Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Anonymous, ‘De schynschoone actie-sphinx springt hier zig zelven dood, zo dra als Edipus het vals geheim ontbloot.’ Het Groote Tafereel der Dwaasheid (serietitel) 1720, copper etching on paper, 32,2 x 38,3 cm. This engraving is a cartoon on speculation, personified by the floating man with balloons (air filled pig bladders), illustrating the Dutch term ‘windhandel’…

Photo: Klaas Herman Knol Four sphinxes are lying at the base of the fountain (1806-08) by François Jean Bralle (1750-1832) on the Place de Châtelet. The column, modelled after Egyptian palm colonettes, is made between 1806 and 1808, to memorize several of Napoleon’s sieges under which the Battle of the Pyramids. When it was replaced…

  Twist the sphere around and as a result an enormous snow storm whirls around your miniature city. The cute effect reminds in nothing to the expected epic snow storm that  is supposed to sweep the east coast of the United States. The snow association within the globes is so strong, the desert variant is always…

Ward Brian (), ‘Bowie as sphinx’, 1971, here re-used als illustration by Pictorial Press Retna for: Gilbert, Pat, ‘Best of Bowie: High Anxiety’ in: Mojo. P.33. ‘The Chameleon of Rock, they called him’, a woman memorizes on television, to continue: ‘but that is false. A chameleon fades with its background while David Bowie stood out.…

On the garden site of the Georgen palais or Wallmoden castle, two baroque female sphinxes are guarding the entrance.  They are individually carved from sandstone, each with a different facial expression, and the one with tense claws while the other is more relaxed. The Palais was designed by Master Builder Johann Georg Tänzel (1755-1812) between 1780 and…

‘Egyptian girls’, three colourprint with gold overprint, stamped ‘A Merry Christma’s’, carte postale/weltpostverein. Not a typical winter greet, these two pseudo-egyptian girls with their roses and draperies: the bracelet and details in gold give away the intention, confirmed bu the sphinxsculpture in silhoutte. The stamped message reads: ‘A merry Christmas’, and that is exactly what…

The day I visited the Rotterdam Ro theater’s fabulous interpretation of the fairy tail ‘Puss in Boots’: click here for more Information on the show. Avedon, Richard (1923-2004), ‘If looks can kill, this one will’ 1962, full colour, double page ad for Revlon lipstick and eye shadow, 42,4 x 28,8 cm from Glamour April 1962,…

Lichtenstern, Joseph & David Harari, (Cairo), ‘Sphinx and oriental woman’ 1902-1906, lithograph, 14,2 x 9 cm. Around 1900, the system of sending a post card was a bit different: the back side was only available for the adress, here to Jungfrau Behr in the Wagnerstrasse in Wuerzburg. The post stamp reveals the date, April 14…

Castulo, Jaén (Spain) ‘Helmeted sphinx walking right, star before’ Circa 50 BC. 2,6 cm. (13,40 gr.) Verso: Diademed male head right In Andalusia, in the first Century BC. coins were used, showing a helmetet sphinx, thin wings straight up, in amble on an indicated base line. Above its raised left front paw a star depicted (here…

‘Liebig Company, ‘Le grand sphinx’ from the series ‘Colosses célebres’ 1906, coloured lithography with gold, 11 x 7 cm. Ramses II, the Grand, brings hommage to the sphinx, explains the text. The pyramids suggest a décor for the great Giza sphinx, yet here another creature is depicted: his nose still is intact. But also the…