#Cypraea

[porcelaines-des-oceans]

[katerinaaqu]

Calypso the Beautiful Goddess

So after I made my sketch of Odysseus the other day as you can imagine I couldn't help but also add Calypso, the beautiful goddess (or the One with the Divine Look) or Fair-Tressed Goddess of Ogygia! So this is how I imagined her to look like or at least tried to! Hehe!

My first description of hers can be found to my story Survivor's Guilt and Survivor's Duty (Part2):

"Odysseus weakly looked up to see a magnificent woman. She was tall and slender with dark sun-kissed skin and dark hair carefully arranged in braids adorned with gold and seashells which cascaded down her back like a cape. Her face was heart-shaped and completely clear and pore-less; looking more like the magnificence of marble rather than flesh. Her large almond-eyes had the color of rich honey and her lips were full and shaped like a shell. Odysseus was stunned by her beauty and much more by her soothing voice."

My description was massively inspired by the amazing Vanessa Williams who enrolled the role of Calypso in The Odyssey (1997)

Since sources place her isle in various places, including Gozo island in Malta or to the coasts of Tynisia I wanted to enroll this information to the character's design. While I was drawing I also drew massive inspiration by the beautiful face of Aaliya from the Queen of the Damned for this pore-less skin as well as the skintone of hers which I found simply perfect for Calypso.

I wasn't sure how to achieve that beautiful look Vanessa had and incorporate the multiple braids that I imagined for Calypso so I gave her an extra bun and in a way it works given that I imagined Calypso having very long and very rich black hair.

Her makeup was inspired by Egyptian contexts especially the Malachite over the eyes and the khol around them. The rest of it was inspired by the Queen of the Damned as well as my random details. I know I am not very good with blending I know! But I did try to see how her makeup would work. For her lips I also wanted this classic coral/red shade.

For her dress I didn't have something specific in mind. I did have some images of mycenaean dresses as well as some classical egyptian shapes from New Kingdom but I ended up with a more simple design, partially also inspired by the color I make her wear in the second part of my story.

I was thinking about giving her accessories like jewelry but I wasn't confident I would do it properly so I just gave her a piercing to her ear or something similar and just imagine she wears her bracelets or rings for this one! Haha! Anyway drawing hairstles is also not entirely my forte but I am quite satisfied with this one. Could be worse! XD Some of the beads I colored to resemble corals or something but yeah! Hehe I was apso inspired for her seashell by the classical seashell Cypraea

Hope you like it!

My other sketch with Diomedes can also be found here. Again sorry guys ain't very good at drawing and my marker-pen has a very bad tip so it was a bit hard to ink the lines but I enjoyed making that one!

[cosmicanger]

Rossana Orlandi Ile Maurice Low Table in Stone by Francesco Messina for Cypraea

[madamlaydebug]

MONEY: A MADE-MADE CONSTRUCT

DID YOU KNOW? For centuries Cowries (cypraea annulus) were used as money.

Long before our era, these seashells were used as a means of payment, and their possession was a tangible sign of prosperity and power.

They retained this status until the 20th century. All the characteristics that one expects from a coin, the solidity, the manageability, the divisibility, and the fact that it is easily identifiable, are found in these small shells of which the two main species are the Cypraea moneta and Cypraea annulus. Compared to food products, by definition perishable, or to feathers, which could be attacked by vermin, they are easy to handle, are small, and therefore easy to carry (…). They are practical, all the same shape and size, so it was enough to count or weigh them to determine the value of a payment.

They were most often strung in bracelets or necklaces or bundled to form larger units. In the Bengal market, for example, large transactions were carried out using baskets of cowries. Each basket contained approximately 12,000 seashells. The shape of the cowrie also made it a symbol of fertility, which made it all the more palpable in certain people.

The cowrie, found mainly in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, crosses seas and mountains to become one of the most used means of payment by the trading nations of the Old World. It circulated all over Asia, Africa, Oceania, and even here and there in Europe. The oldest traces of the use of this means of payment, represented on bronze objects discovered in China, date back to the 13th century. In the same way, sure ideograms of the Chinese writing evoke cowries when it is a question of representing words with strong economic connotations like “currency,” “money,” “to buy,” “value” ~ngrid Van Damme

[wintercorrybriea2]

Rossana Orlandi Aqua Shelf B in Mirrored Silver by Francesco Messina for Cypraea

[coqsenstock]

Cypraea talpa f. vivida - 45,5 mm, Marquesas Isl.

[bekicot1986keong]

Cypraea Errones Azzurea Cypraeidae Specimen Sea Shell Picture (TS102434-North West Australia - Cape Bosset).jpeg

[personal-reporter]

Romano Battaglia: vivere con serenità

Una delle firme più note del giornalismo italiano, che fu anche un eccellente scrittore… Romano Battaglia nacque  a Marina di Pietrasanta, in provincia di Lucca, il 31 luglio 1933 e a 18 anni cominciò a scrivere per un giornale locale poi, a 23 anni, vinse a Milano un concorso Rai e lavorò in un primo tempo per la radio e per la televisione. Come inviato speciale Battaglia realizzò con Antonio Cifariello un documentario sul lavoro italiano nel mondo, Dalle Ande all’Himalaya e collaborò a programmi culturali e condotto numerose rubriche e rotocalchi televisivi di successo, come Tv 7, Cronache Italiane, TG l’una, A nord a sud e Bell’Italia. Romano fu anche un prolifico scrittore e vincitore di molti premi letterari per le sue opere di poesia e di prosa, come nel caso di Lettere dal domani, vincitore del Premio Bancarellino, da cui sono stati tratti un’opera lirica, un’opera teatrale e un disco. Il romanzo Il paese dei burattini fu finalista alla XVIII edizione del Premio Bancarellino e Il giardino dei pensieri bambini del premio selezione Bancarellino 1979, mentre con Pesce lucente vinse il Premio Internazionale Andersen per la più bella fiaba per ragazzi. Dalla serie di libri iniziata da Battaglia nel 1973 composta da Lettere al direttore, Nuove lettere al direttore, Le più belle lettere al direttore e Ultime lettere al direttore, sono stati tratti spettacoli radiofonici e teatrali. Il romanzo Non mi sono ucciso vinse il Premio Selezione Bancarella nel 1980, con “Storia di settembre vinse il Premio Internazionale Cypraea nel 1991, Cielo chiaro” si  aggiudicò il premio WWF Poseidone nel 1993 e il Premio Selezione Bancarella nel 1994, mentre “La capanna incantata  vinse il premio Un libro per l'estate nel 1996. Oltre ai prestigiosi premi letterari, il giornalista ricevette il 2 giugno 1983, su proposta del Consiglio dei Ministri, l’onorificenza di Commendatore, Cavaliere e Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica per meriti letterari. Dopo essere andato in pensione dalla Rai, Battaglia scrisse per i quotidiani Il Giorno e La Nazione, e collaborato con molte emittenti televisive private, fra cui: Tele Elefante e Rete Versilia, continuando a scrivere libri. Nella vita di Romano ci fu lo spazio per un’altra grande passione, la pittura, infatti per tutta la vita dipinse bovi bianchi. La Versilia, così amata da Battaglia, lo vide legate indissolubilmente il suo nome alla famosa manifestazione della Versiliana che si svolge a Marina di Pietrasanta al Caffè La Versiliana, nella pineta cantata da Gabriele d’Annunzio. Dal 1984 e nei mesi di luglio e agosto, tutti i pomeriggi, Romano ospitò negli Incontri al Caffè della Versiliana le personalità più illustri e i più bei nomi della cultura, della politica e dello spettacolo, dando lustro e notorietà alla riviera toscana. Romano Battaglia morì nella sua città natale il 21 luglio 2012, poco prima del suo compleanno. Read the full article

[herbs-dealer]

Black Cowrie Shells | Cypraea Tigris | Tiger Cowrie | Cowry | Nalla Gavalu | #jayherbs

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[mermaidcove1]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: MAPUTO CHOKER Necklace.

[porcelaines-des-oceans]

Cypraea marginata

[almostarts]

“Ile Maurice” (Mauritius Island) Low coffee table By Cypraea,

Design Francesco Maria Messina,

Lava Stone, Tempered Glass, L115 x W110 x H60 cm

[cosmicanger]

Rossana Orlandi Aqua Shelf B in Mirrored Silver by Francesco Messina for Cypraea

[madamlaydebug]

Did you know...

1300 BC

Cowry shells, a form of currency

Long before our era the cowry shell was used as a means of payment and regarded as a symbol of wealth and power. This monetary usage continued until the 20th century. The two main varieties are the cypreae moneta and the cypraea annulus, and they have all the features we might expect from a currency - durability, convenience, divisibility, as well as being easily identifiable. In comparison with foodstuffs, which are perishable, and feathers, which can be damaged by vermin, cowry shells can withstand frequent handling and are small and easy to transport. As they are nearly always the same shape and size, they could also be counted or simply weighed to determine the value of a payment.

They were accepted in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and even in certain parts of Europe. The oldest traces of their use as a currency can be found on bronze objects unearthed in China, dating back to the 13th century B.C. Meanwhile, the Chinese characters for certain words with a strong economic connotation (e.g. money, coin, buy, value) also resemble cowries.

[ramyeonupdates]

{ #collectors } || source: utkukuley