The Norwegian Church

The Norwegian Church in London is just down the road from the Finnish Church in Rotherhithe (and miles from the Swedish Church which is in Edgware Road).

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The British Museum currently has on special exhibition a detailed model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a church built on the site of what is thought to be the place where Jesus was crucified and buried.

The model was made in Bethlehem in the 17th Century.  There is also some information in the exhibition about what you might call the religious souvenirs industry in Israel.

The Afana brothers from Bethlehem, makers and traders of religious souvenirs.

Seven branches of Christianity share the space of the church: Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox.

I was surprised to read that back in 2002 a monk moved his chair from one area to another in the church, which was perceived to be the Coptic area to the Ethiopian area of the church and the reaction of the monks in one of Christianity's most holy sites was to descend into a bit of an orgy of violence involving punches, chairs and even metal bars at the end of which some the monks were so badly injured they required hospital treatment.  In a way, it's quite comforting really to see that people are people no matter where they are or how they are supposed to be acting.

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/julyweb-only/7-29-52.0.html

Infinitas Gracias

The Wellcome Trust currently has an exhibition until 26th February 2012 of Mexican miracle paintings.

These paintings, called ex-votos or retablos are dedicated to saints as a way of showing gratitude for being saved from illness, accidents and other disasters. 

The little guide provided by the gallery describes the retablos as 'humble expressions of thanks for reprieve from the trials of life, they bear witness to a deep-seated faith and a common humanity.'  

The trust has 100 of them on display and I found the collection very moving.

Kota Reliquary Figure

Reliquary figures are figures placed above baskets or other receptacles containing the remains of an ancestor.  The figures act as guardians of the.remains which can be consulted so that the ancestor can use their power to help the living.

Haitian Vodou culture

Haitian vodou is a religious system that combines beliefs of West African vodun, Arawakian religous beliefs and Catholicism.

In Haitian vodou there is a supreme being known as Bondyè who has does not have a personal relationship with his creation - he is too great and powerful.  Below Bondyè are Lwa and people can interact with them.   Lwa are not deities in themselves but manifestations of Bondyè although they have their own distinct characteristics and personalities.

Dolls are used in voudo altars to represent or honour lwa. 

Voodoo Altar for Mamma Wata

Mamma Wata is also know as Yemaya Mother Goddess of the Ocean.

I have taken the following description of Mamma Wata from this website: www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/yemaya.html

"She is the source of all the waters, including the rivers of Western Africa, especially the River Ogun. Her name is a contraction of Yey Omo Eja, which means "Mother Whose Children are the Fish". As all life is thought to have begun in the Sea, all life is held to have begun with Yemaya. She is motherly and strongly protective, and cares deeply for all Her children, comforting them and cleansing them of sorrow. She is said to be able to cure infertility in women, and cowrie shells represent Her wealth. She does not easily lose Her temper, but when angered She can be quite destructive and violent, as the Sea in a storm." 

Yoruba Gelede Mask

According to the British Museum the aim of Gelede is to appease 'the mothers' who control fertility, life and the death of children.  This particular Gelede mask is from Benin

Buddha and the attendants of Buddha

These statues are from (what was at the time) Burma.

Curing masks

These masks from Sri Lanka would have been worn by during healing ceremonies by dancers.

Katsina Dolls

These Katsina (also kachina) dolls were created by Hopi people and these particular ones are from New Mexico. They are designed to teach children about Hopi mythology. I am going to borrow a quote here:

"The central theme of the kachina cult is the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe. Everything has an essence or a life force, and humans must interact with these or fail to survive." Barton, Wright (2008).  

Although the Katsina dolls have religious significance I think that they look brilliant from an artistic point of view and very contemporary.  The image below is from 1894:

Image from Jesse Walter Fewkes (1894) Dolls of the Tusayan Indians

Gope Boards

Gope boards from Papua New Guinea are vessels for spirits to inhabit.