Saturday, February 19, 2011

Is that a Diana Ross menorah?

I'm starting to really, really love Nostalgia. Even though the only thing I've bought there (so far) is my fantastic orange clock, whenever I go I see things that I want to buy, or at least can't stop pondering.

Last time I went it was an industrial antique, a set of rusty, corroded doll-head molds:

babydoll head mold (2)

babydoll head mold (1)

I didn't buy it, because it was (and still is, as of today) $1100, but isn't it spectacular? I want to hang it over my bookcase and stare at it, but I also fear that when you stare into the creepy doll heads, the creepy doll heads also stare into you. Still, it's unique, it's striking, and I'm still thinking about it a month later. It's not so much an antique as it is art, but I'm not really in the right income bracket to become a serious art collector. I'm barely a frivolous one.

I went back today with my parents, who are in town, and the doll-head mold was right there in the window. Upon seeing it, they somehow resisted the siren song of rusty factory salvage, and went on to look at other things, so I followed, and that's where I saw something even more strange:

diana ross menorah?

I stared, and it stared back as I wondered, "Is that Diana Ross? Like, 70's disco Diana Ross? Why is her hair made of bubbles? Wait, are those candleholders? Is that a Diana Ross... menorah?"

Now that I have time to study it, several things have occured to me:

1) It's not a menorah. It doesn't have enough candleholders. It does have enough for Kwanzaa, though.

2) That's not Diana Ross. The eyes are wrong. It is a fabulous diva, though. With those huge gold hoops, the big hair, and the good bone structure, there's not really any question.

3) This may not have any religious purpose whatsoever. It has enough candles for kwanzaa, but then who would that lady be? Lady Kwanzaa? It could be for Diwali, I guess, since that doesn't really call for a specific amount of lights, but again, who would that lady be? And Diwali is about small lamps, not candles. I don't know of any other holidays that use lights, so maybe it's just a secular candleholder of some sort.

Unless, you know, disco is now a religion.

2 comments:

Jeannie said...

Please tell me you bought that. We can make up a holiday for it and celebrate at your place every year.

Rod Roscoe said...

I totally agree with Jeannie. That... that... artifact is absolutely worthy of starting a whole *new* holiday.

This holiday should last for several days, and the first night should be celebrated with friends at a Feast of the Flaming Bubble Hair.