At the Bend of the Fray, or Message in a Drinking Vessel

Glass is groovy. Ceramics, too. Plastic fills the oceans blue. 

These bottles are all from the 1800s, the nineteenth century, or thereabouts. One thing we all know is this: they're certainly not from the 21st century, not in the USA, anyway.

It's been eye-popping to see the wide variety of drinking vessels in cultural repositories lately, from hearth and home to the Nasher and Ackland Art Museums at Duke and the University of North Carolina, respectively. What art -- what culture! Things to keep and reuse many a time, not swill like some sugary glop down the gullet and then toss in the trash pile in minutes flat. Slow food, not fast food! Community, sharing and hospitality! Listen to some modern-day Homer or Sappho -- there are tales to sing and tell!

In the case of the above vessel, I don't know what it's for exactly. It could be a funeral urn for all I know. Is that Eros or a Harpy, the Lady or a Flying Tiger? Take your pick and pass the wine, please.


Today's Rune: Joy.