Moongold
Jewelr_y,Jewel-ry said:I have just followed a link quoted in an earlier Temperance post in which it says :
'For the ancient Greeks, Temperance was the central virtue of civic life. It represented the restraint of appetite, whether for food, drink, or sex. In classical philosophy, therefore, it stands for the subordination of the physical desires to higher, rational ideals'.
Do you think then, that the rope type belt worn around her waist could be a symbol of this restraint?
J
Some of the earlier versions of Temperance have a simple blue ribbon in the place of this item of clothing to which I think you refer.
Do you notice that it is the same colour as the wings? In the Fournier it is gold, and in the Conver it is a kind of blue-green. It almost seems to be a part of the bodice but I am wondering now about the connection to the Angel's wings through colour.
These small details are interesting aren't they? I never thought I would be spending time puzzling about the bodice of an angel. But here I am, with my magnifying class out
Do you know what this excitement is about? I have just read through Sally Nicholl's account of Temperance and Irene Gad's as well and also that in Meditations on the Tarot and have found so much else there that I missed. Like the flower on the forehead of Temperance and its meaning, and much more.
It is actually like opening an old jewelry box that has been sitting on the mantle piece and discovering many wonderful things that you did not know were there. I noticed when I was doing a reading with RWS yesterday how much more sensitive I am now to small symbols and what they might mean. So this is a very good thing
If you find more about what it means, let us know.
Moongold
