Max from Where The Wild Things Are.
ReplyDeleteImpish is the word, yes:)
Yes, now that you say it, he does remind me of Where the Wild Things Are, and generally of kids' books.
DeleteI'm finishing reading Secret Venice by Thomas Jonglez and Paola Zoffoli. The book describes that figure as wearing a Satanic horned helmet. Satanic, really? Why?
ReplyDeleteThe texts there sometime slip into a very cheap speculations. Like St.Mark's name is close to the word makara "which means exactly crocodile in Sanskrit"".
And Veneti came from the south of Russia. Well, flattering - but untrue.
That's an interesting book. The things you point out above are in keeping with its general inclination toward slightly breathless speculations and its pleasure in playing up the "spooky". A lot of it seems all in fun.
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