People: Busted Presidents

All presidents deserve a bust.  If you had to pick only eight…

This set of busts was obtained in Philadelphia where our founding fathers met to bring forth on this continent a new nation.   They are sold in a “USA Presidents Toob,” by Safari Ltd. for about ten dollars.

The likenesses could be better, but you can tell who’s who.  The Big Four from Mt. Rushmore are included:  Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln.

The next four dead presidents in the toob are J. Q. Adams, Jackson, FDR and JFK.   The Andrew Jackson has the hairstyle, but I don’t recognize the face.  All of these busts are helpfully labeled in case you can’t tell J. Adams from J.Q. Adams.

This set of busts has educational as well as decorative value.  Each sculpture is two inches tall.

This collection includes three Democrats, two Democratic-Republicans, two Republicans and one unaffiliated politician.

People: Mean Girls

At the thrift store by the bakery there were quite a few painted portraits.  Here are two of them.  All I know is what is written on the backs.

The woman with top knot is marked Ian Ballantyne and 90/90.  I doubt her name is Ian, so perhaps Ian painted this arresting picture.  Do the numbers mean a class grade?  If so, the teacher could see something in the artwork.  It captures her in a moment of ennui.  Maybe she is bored of posing for a classroom of students.

The lady in red has these markings:  PCT ERIKA CAREY and IAN B and A-.  Also crossed out is: IBallantayneIan…

This painting got a high grade, but not perfect.  It has the starving artist frame made from strips of lattice nailed to the stretcher bars.

Ms. Carey might be the name of the model or the name of the teacher.  This aging blonde stares over your shoulder, and you are about to get an icy blue sneer.  Both of these models have RBF.  They are NOT impressed.

Who is Ian Ballantyne?  Maybe he is someone who makes gifs in China.

http://ianerballantyne.com/

These paintings are in our collection because the artist has talent, even though they could be completer.  The artist has a touch and an eye.

People: Great like Alexander

Bust of Skanderbeg

Artist: unknown, possibly after Odhise Paskali’s 1968 work

Size: 8.5” x 2.25” x 2.25”

Materials:  marble, nylon, plastic, paint

Package marked: Souvenir Tirana-Albania

Value:  $1.91

Acquired:  August 2018

This is a small replica of a bust of George Castriot, aka Skanderbeg, who lived from 1405 to 1468.  He’s known as the Invincible Albanian National Hero and Defender of Western Civilization.  Okay, it’s a tourist souvenir from Tirana, the capital of the Republic of Albania.

There are A LOT of monumental statues all over the world that look like this, some busts, some equestrian.  As far as I can tell, the original Albanian artist was Odhise Paskali (1903-1985).  So the spread of these images might be a 20^th and 21^st century example of Albanian pride.  They appear in Albania, Kosovo, Italy, and in Geneva, London, New York, Brussels, Rome, Budapest, and Rochester Hills, Michigan, etc.*  I wonder how much is in reaction to the issues around the Serbian-Albanian conflicts or the 1999 Kosovo War.

Skanderbeg has a super story.  In 1405, he was born into a noble Albanian family, who were Christian.  When the Ottoman Empire took over, the noble family was required to send sons as a “blood tax.”  The boys entered the Devshirme system, a military school intended to convert Christians to Islamic soldiers.  George converted and rose through the ranks, fighting for the Ottomans.  They named him Leader Alexander, İskender beğ, possibly compared to Alexander the Great.  He became governor of a state.

After twenty years, he and his men deserted the Ottomans (on the battlefield) and converted to Christianity.  He ruled a small area in Northern Albania, and successfully fought the surrounding forces under a red flag with a black eagle.  He was admired for his military expertise, often defeating larger armies.  Skanderbeg is sometimes considered the model of Western resistance to Muslim expansion.  (Another resister was Vlad III Dracula.)

His flag was the double-headed black eagle on red.  It was like his family crest, and came from the earlier Byzantine Empire.  The double-headed eagle could be traced back to the Hittites, and can be a symbol of empire or power.  The current flag of Albania has a similar design.

Bonus flag story from Wikipedia:  “There is an incorrect version of the flag still commonly used by Albanians and officials, most notably used in the 100^th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania [2012] in which the eagles were very noticeably deformed. The flags were ordered from a Chinese company that produced incorrect details. These flags were quickly removed after Independence day, but a few specimens can still be found.” **  [The one behind this bust is not the incorrect version, but it’s not the current official flag either.]

References:  *”SKENDERBEU” today in 12 world metropolises lobbies for Kosovo and Albanians, by Astrit Leka, March 10, 2012, http://www.preshevajone.com/seknderbeu-sot-ne-12-metropole-boterore-lobon-per-kosoven-dhe-shqiptaret/

Wikipedia:  ** “Festë me flamuj të deformuar” (Press release) (in Albanian). Top Channel. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012. Shqipëria po përgatitet të festojë 100-vjetorin e Pavarësisë me simbole të deformuar.

See also:  Skanderbeg, an opera by Vivaldi.  Skanderbeg, a poem by Longfellow.