FEAST OR FAMINE

MARTINA NICOLLS Website Martinasblogs Publications Facebook Paris Website Animal Website SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES    MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author   of:  The Paris Residences of James Joyce   (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).  

The most beautiful woman in Paris is holding a tray. She has no name. She stands outside the entrance of a popular restaurant. The beautiful woman is holding an ashtray where smokers stub out their cigarettes before entering the restaurant. She is a bronze woman, a statue. She is probably French art deco or maybe art nouveaux. The restaurant owner bought her in Morocco some years ago, and has no information about her. Perhaps he has forgotten his initial attraction to her and why he bought her. Today she is just an ashtray. He sees her everyday. Every night when the restaurant and bar close, she goes inside where she is safe. The bronze statue is probably a replica of the work of Max Le Verrier (1891-1973). Louis Octave Maxime Le Verrier was born in Neuilly sur Seine where his father was a goldsmith and jeweller. His father wanted Max to become a farmer and disowned him when he practiced drawing and sculpting. When Max was eighteen he went to England and opened an aviati...

On the grounds of Nairobi’s Sankara Hotel are lots of large clay pots. Traditionally, in Kenya the wide-topped clay pots are used to store water, but for the hotel, the authentic pots are strikingly decorative. There is also a display of Kenyan pots and vessels in the Nairobi National Museum, showing the vast range of designs, styles, and sizes.

The Medusa in Medusa’s Gaze: The Extraordinary Journey of the Tazza Farnese (2012) is that of Greek myth, once a beautiful woman punished by Athena who braided snakes into Medusa’s hair rendering her hideous. But the image of Medusa is on one of the most beautiful pieces of art in history. Given the book by Belozerskaya herself, having read one of her previous books, Medici Giraffe (2006), I found this one more fascinating, focusing solely, intently, and deeply on one piece rather than a collection. Russian-born Belozerskaya is an art historian with a number of books to her credit. This book is richly endowed with black and white photographs, but the ones of most intrigue grace the front and back covers – for their detail, colour, exoticism, and ornamentation. These are the colour photographs of the Tazza Farnese – a libation bowl of banded agate, circa first century BC. Libation is the act of pouring liquid as an offering, as in a religious ritual. The 22cm (8.5 inc...