Thursday, July 23, 2009

New Pieces inspired by Rosslyn Chapel



This is the most famous of the Greenman Carvings in Rosslyn Chapel. 'Green Men'. These are carvings of human faces with greenery all around them, often growing out of their mouths. They are commonly thought to be a symbol of rebirth or fertility, pre-Christian in origin. In Rosslyn they are found in all areas of the chapel, with one excellent example in the Lady Chapel, between the two middle altars of the east wall. The green men in Rosslyn symbolise the months of the year in progression from East to West in the Chapel. Young faces are seen in the East symbolising Spring and as we progress towards the setting sun in the west the carvings age as in autumn of man's years. There are in excess of 110 carvings of Green men in and around the Chapel.Rosslyn Chapel, originally named the Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew, is a 15th-century church in the village of Roslin, seven miles from Edinburgh in Scotland. The chapel is famous both for its decorative art and its mysterious associations with the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail, and the Freemasons.


We will be selling our new line of Jewelry inspired by Rosslyn Chapel for the first time publicly at the Edinboro Highland Games this weekend. The Greenman figure Jim carved is well known as one of the enchanting and fantastically carved features of Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. I took photos in 2005 and in 2007 of the carvings while in Scotland.

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