For ABC Wednesday -- a ceramic clover-leaf near City Hall, with Jerusalem as the CENTER of the world!
(All photos are clickable for enlarging.)
This new 2008 artwork is near City Hall in Safra Square. 
It is too new to be in the Jerusalem guidebooks, but I found this about the old map on which it is based:BÜNTING'S CLOVER-LEAF MAP, 1581
"The whole world in a clover leaf, which is the crest of the city of Hannover, my beloved fatherland." This caption was given by Heinrich Bünting, native of that city, to one of his allegorical maps.
The three continents of the Old World are shown well-divided by the seas, but connected by Jerusalem as the hub of the world because of its religious importance, especially at the time of the European wars of the Reformation.
The blue ocean is titled "The Great Mediterranean Sea of the World"; only the Red Sea is colored red and shown separately.
--from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
England and Scandinavia are way up at the top.
America, the New World, is down in the lower corner. (Trust me.)
I was intent on photographing the ship and the sea monster for fine blogger Sailor Girl of Portugal who loves sailing ships.
The artist is Arman Darian, a leading artist and manufacturer of Armenian Jerusalem ceramics—panels, tiles, vases and other objects of art. Arman Komandarian was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1971.
The woodcut of the 1581 original clover-leaf map by Heinrich Bünting.
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The artist is Arman Darian, a leading artist and manufacturer of Armenian Jerusalem ceramics—panels, tiles, vases and other objects of art. Arman Komandarian was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1971.
More about him at his lovely website.
The woodcut of the 1581 original clover-leaf map by Heinrich Bünting..
I will be posting another modern, but more traditional, Armenian tile work and more about the history of the Armenians in Jerusalem in the near future, God willing. Stay tuned.
Shalom from the center of the world!
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Funny to see how our ancestors saw the world. And how it is different, when each one puts its own country in the middle. It helps understanding why each country has a different point of view on the world and its problems..
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece of artwork! And intriguing history.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. You do have an inquisitive mind.
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful maps. I've seen many old portolans and they can be quite intriguing.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous maps. Isn't it interesting that each of us humans usually think that where we live is the centre of the universe? Love it!
ReplyDeleteInteresting and beautiful! Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteAloha-
Comfort Spiral
These are very interesting tiles, Dina. I’ll be looking forward to reading your future post on the Armenians in Jerusalem. My father had a tile by an Armenian artist, also from Jerusalem I believe, her name was Marie Balian I think – the tile was very elaborate with many arabesques in blue tones.
ReplyDeleteAWSOME, THANK YOU!!!!!
ReplyDelete(I am overloaded with work... HELP!!!)
I must post a reference to this post a.s.a.p.!!!
Kindest regards, from Lisbon!!!!
The maps are beautiful. And it's got a very interesting history too. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI saw on a post about you renewing your Arkansas driver license must be your birthday. I went to day and got mine with a new picture the old one was so bad this one is some better.
ReplyDeletePatsy
Very lovely. That is a view of the world I've not seen before!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your future posts on those fabulous Armenian ceramics!
Thats a really intersting piece of civic art. Would love to see it.
ReplyDeleteThose modern tiles are great! unique colors and paintings!
ReplyDeleteI've been away from home at a writer's workshop and just read your latest posts. Such a pleasure, thanks so much for your blog. It brings me much happiness. Shalom, Alice
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful work of art.I checked Arman's website, very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE< LOVE, LOVE old maps. They tell so much about a people. And these are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHenry Hudson went looking for the Northwest Passage because the maps of the day assumed it would be warmer the farther north he traveled, as it'd be closer to the sun; that proved to be a fatal mistake.
That was a great post about this map. Very interesting and thank you for sharing about it. Beautiful too.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Old maps can be fascinating - it often tell more about the mapmaker and his culture than about the places he put on the maps. A wonder that the ever found anything at all.
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I see the Persepolis in all of them. Go Jerusalem! Go Persepolis! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's so fascinating, thanks for sharing the photos and history!
ReplyDeleteShalom.
ReplyDeleteAwesome map.
What wonderful photographs, with lovely stories behind the artwork in them.
ReplyDeleteAmazing to see a modern piece of art giving such impression of the world.
ReplyDeleteVery wonderful. I learn so much from you. Thank you. I look forward to Wednesdays and having the time to come visit.
ReplyDeleteI may never come to Jerusalem but because of you and your journal I feel as if I at least I am getting a background about this most important city. I never thought about Jerusalem very much until I found you.
Thank you again.
Sherry
Our view of the world does change! These are such interesting clover-leafs and views.
ReplyDeletethe drawings are absolutely magnificent - so colourful
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Dina.
ReplyDeleteThe last picture is the original map from which the artist Arman Darian created the painting of the first picture, isn't it?
This is the reason I started visiting blogs to began with. Seeing contemporary art out in the world that never gets seen in traditional art magazines. From there I started bugging people to give the name of the artist. I had a little trouble with the amount of bloggers demanding copywrite of their photos and yet not extending the same respect to the artist's whose work was the focus of their photo.
ReplyDeletethanks for including the wood block print
Thanks so much, Dina, for pointing me to this delicious post! Sometimes it takes a short while for me to get around to things, but your alerts linger in the back of my mind if I don't get around to them immediately.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you introduce and illustrate your topics... What a beautiful ceramic representation of the original wood carved one. I love this for it's original composition, but also for its strikingly colorful depiction and it's humorous side (not meant that way, I'm sure!).
Very, very interesting!
Thanks again, Dina...
David
PS -- Very grateful!