Eyes in art Goes Fishing

This striking eye is from a glass bottle in the shape of a Nile tilapia fish. Which will probably be the give away clue that although this eye could be modern, it’s actually ancient, dating from around 1390BCE (Before Common Era). It was found hidden under the floorboards of a house in Egypt and may have been used for cosmetics or prized oils.

The fish the artist chose for this lovely bottle is significant; the tilapia fish hatches and shelters her young in her mouth and so the tilapia was frequently used in amulets as a symbol or renewal and rebirth. I don't know anything about making or blowing glass - so if you do and can add your expertise to our appreciation of this artist's skill, then please comment !

Yesterday’s mention of the beginnings of the British Museum's collections sent me there today and that's where I found this particularly striking eye.
The Museum's site is marvelous; well-organised and with excellent search facilites under the heading Compass. It includes a well-thought out children’s section featuring short slide show ‘tours’ on historical topics ranging from the Trojan Wars and Anglo-Saxon history to thematic approaches such as pattern and time. If you read my post Delighting in Dragons, you’ll remember how Beka was inspired by the book Dragonkeeper. Apparently made for her, there’s a Museum ‘tour’ on dragons featuring art from the Museum collections, drawings by children and stories and myths focusing on dragons. That takes care of our weekend!

As the links to individual pages at the British Museum are very long and don't lend themselves to hyperlinking, here's the link for more convenient virtual gallery going: http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass

Read Aloud: thanks for your positive reactions to my Read Aloud post in It Works For Me Wednesday last week.
As this week’s IWFMW was themed, I’ll be posting my family’s top Read Alouds this coming Wednesday. Gives us time to make sure we don’t leave one out!