13 Nov 2009
11 Nov 2009
American Flag
The bookmark from the USA with the American flag.
The flag of the USA consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and The Star-Spangled Banner.
The flag of the USA consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and The Star-Spangled Banner.
10 Nov 2009
Barcelos Cockerel
It's good to have my sister living in Portugal, because I receive Portugese bookmarks:) This one is with the Barcelos cockerel.
The legend of the Barcelos cockerel:
A 13th century legend tells the story of a pilgrim who on his way to Santiago de Compostela stopped in the small town of Barcelos, in Portugal. Here he was wrongly accused of theft, for which the penalty was death by hanging. The pilgrim only had his faith to call upon and he appealed to Our Lady and St James, the patron Saint for Protection, that justice be done. The pilgrim found the Judge that was to decide his faith just as the Judge was about to start eating a roast cockerel for this dinner and the pilgrim pleaded, “ If I am innocent, may that cockerel get up and crow!” The cockerel rose up immediately and crowed loudly. From that moment on the cockerel has become a symbol of faith, justice and good luck. It is also a symbol of Portugal and brightly coloured ceramic cockerels can be found all over the country.
The legend of the Barcelos cockerel:
A 13th century legend tells the story of a pilgrim who on his way to Santiago de Compostela stopped in the small town of Barcelos, in Portugal. Here he was wrongly accused of theft, for which the penalty was death by hanging. The pilgrim only had his faith to call upon and he appealed to Our Lady and St James, the patron Saint for Protection, that justice be done. The pilgrim found the Judge that was to decide his faith just as the Judge was about to start eating a roast cockerel for this dinner and the pilgrim pleaded, “ If I am innocent, may that cockerel get up and crow!” The cockerel rose up immediately and crowed loudly. From that moment on the cockerel has become a symbol of faith, justice and good luck. It is also a symbol of Portugal and brightly coloured ceramic cockerels can be found all over the country.
6 Nov 2009
5 Nov 2009
Girl with a Pearl Earring
This super-duper magnetic bookmark is from the Netherlands.
The painting Girl with a Pearl Earring (Dutch: Het Meisje met de Parel) is one of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's masterworks. The painting is in The Mauritshuis in The Hague. It is sometimes referred to as "the Mona Lisa of the North" or "the Dutch Mona Lisa".
Tracy Chevalier wrote a historical novel, also entitled Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999), fictionalizing the circumstances of the painting's creation. In the novel, Johannes Vermeer becomes close with a servant named Griet, whom he hires as an assistant and has sit for him as a painting model while wearing one of his wife's pearl earrings.
The novel inspired a 2003 film and 2008 play of the same name.
The painting Girl with a Pearl Earring (Dutch: Het Meisje met de Parel) is one of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's masterworks. The painting is in The Mauritshuis in The Hague. It is sometimes referred to as "the Mona Lisa of the North" or "the Dutch Mona Lisa".
Tracy Chevalier wrote a historical novel, also entitled Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999), fictionalizing the circumstances of the painting's creation. In the novel, Johannes Vermeer becomes close with a servant named Griet, whom he hires as an assistant and has sit for him as a painting model while wearing one of his wife's pearl earrings.
The novel inspired a 2003 film and 2008 play of the same name.
2 Nov 2009
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