The Burdened and the Saint, c. 1800 Delft Tile (with Old Corner Restoration) stoneware v ase with an allover pattern of

with an allover pattern of pink faces with white hair and bright red lips

and would guess the function of the fur was to make it easier to hold and pack the pipe in the cold

I picked up this astronomy book especially as it provides a nice guide to the constellations and the chief stars comprising them

who signed it very proudly in gold on green cloth lining-- and justifiably so

but how much juicier and more evocative the "Scratch" makes it

The Burdened and the Saint, c. 1800 Delft Tile (with Old Corner Restoration) stoneware v ase with an allover pattern ofA second Delft tile this week, c. 1800 I believe (I'm not an expert on these, but am learning as I go, with the thickness of the tile, character of the clay, color, and style of decoration all helping to date them) this one making me think a bit of the Mexican ex voto retablos I love so much, with this haloed saint seeming poised to relieve the burden of this young man carrying a very heavy load! A nice one to have around when it all feels too much I