Paul Bommer’s Salmagundy
Contributing Artist Paul Bommer, celebrated in Spitalfields for his plaque of Huguenot tiles on the Hanbury Hall, has produced this splendid limited edition of large letterpress cards on eclectic subjects in his characteristic graphic style. Click here to buy a set direct from Paul. In Spitalfields, sets are on sale at Townhouse and in Ledbury at Tinsmiths.
Signboards for taverns that existed in Bishopsgate in Shakespeare’s time
An automated oracle, both the Roman poet Virgil and the Medieval monk Friar Bacon had one
Cod Latin Tombs on the Appian Way
Trade card for Johannes van Oosterom’s Coffee-House
Croque Monsieur, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and Croque Madame, the same with an egg on top
Par le bois du Djinn où s’entasse de l’effroi/ Parle et bois du gin ou cent tasses de lait froid (By the woods of the Djinn, where fear abounds/ Talk and drink gin, or a hundred cups of cold milk). Alphonse Allais’ famous holorime in which both lines read the same.
In Bleak House, Miss Flite is a spinster caught up in the unending Jarndyce & Jarndyce lawsuit who keeps songbirds with names reflecting her initial hope and optimism and subsequent disillusionment and madness as the case drags on.
The Green Dragon, a traditional and once common British pub sign, indicating a connection to Wales
Mandragora, the medicinal root resembling a man which let out a fatal scream when dug up
Orion the Hunter with his belt is one of the most discernible constellations of the Winter sky
The Round Table with the Holy Grail, the sword Excalibur, and arms of King Arthur and his knights
Diepzee Schepselen (Deep Sea Creatures), marine beasts, after Adriaen Coenen’s Whale Book, 1585
Images copyright © Paul Bommer
You may also like to take a look at Paul’s other work
Thank you Gentle Author!
Love Paul Bommer’s work! Wonderful to see this array — and be able to (one click!) order the cards. But this American needs to know: What is “cod Latin”?
Lynne Perella – cod Latin means that it is made up to sound like Latin but actually if you read some of the tombs they are telling jokes and saying quite rude things!
For instance, “Semper in excretia solo profundis variat” could be translated as something along the lines of: “The s**t is the same it’s just the depth that changes” or “Same s**t, different day”, you get the idea.
But also its a jumble of Latin words, as schoolboys used to know, meaningless in Latin but having an English meaning when read aloud. We used to say Caesar adsum jam forte, but caix seems just as good. Brutus aderat.
All wonderful but my favourite is Miss Flite’s Birds quite beautiful.
I live close to Tinsmiths so will pay them a visit.
Fascinating set – I love the Miss Flite piece too!
What size are the cards?