Wednesday, February 24, 2010

THE BOAT OF STARWHALE/ the goddess Atargatis/ CERAMIC SCULPTURE




                                          
                                               The Boat of Starwhale
                                               2002
                                               by Eric Whollem
                                               oxides on white earthenware with flax cord
                                               Collection of the artist.

                                                     Photo copyright by the artist.

The Iconography of Atargatis

Here we have a sculpture of the Near Eastern Goddess Atargatis,
shown in an imaginative format: sailing her ship, bearing the offering
plate for grain. She was a Goddess of the harvest. She ruled the
Zodiac as Goddess of Fortune. She corresponds to the Empress of
Tarot. Traditionally Atargatis is seen with an eagle on her head.
The boat in this sculpture is loosely based on Phoenician ship
design. Usually Phoenician craft had horses' heads at the bow,
while the stern is designed to look like a fish tail. The sailing
vessels were intended to evoke the seahorse. The horse is
a traditional symbol of the power of the tides.

Atargatis was worshipped in Syria and in Palestine by the
Nabatean peoples originally. The Nabateans were those desert
folk who were related to the Mesopotamian cultures to the east.

Atargatis is related to Derceto, the Starwhale, the mother of Ea,
the Mesopotamian god of wisdom.


THE PHOENICIANS

Phoenicia could be called alternatively Philistia or Palestine.
They developed the first phonetic alphabet, based originally on
Egyptian hieroglyphs. The word, phonetic, derives directly from
the word, Phoenician.

The Phoenicians were a polyglot people, which is to say their
language was an amalgam of a variety of languages. Polyglot
peoples are formed where diverse cultures conmingle. The
Phoenicians were great seafarers, traders, and explorers.



PHOENICIAN EXPLORATIONS
Barry Fell, in his book, America, B.C. gives a good account
of theories of Phoenician contacts in the Americas long before
Columbus or the Vikings.

Phoenicians were known to have explored the coast of Africa
long before other nations in the Mediterranean.

They established the Carthagenian civilization, which nearly
conquered the Roman Empire under General Hannibal, who
led armies with Elephants into Italy.



The Boat of Starwhale
2002
by Eric Whollem
Photo copyright by the artist.


See more of my sculpture
on the video below:

ERIC WHOLLEM                                      

This link will take you to more posts of CERAMIC SCULPTURE:

BELOW ARE A FEW
RELATED
CERAMIC
CREATIONS
(Photos coypyright
by the artist)

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE


ATARGATIS
earth paints on terracotta
Eric Whollem


BOAT OF THE ARGONAUTS
oxides on whilte clay
Eric Whollem

NEREID
oxides on white clay
Eric Whollem



BOAT OF THE GODDESS
The Empire of Amphora
a faux postage stamp
by Eric Whollem

*
Anthropology, mythology, mermaids.

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