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We pick up the thread as.........
Ted said [with snippage]:
> ...there are scores (or more) of Greene and
> Greene pieces out there...I have been
> approached about buying...[which] have
> never been exhibited or seen by the public...
Ted,
Who knows what treasures small or large people have stashed here and
there? The shadow knows... (And, apparently, Ted).
This is fascinating stuff! Better than soap operas. Wish there could
be an "Antiques Roadshow" dedicated to all the Greene &
Greene stuff to which you refer. It would be great to see for the first
time what dwells in our neighbor's homes. Another teak log, maybe?
Tom - SoCal
* * * * * * *
The spotlight brightens, illuminating scores of individual furniture
pieces placed strategically about the auditorium. They range in size
from desktop accessories, to dining tables and sideboards.
Eileen Left, the show host, stands behind a simple display of what looks
to be a very old, common household apparatus. The camera pans the crowded
auditorium, revealing the scope of furniture and their excited owners
assembled for this first-ever show dedicated to the body of work of
a single architectural firm, the Greene brothers - Charles and Henry
- of Pasadena, CA, in the foot-hills above Los Angeles.
Without a sound, the camera zooms in on the host, and then focuses on
the object before her.
"...and, yes, folks, this is what you've been waiting for! It's
the only surviving example of high bun-galow art applied to a fly swatter!
What a find! Who knew?
"This glorious sample of art for art's sake found the light of
day only last week, when a Greene & Greene admirer noticed its resemblance
to the silky, organic, yet sinuous lines of furniture charac-teristic
of the famous Gamble House in Pasadena. Upon investigation, the work
was attributed to Greene and Greene, specifically Charles Sumner Greene.
Not because of the so-called cloud-lift pattern along the shank of the
handle, not due to the generous number of ebony plugs, not because of
the "tree of life" illustration on the lacework on the business
end of this effective tool, but be-cause of the inscription and initials
found faintly visible on the edge of the handle. The inscription reads,
'Seven flies with one blow,' followed by the initials C. S. G. These
initials, we have come to know, stand for Charles Sumner Greene, the
more artistic of the Greene brothers."
(Eileen angles the swatter for the camera close-up.)
"Notice the long, sculptured Honduras mahogany handle, and the
delicate silk netting, replete with Charles Greene's favorite watercolor
Oak Rose pattern. Undoubtedly inspired during one his nu-merous walks
in the arroyo adjacent to his hilltop home a few blocks from the Gamble
House.
"Let's take a closer look and learn more about this startling discovery.
We have an expert guest to assist us today. Here to provide his own
unique 'lens into the artist' viewpoint is acclaimed archi-tect/author/bon
vivant, Paddy O'Ferncher. Welcome, Paddy."
"Thanks for inviting me, Eileen! I'm pleased-as-punch to have been
selected to describe this unique piece of Greene and Greene 'furniture.'"
"Furniture. That's a good place to start, Paddy. Most viewers know
Greene and Greene through their incomparable architecture, embodied
in the half-dozen or so houses referred to as the 'ulti-mate bungalows'.
"Some viewers may not know that the commission for those houses
included designing exclusive fur-niture, intended not only for a certain
room within the house, but for a specific spot in the room.
"Paddy, when first I picked it up, I was struck by much more than
just the overall pleasing aes-thetic. The feel is, well, sensuous. The
balance - disproportionate but neutral. The Honduras ma-hogany handle
- it's sooo smooth, and fits my dainty hand perfectly. And I just love
the tiny Ebony faux plugs placed so randomly, yet so pleasingly along
the handle. They're adorable! Tell me, Paddy, for which house was this
exquisite fly swatter designed?"
"Sorry to say, Eileen, but that handle is not actually Honduras
mahogany as I heard you say - twice now! You misspoke, and we can't
mislead our viewers, can we? In the interest of historical accu-racy,
and to maintain the sanctity of Charles's unmatched ability to select
the most harmonious ma-terials and features to capture the essence and
simplicity of the arts and crafts movement, I should wish to set the
record straight. It is African mahogany. This species is a member of
the mahogany botanical family Meliaceae. Its botanical name is Entandrophragma
Cylindricum. It is widely used as a substitute for genuine (Honduras)
mahogany in Europe. Made in any other wood species, the swatter would
be useless. Charles was brilliant!"
"Um, thanks, Paddy...I think"
"I like to refer to this as the 'little flyswatter that could.'
First, let's gaze at the overall piece. My prescient eye noted the hue
of the handle. It's unlike any other Greene & Greene creation, known
or unknown. It's sublime, it's...it's recherché!
"...and the handle design itself is unprecedented. As I rotate
it on its secondary axis, we are treated to another aspect of design
heretofore unknown in the entire Greene & Greene body of work -
the rumored bifurcated cloud lift! Through the years rumors of this
persisted, but until to-day, they were just that - rumors. Well, rumors
no more! Ha-ha!!
"And, Eileen, those aren't just 'randomly' placed faux plugs, no!
Sorry again. I guess you weren't been paying attention when we spoke
before the show. It takes the uncommonly educated eye of a true connoisseur
to recognize that the actual placement of every plug was by intention;
Charles's aggressive use of these plugs is the key to the inscription.
The Mickey Mouse, brave little tailor type claim: 'Seven flies with
one blow.'
"Only when you rotate it on its tertiary axis do you recognize
that the plug arrangement replicates the ancient Japanese booby-trap
motif! Eureka!! Brilliant!
"To the ignorant observer, these look to be just plugs. But Charles
knew that this particular plug arrangement does more. It interferes
with a fly's vision, confusing its electrochemical output. Brilliant!"
"Paddy, get a hold of yourself. You're panting! You're sweating!
You're vibrating!"
"As you know, one of the forces underlying the arts and crafts
movement worldwide was disdain for machine-made objects. Within the
movement, and high on the Greene's personal list of imperatives was
to utilize machinery sparingly. They were used only to relieve the craftsperson
from tedium and mind numbing, repetitive work. To the Greenes, there
was a moral importance to honest craftsmanship. This fly swatter is
a sterling example - completely hand made, save the wire form that supports
and shapes the netting. I'll demonstrate how it works so effectively.
"As one approaches the unsuspecting fly, it catches sight of the
plug pattern and is mesmerized. Waving it in this manner..." (Paddy
assumes a semi Tai Chi stance and slowly and deliberately moves the
fly swatter in larger and larger circles, followed by ever-smaller circles.)
"We know that the term 'boxing' means empty-hand combat, but Charles
knew you can't catch flies on the fly with your bare hands! By the way,
what do you call a fly with its wings removed? A run! Ha! Heheheh! Oh,
how I amuse myself!"
"Amusing...," Eileen offers with exasperation.
"Anyway, Charles thought of everything - right down to the last
detail. He foresaw the ultimate frustration of the servants and kitchen
help as they dealt with those pesky Southern California flies and in
brilliant fashion, provided yet another elegant solution. He put into
their hands the most deadly weapon possible against flies, scourge of
the domestic. Brilliant!
"The innate design of the plug pattern, in concert with expert
manipulation of this ancient-weapon-masquerading-as-a-work-of-art, spelled
instant annihilation for the flies. Brilliant! Exceptional!
"By the time you complete the smallest of circles, the fly is rendered
virtually helpless. Simply, it cannot see to navigate, so it lights
on the closest horizontal surface. And with one Rambo-style, kendo wrist-flick,
SPLAT, one less nuisance."
Paddy tears-up and breaks down, falling to one knee. Eileen plucks the
fly swatter from his now limp hand, holds it high above her head, hesitates,
and then delivers a deliberate and purposeful whack on his head, raising
a welt the size of a golf ball. Paddy ends up prostrate on the floor.
Crimson oozes from the wound.
The 100 year-old handle, dry and fragile, shatters upon impact. The
fine-spun netting, weak from thousands of previous successful fly smashings,
was left without strength sufficient to withstand this most vicious
swing. It bursts apart, transforming into a hovering cloud of pastel
cosmic dust. All that remains intact is the machine-made steel wire
that lies glistening on the floor beside Paddy.
Eileen turns and slowly faces the camera; open mouthed, and a blank
look on her face. Instinctively, the stage director dims the lights
and disconnects the microphones. All onlookers stand motionless, staring
as it all goes black.
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