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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Which Wizard of Oz Character are You? Turns out... I'm the Tin, Man!



Well, it's not every day you go to an estate sale and find something with your name on it. It was actually just one day many years ago driving through Bethel CT and looking for a sign. This had to be a sign. No, it really just turned out to be a cool way to wrap a gift for my parents. Recently, while visiting my Mom over vacation, turns out the coolness wore off and 8,9, or maybe ten years later she offered it up for the Blog.
Sadly, not unlike my own name, I know very little about the tin. About 6" x 6" it was likely a souvenir of the famous port city in Belgium. "De Roem of Van Antwerpen" translates to "The Celebrity of Antwerp" and the lower text is "Antwerp Hands."  The images are taken from the work of J. Leseul, a painter I can also find nothing about.
If I could find the painter's bio I may be able to put a date on the tin. Though a guess would estimate it around 1950 -1960.  The name, Antwerp has several origins, some based in folklore: the tossing of an evil severed giant's hand - ant (hand) + verpen (throw), or the other meaning - At the Warf. Right now, I'm really more interested in the tin than my lineage.  Anyway, if you can help me with its history, or mine, please leave a message in the comments.

1 comment:

  1. After a fun search, I believe that this was a tin for cookies or candies made in the shape of hands. You can still get them at www.patisserie.be.

    On the sides of the box is the Antwerp coat of arms. The legend of the name of Antwerp, coming from Hantwerpen, relates to Silvius Brabo, a Roman soldier. One source on heraldry says the use of the hands in the coat of arms goes back to 1239.

    I believe that "De Roem Van Antwerpen" might translate alternatively as "The Glory of Antwerp." It was used in the title of a book about the artist Rubens by Williams Camiel in 1896.

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