Spirit Fox Enameling By Catherine Crowe

Year:

Medium:

Vitreous Enamel

Size - (USA):

1.5 W x 1.25 H x 0.15 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

3.8 W x 3.2 H x 0.4 D (centimeters)

Theme:

Mythology

Edition:

Original

Artwork ID:

363781

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

Foxes in Celtic mythology are usually quick, cunning, and sneaky, filling much the same position as coyote does in Native myth. In Irish folklore other-wolrdly animals are always white. As red haired animals they were sometimes considered lucky and sometimes unlucky (as were red-haired people). In France, (until forbidden by law in the reign of Louis XIV) baskets containing living foxes were burned on the bonfires on St. John's Day to ward off bad luck. In Asia, the fox represented sexual seductiveness. Japanese legends tell of fox spirits called kitsune that can turn themselves into people and have the powers of deceitful witches. In yet another example of the dualistic nature of animals, however, Japanese mythology also portrays the fox as the messenger of Inari, the god of rice. The ancient Romans regarded foxes as fire demons, perhaps because of their reddish coats, and in Christian mythology, the fox is associated with the devil. This fox is done in a 15th c technique called grisaille where several layers of white enamel pain are fired to achieve depth. It is strung with lapis lazuli and pearl.

Artwork Keywords:   Original Enameling

Materials:   Vitreous Enameling