As Aritokèh had written her final missives on violet paper (violet having been her imperial colour-See View n. Soon it had spread to women and men of the upper classes in general. This practice of sending out deathbed letters to those whom one had lost touch with, but whom one nevertheless wished to communicate with one last time, was then taken up by other members of the imperial court. In the last few weeks before she died, the elderly monarch wrote out letters to a number of people to thank them for the assistance they had given her at different times throughout her long reign. The tradition of taratiga is thought to have begun with the empress Aritokèh. She is reading a letter, the violet paper of which indicates it to be a taratiga (“loon song,” in an allusion to the loon’s habit of calling out at sunset). The elderly woman sitting upright in a corner of the bromatino is wearing an embroidered morning gown known as a saùna. The wallpaper in this bedchamber features a stylized depiction of a coral reef. The latter are entrusted to the city’s most respected artists and range from bold abstract patterns to elaborate genre scenes and landscapes. This can call attention to itself by the richness of its materials-such as silk or satin and gold and silver accents-or by the quality of its designs. The distinguishing feature and decorative focus of wealthy Sensukan homes is always their wallpaper. The room contains only a wooden chest, some sitting cushions, a small table, and a bed/couch known as a bromatino. As is typical of the homes of all Sensukans, rich or poor, the interior is sparsely furnished. The residence is located in the Korkidèh district, as is evident from the yellow-and-green tiled “seashell dome” of the Rimo temple visible through the door opening in the right foreground. We are in the well-appointed bedchamber of an upper-class Sensukan home.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |