Mystery Wall Hanging
Jun. 23rd, 2015 05:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walkitoutSo I got this great email today, with a mystery to be solved! The mystery had language and decorative arts elements.
Here are the pictures that were in the email:
Here is the background: we think the language might be some form of Latin, but would like to know more about the language. The person who asked the question notes that the text repeats and so the assumption was that it was a song or poetry.
Here is what I believe the text of the wall hanging is _from_:
http://www3.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Conditor_alme_siderum
It is from a very old hymn, part of the liturgy.
But I think that the wall hanging itself looks like it was machine made (because the object is in Australia, I haven't seen it -- just those two pictures). And the text in the hanging is neither complete nor, to be entirely honest, accurate.
So: any theories out there on why the text is partial? This hymn in some variations was sung faux bourdon (not _originally_, obvs!), so maybe one of my readers has encountered it sung in a round or round-like way during their time in a choir? Have you ever seen a wall hanging like this? The _oldest_ I can imagine it being would be some sort of late arts-and-crafts 19th century/early 20th century thing, but if anyone has seen any similar looking wall hanging (tapestry, etc.), I'd be curious to know what they've seen and where.
We have what I believe is a definitive answer on the language question, at any rate, but I'm still curious about just what this is and why it came to be (in Australia, no less!).
Here are the pictures that were in the email:
Here is the background: we think the language might be some form of Latin, but would like to know more about the language. The person who asked the question notes that the text repeats and so the assumption was that it was a song or poetry.
Here is what I believe the text of the wall hanging is _from_:
http://www3.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Conditor_alme_siderum
It is from a very old hymn, part of the liturgy.
But I think that the wall hanging itself looks like it was machine made (because the object is in Australia, I haven't seen it -- just those two pictures). And the text in the hanging is neither complete nor, to be entirely honest, accurate.
So: any theories out there on why the text is partial? This hymn in some variations was sung faux bourdon (not _originally_, obvs!), so maybe one of my readers has encountered it sung in a round or round-like way during their time in a choir? Have you ever seen a wall hanging like this? The _oldest_ I can imagine it being would be some sort of late arts-and-crafts 19th century/early 20th century thing, but if anyone has seen any similar looking wall hanging (tapestry, etc.), I'd be curious to know what they've seen and where.
We have what I believe is a definitive answer on the language question, at any rate, but I'm still curious about just what this is and why it came to be (in Australia, no less!).