Tags
A case for Mulder and Scully?!, Antiques, China, collectables, Curious finds and oddities, duggeryskull, key to the skeleton, Pottery, skully, Stripped down to the bone
As many of you know Esme collects oddities. Sometimes damaged ( outer condition is a terrible way to judge worth), sometimes not, but always old and let’s face it, a bit weird.*
This is Skully. I found him a good twenty years ago in a charity shop and was drawn to how utterly bonkers he was. It isn’t clear if he was meant to be an ashtray, or a trinket dish (for goths or Esme), though he was employed briefly as a teabag holder. Sorry about that Skully, Esme knows better now – looks shady, briefly.
I was looking at him yesterday and recalled never being able to read the stamp on his backside, so thought I’d see if I can put a maker’s name to his bony face. I’ve photographed the stamp as best I can a couple of ways and by eye too, think it says ‘Bourne or Courne of (&) Har……’ I can’t work out the rest and may be wrong about the former. He’s old, but how old I don’t know. There’s a fair amount of cracking to his glaze mind, so I’m thinking pre-1960’s.
Can anyone shed any more light for me? All help most appreciated. Just the time to solve a mystery rather than dwell on current events eh? Get your deerstalker hats on, there’s a virtual plate of sticky buns and tinfoil culottes on offer.
*(Here’s another example, dear old Tom Noddy, another as of yet unsolved mystery! – https://esmeuponthecloud.com/2017/10/31/tom-noddy-do-you-know-anything-of-him/ )
Esme's Cloud 
Possible Bourne pottery. Let me investigate. Ones mother dragged one round charity shops in search of pottery. When she pops off I’m going to need a skip or a market stall to get rid of it all 🤣
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Bourne of Harlsden . They definitely did a skull mug
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You and Joao both came to the same conclusion! Thank you very muchly m’dear!
-Esme handing over half the sticky buns and a leg of tin foil skirty-pants
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I do believe it to be Bourne of Harlesden, Esme. They do seem to have items that would match the design of your little Skully friend. His charm is indubitable, though I do think he looks rather cavernous. Must be the food, these days.
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You and Mantha got it at the same time! How fantastically swift of you both! I like the skull mug, but there aren’t many about, and I’ve never seen another of my Skully anywhere online. Thank you, I’ll be sure to give him cake too.
Esme handing over the other leg of tin foil and half a plate of sticky buns
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I’ve never eaten a sticky bun in my entire life, thus the place, if only halved, is a much welcomed largess.
I do not enjoy memento mori, however. I don’t think it’s a lack of levity or vanity, though I am ample in my confusion between them. My mother is terrified of death; she concealed all figures from our home, prohibited the television, the unvetted books, and forbade us from leaving the home during funerals and processions. In a sense, I do appreciate the poetic nature of her friction with the concept. She thought of a permanent silence; a sort of probe that perscrutates the fall-out debris of half-a-concept too full of its own halfness.
In a sense, death is to me more in a plate of sticky buns than in a skull, and thus I warm to the prospect of being offered more than I do the alabaster of my bones. I know the environs of death, not its form.
What a huge tangent for a mug.
I’m much too uninspired, it would seem.
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You are inspired and inspire just by breathing João, if your beautiful words are anything to go by, and go by them I do. nods.
Interesting that the representation of death bothers her so much, but I understand, quite a few people feel so. Now I am quite the opposite, especially so far as memento mori goes. I like skulls and bones upon things, and once walked the tunnels of the catacombs in Paris, do you know of them? After climbing down the stairs, you come to an entrance that has the declaration ‘ARRETE! C’EST ICI L’EMPIRE DE LA MORT’ I was there . . . hmm . . . 31 years ago, with two friends, and we’d heard there were tunnels under the city, but had no idea they were full of dead people. We didn’t catch on until we saw said declaration, and from thereon in it was quite something. Bones. I mean so, so many bones and skulls, in patterns, stacked up the walls, every conceivable fashion of decoration was employed. We were absolutely gobsmacked the whole way through and then once again when before leaving we saw they were checking people’s bags and the woman in front of us had a skull in her handbag! She wasn’t reported or anything, they just took the skull off her and sent her on her way. (For those people who are curious, do look at some search engine images of the place.) That evening neither of my friends could sleep, they were spooked enormously by it all, whereas I was more thoughtful; all those lives, the joys, the fears, the stories we’ll never know; every single set of bones held such secrets, as shall we one day. I wouldn’t mind having my bones displayed (casts a warning glance at Prof Taboo), but nothing like my skull as a fruit bowl. I have a very old bible I bought that has newspaper clippings of the family and the like in there and secreted away near the back is a lock of someone’s hair. That caused pause for thought too. Our beings are not physical, we ‘are’ and technically could have all manner of parts removed or lost (unfortunate fate) until we were only a brain in a jar (it would be more high-tech than that but shhh) and still we would ‘be’. I say all that yet don’t like anything involving stuffed animals or the like, that is entirely down to the cruel nature that is needed to procure such ‘decorations’. No animal leaves a wish in their will to have their head chopped off, stuffed, and shoved on some rich fool’s wall. Consent is very important. No-one in the catacombs gave their consent mind you, and that too struck me as I walked around the vast place.
And tying in nicely with our mug tangent, there’s a mug you can buy from the gift shop at the following link! The Catacombes of Paris
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Dear Esme and João-Maria,
It seems that this is not so much Scully and Mulder as Skully and Murder.
Let’s take the mug to the Antique Roadshow for expert identification and evaluation!
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Hello there! You know I was thinking of mentioning The Antique’s Roadshow! However I don’t have the mug, rather the flat trinket tray/ashtray affair. It’s rare mind. Perhaps one day I’ll turn up there with a vanful of oddities and boddities and see if anything tickles their fancies. Then again I do like them all, so chances are someone else will be turning the air blue at the collection when I am no more than a bone chandelier.
Esme dancing on the ceiling upon the Cloud
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HaHaHa! You are being witty. “Bibbity bobbity boo”, uttered Cinderella’s godmother.
I would be delighted if you could visit my newest post and submit a comment there, as I am very curious to know what you think or make of it. The post is entitled “Misquotation Pandemic and Disinformation Polemic: Mind Pollution by Viral Falsity” and published at https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2020/12/19/misquotation-pandemic-and-disinformation-polemic-mind-pollution-by-viral-falsity/
Happy New Year to you! May you and João-Maria find 2021 very much to your liking and highly conducive to your learning, writing, thinking and blogging!
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Bear with me, having computer issues and other things going on, I’ll be back to visit and ‘normal’ soon. Just wanted to let you know I’m not ignoring everyone.
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Dear Esme,
There is also another bespoke reply with a special poem composed by SoundEagle for you at https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2020/12/19/misquotation-pandemic-and-disinformation-polemic-mind-pollution-by-viral-falsity/comment-page-1/#comment-13826
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Dear Esme,
If you have been wondering whether SoundEagle has a fun and fanciful side, then wait no further. All you need is A high-resolution, large screen and adequately powerful computer for achieving full experience and multisensory enjoyment in the post entitled “🎴 If My Name Were Moon Tonight… 🌛🌝🎑🈷 with Clair de Lune 🌕”, where I hope that you will snap up the good chance to watch my dynamic animation produced in high resolution (1920 x 1280) at http://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/if-my-name-were-moon-tonight-with-clair-de-lune/
Switch the video playback to full-screen mode. The animation starts calmly and will gradually climax. The post also comes with my rhyming poem and musical performance. Please enjoy the animation on the big high-resolution screen of your desktop or laptop computer.
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That’s amazing. Music come to life! And such a beautiful piece to animate. Congratulations sir, I think it a wonder! I’ve just tweeted it out too.
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Dear Esme Cloud,
Thank you for your feedback and compliment. I am delighted to read your comment here. Given that your comment also pertains to my said post, I would really appreciate it if you could kindly submit your excellent comment to the comment section in my said post too.
You can simply copy and paste your previous comment and perhaps add more if you have something extra to say. Thank you in anticipation.
Your comment will be a fitting token of your appreciation of the special dynamic animation, and your affinity for its animated story.
Keep dancing across the sky upon notes where SoundEagle flies. . . . .
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Dear Esme,
I am pleased to inform you that there is a bespoke reply awaiting you at https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/if-my-name-were-moon-tonight-with-clair-de-lune/comment-page-1/#comment-13827
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Your Skully should be quite cut loose
From thoughts of his “intended” use.
An ashtray, that’s my own best guess,
but disregard it nonetheless.
His skullish form, evoking death
Would suit a habit worse than meth;
Yet now he might serve worthily
For holding noble bags of tea.
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Marvellous stuff Infidel! Hahahahahaha. Noble bags of tea. nods You’ve tickled me there.
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Me have no idea. But I like skully
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You have excellent taste Mak. beams
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