10 Comments

Wow, this is so cool!! I love the artful way you redrew and presented the patterns. It called to mind a lovely day spent making little watercolors of the tiles at the Alhambra (not the same, but similarly engrossing patterns to focus on).

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Oh the Alhambra! ❤️ You will see posts about that at some point!

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Oooo! I look forward to that!

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Apr 13, 2023Liked by Joumana Medlej

So interesting! Thanks. May I inquire about the title of this piece? I don’t quite get it...

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Sure, it means "fear of empty space" and is used to describe artwork where every bit of surface is covered in detail.

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Very cool design. Unfortunate naming, perhaps, but it's not the only phenomenon out there to "suffer" from that. Beautiful examples too. Perhaps this is a typical guy observation, but I dig the guy shaking the huge scorpions. :D (is he a Mongol?)

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I think he may be intended to be. This is Mars, ruler of Scorpio, and the "lesser malefic" – so using a Mongol-looking soldier for the iconography would be spot on, given the terror they inspired. When on his own he's represented holding up a freshly severed head.

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This is so excellent, as always, thankyou. It has sent me back to a book of European illuminated manuscripts to look for the same.

On another note, what / who are the figures holding up large circular frames that enlarge their faces, on image no 2? I have a Chinese bowl with figures drawn exactly like this, and have always wondered what they are.

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Apr 16, 2023·edited Apr 16, 2023Author

They are the Sun and Moon! Are there other figures on your bowl? Because they could be the other planets.

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Ah! Yes! Thanks. I will next see that bowl in 6 weeks when back from the states. I will photograph it for you and see what you can see.

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