Exploring the Cary Sheet

kwaw

John 21: Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias.[a] It happened this way:
2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
3 "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
6 He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."
11 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

153 = The sum of the numbers 1-17.

Kwaw
 

kwaw

kwaw said:
It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

153 = The sum of the numbers 1-17.
Click to expand...

Genesis 9:2 וּמוֺרַאֲכֶם וְחִתְּכֶם יִהְיֶה עַל כָּל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וְעַל כָּל-עוֺף הַשָּׁמָיִם בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּרְמֹשׂ הָאֲדָמָה וּבְכָל-דְּגֵי הַיָּם בְּיֶדְכֶם נִתָּנוּ:

וּבְכָל-דְּגֵי: ~ and all the fishes ~

דְּגֵי = Daleth - Gimel - Yud (fishes) = 4 + 3 + 10 = 17

The number 153 is also related to the vesica pisces and the square root of three [and christ is the fish and this is his third appearnance], the arithmetic / geometirc modeliing of which is also to be found in Plato: see here ~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_of_153_fish

Kwaw
 

jmd

I don't think that there is any question that the depiction of a (or many) fish(es) would be appropriate within the image. After all, astrological proximity would be sufficient to justify image juxtaposition (as, for example, "Strength" may depict as Virgo and Leo).

The question is more, in this instance, whether the Cary Sheet Star image actually depicts one (or more) fish.

In this instance, I just personally do not see it as intended fish.

Let's have another look at the details, the three having at various times being called 'fish' captioned with A, B, and C:

cary_sheet_XVII-detail.jpg


If A was intended as a fish, then the leg of the aquarian-figure would not be covering part of its 'tail'. Rather, this lends credence to the intent of the form as cleft on the water's edge. On the other hand, it could be argued that the shape is somewhat incongruous with the platform on which s/he kneels, for which no cleft is expected nor seemingly 'natural'.

B is, to my eyes, more clearly a plant, in the same general form as the other plants on the design.

It is, however, C that is the main detail that is claimed to be a fish-tail. The first thing to be noticed is that it has the same general form as A. The main problem in terms of its claim to be a fish, however, is that there is no additional evidence that it may be so. If 'fish-tail', then it certainly lacks fish-tail detail that one would expect from the artist of the sheet. In fact, I would have, at the very least, expected fins to be apparent, and perhaps a tail that is more distinctly fishy given that it appears on the water's edge where one CAN expect to have cuts at the interface between water and land.

...it would be useful to see if any colouration that was perhaps intended to be applied to the sheet, but that is not to be, I guess!
 

catboxer

After looking at the Cary Sheet until my eyes were sore, I've come to the conclusion that because this is a woodcut, not an etching, and because its images have softened and blurred somewhat with time, it's impossible to tell exactly what some of the details might be.

Or might not be.

For example, the Cary Sheet Bataleur might be holding a Frisbee (or a "Jupiter Platter" as they were known in those days). At the moment he's balancing it on his thumb and forefinger, but he's preparing to grasp it by the edge and give it a toss.
 

firemaiden

Nicely painted, jmd.

Well, I think if you look at the markings in the water that appear to go *behind* the so-called crevice you will have to admit, it cannot be a crevice, and must be a fish. :D I agree with Catboxer that the image is too unclear to say definitively, but if "wishing" for fishes makes it so, then they must be fish.... I think the object jmd identifies as a plant (I know what he really thinks it is, but I'm not saying) - is the most fish-like of all. It has gills and a mouth and fins. The image is consistent with the idea of a river boiling with fish jumping in and out of the water, which certainly recalls the catch of Saint Peter. Moreover as my friend Robert has identified, the kneeling nude in this image is not a woman, but a man... consistent with Aquarius, or even Saint Peter.

As for the two jars pouring water, one very interesting thing Gebellin pointed out, in his bizarre attribution of the Marseille Étoile to the Dog Star Sirius or La Canicule, is the idea that the two flasks pouring water into the stream represent the flooding of the Nile by Isis.
Gebellin said:
The Lady who is below, and is very attentive in this moment to pouring the water from her two vases, is the Sovereign of the skies, Isis, whose beneficence is responsible for the flooding of the Nile, which begins at the rise of Sirius: thus, this rise was the announcement of the flood. It is for this reason the Canicula was dedicated to Isis, who was its symbol, par excellence.
Click to expand...

Aquarius is also seen as the source of all water?

For my opponent Robert, who is surely nursing his wounds in this knock down drag-out contest over details in the Cary Sheet Star, I offer the following conciliatory gesture, that it seems there are several different ways of visualising a boy pouring water in the Aquarius constellation. A google image search shows at least three different configurations. At least one of them shows it as a boy with a very bright star on his shoulder.
AQUARIUS.GIF
 

firemaiden

From a ceiling fresco in the Villa Farnese.
.

aquarius.jpg
 

Umbrae

Dearest Firemaiden...

There's a problem.

Sirius, appears in the constellation Canis Major - not Aquarius.

However Sirius is equated with the flooding of the Nile (pre-Aswaan Dam)...

Egyptians viewed Sirius as a symbol of power and will, inner strength and purpose, and symbolizes one who has unified their higher and lower consciousness.
 

firemaiden

Exactement - and see the interesting point we can retain from from Gebellin's ravings about the Star card being Sirius, is that the pouring of the jugs could represent the flooding of the Nile... must be lots of fish.
 

le pendu

firemaiden

Okaaaaay, well he is at least kneeling...(Oh - I see it is his job to flood the Nile). (But where are his water jugs?)
 
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