The Shepherdess and the Chimney-Sweep
For this illustration for the front cover of the book, I was inspired by music boxes and snuff boxes from the 19th century.
So, we find out that the Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep are engaged. And that means that there will be a wedding ring.
I decided to create the ring according to the traditions of the Victorian era. And in those days, a fashion arose to express one’s feelings “in the language of precious stones.”
For example, if a man wanted to give a lady a piece of jewelry with the inscription
D-E-A-R-E-S-T, he ordered a ring inlaid with precious stones in the following sequence: a diamond as "D", emerald as "E", amethyst as "A", ruby as "R", and so on. So that the required word is formed from the first letters of the names of the precious stones. My illustration shows exactly a ring like that.
Notice there is a sprig with flowers lying down by the feet of the Shepherdess. And what can such flowers “tell” us? White Heather is intended to describe her state of mind. In the “language of flowers,” this is a dual symbol. On the one hand, it means charm and delight, white color, and on the other, the need for protection. In Europe, White Heather is often used in wedding ceremonies.
Outside the window, we see the red facade of the building. This is the house where Hans Christian Andersen lived in 1834–1838 and wrote his first fairy tales. It is located in Copenhagen at Nyhavn 20.
And on the next page, next to the porcelain figurine of the old Chinaman, I depicted a jar of smelling salts. Since Andersen placed the heroes of his fairy tale on the mirror table, I thought to depict a couple of everyday little things to get a better feel for the era. Do not be afraid of the sharp needle. With its help, the jar of smelling salts was attached to the bodice of the dress. Take a closer look at the ornate metal elements of the jar, and you will see the number 1845. This wonderful fairy tale was written precisely in the year 1845.
By the way, did you notice the mouse, or did it manage to hide from you?
In China and other Asian countries, there is an old belief that lovers are connected by an invisible red thread.
This thread is tied to the ankles of people who are destined to be together. It can stretch or shrink, but it will never break. Time and distance have no power over such a thread, and there are no obstacles to it.
From the history of playing cards...
Did you know that the figures on the cards were not always “two-headed”? Until about the middle of the 19th century, they were depicted at full height.
Notice, that this is a Danish deck of playing cards, so the letter designations may seem unusual. But let's finally turn to the characters. The fact is that card figures are not conventional. They have prototypes!
Queen of Hearts is Judith (in the classic version, this character is depicted with the head of Holofernes). But in order not to be literal, I drew the Death's Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atroposon, on the lady’s fan.
Queen of Spades is the Greek goddess of wisdom and war Athena Pallada.
Queen of Diamonds is Rachel, a Biblical character who was the wife of Jacob.
Queen of Clubs is Lucretia, a legendary noblewoman of ancient Rome.
Jack of Hearts is Etienne de Vignolles (nicknamed La Hire, "Fury"). Advisor to Joan of Arc.
Jack of Spades is Ogier (Ogier) Dane. Cousin of Charlemagne, national hero of Denmark.
Jack of Diamonds is Hector (not the Trojan prince, but Hector de Marais, Knight of the Round Table and half-brother of Lancelot).
Jack of Clubs is Lancelot. One of the greatest Knights of the Round Table.
Welcome to the 19th-century home puppet theater!
Before the performance begins, can anybody name the most famous love story played on a stage?
Of course, this is "Romeo and Juliet". Notice the two ornamental letters in the stained glass windows. "M" stands for Montague and "C" for Capulet. Those are the last names of the heads of two feuding families in Shakespeare's tragedy.
By the way, don't be surprised by the girl's blonde hair. It is known that Shakespeare's work was based on Arthur Brooke's poem "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet", first published in 1562. It says there about Juliet this way: “...with cruel hand, she tare her golden hears.”
Did you notice the inscription “Ei Blot til Lyst”? This phrase is also located above the stage of the Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater) in Copenhagen. Translated from Danish, it means “Not Just for Fun.”
It is a reminder of the significance of a theater that goes far beyond just entertainment.
Please take a look at the right side of the illustration. I left readers a story in a vase, or rather, pictured on it. Andersen writes that Chinaman and the vase were once engaged, so I decided to give her a feminine image. Turning to the symbolism of traditional Chinese painting, I learned that a pair of magpies means news of an imminent wedding. You can see these birds painted on the vase perching on a branch. Even today, this plot is often found on wedding cards in China.
In this illustration, there is a Dutch stove with hand-painted Delft-style tiles. Such stoves were very popular in Europe in the 19th century. I hid 10 fairy tales written by Andersen in the tiles of the stove. Can you guess all of them?
You can check out the answers here.
On the wall, you can see a portrait of Andersen's first lover, Riborg Voigt. The painting on the left depicts a house in Odense, Denmark. It is the birthplace of the author.
Here, the sketch and the final version of the illustration are slightly different. The original idea included an image of a bottle. The design of the neck of the bottle and the fragment of the label with the logo hint at an old bottle of the famous Carlsberg beer. Their first brewery opened in Denmark in the 19th century.
But how did the empty bottle get into the chimney, you ask? It turns out that in Andersen’s time, such a practice as leaving a bottle in a chimney existed. If a chimney sweep had a conflict with the owner of the house, he could leave a chicken egg in the chimney (the effect is quite clear) or an empty bottle (sometimes only the neck). When the wind would get inside the chimney, the inhabitants of the house began to hear ominous howls that were very reminiscent of the screams of ghosts.
Notice the pencil behind our hero's ear.
I also wanted to tell the readers that the cylinder of the chimney sweep's hat was needed not only to protect the head when working inside a chimney. It happened that old bricks could fall on the chimney sweep during cleaning. The cylinder of the hat was acting like a shock absorber. Also, it was used for storing some small things, like little tools and marking pencils.
The following composition is based on a view of Copenhagen from the round tower Rundetårn, the first observatory in Denmark and the oldest operating observatory in Europe.
Let's look at the details. The patinated copper weather vane is "The Little Mermaid". Do you know that this particular character is a symbol of Copenhagen and all of Denmark? In addition, “The Little Mermaid” was Andersen’s favorite fairy tale written in 1837. This year is also indicated on the weather vane.
We move further and notice an umbrella sticking out of the chimney on one of the roofs. Can you guess who it belongs to? Of course, it is Ole Lukoje! A make-believe character who puts people to sleep.
Let's turn our gaze to the sky, and among the scattering of stars, try to find the constellation Capricorn. In Ancient Greece, Capricorn was identified with Pan, the god of forests, fields, and shepherds. He is the prototype of Andersen's Major-general-field-sergeant-commander Billy-goat’s-legs.
According to a legend, fleeing from an angry monster, Pan jumped into the Nile River, and the part of his body that was in the water immediately turned into a fish tail, and the surface half took on the appearance of a goat. In such an exact appearance, he got to heaven.
And the last interesting detail. It is an antique brick with the Petersen Tegl stamp. Petersen Tegl is a Danish brick production plant that was founded in the city of Nybøl Nor in 1791. It is still in operation today.
So, we are at the workshop where a Chinese porcelain figurine is being repaired. Let's take a closer look at the objects around us. We don't need a magnifying glass for this. We will leave it to a curious mouse. Let me just say that this is an English design of a watchmaker’s and jeweler’s magnifying glass from the early 19th century.
And how do you glue a broken porcelain figure? During Andersen's time, Casein glue was actively used in Europe. It was produced both by the factory method and at home using ordinary cottage cheese. It also contained Ammonia (Solutio ammonii caustici) and Lime water (Aqua calcis). The bottles with such labels are standing nearby. You can also see an example of dry casein granules accidentally “spilled out” on the table.
But what is the mouse looking at with such interest? What caught her attention was a rivet with a picture of a rose and the mysterious letters "SR". Sub Rosa was a symbol of silence in ancient Rome. From Latin, this expression is translated as “under the rose” and means “secretly” or “in secret”. For example, a rose was depicted above the table for important negotiations and secret meetings, and subsequently on the bars of the Catholic confession booth.
I wanted to finish the illustrations for this fairy tale with an image of a Danish chimney sweeper's button. You can immediately notice that the thread “displays” the autograph of Hans Christian Andersen. But why a button?
In Denmark, meeting a chimney sweep is believed to bring good luck, and the roots of this belief go back to the distant past. According to one version, the reason is that in the old days, the chimney sweep's broom was made of birch. And the birch tree of pagan times was a symbol of fertility. According to another version, it's all about soot. In popular belief, it was associated with fire and, therefore, warmth. Both were good signs.
In addition, people think that representatives of such a risky profession must have real luck to remain safe and sound. And so that luck does not pass you by, you need to touch it. This is where the custom of touching the buttons on a chimney sweep's uniform arose. And if you manage to tear off the button, then this guarantees the fulfillment of your desire and a successful marriage. At the same time, certain buttons on the uniform are responsible for the fulfillment of specific desires, from making a profit to peace and tranquility. From fun to a happy marriage.
So that my readers don’t have to wander around Copenhagen in search of a careless chimney sweep, I decided to draw this magic button. Feel free to make a wish, and it will certainly come true!