John Bingley Garland - To Amy Lester Garland--A legacy left in his lifetime for her future examination by her affectionate father - Durenstein! - 1854
How does one "read" such an enigmatic object? We understandably find elements of the grotesque and surreal. But our eyes view it differently from Victorian ones. As Garland's descendants have written,"our family doesn't refer 'the Blood Book;' we refer to it as 'Amy's Gift' and in no way see it as anything other than a precious reminder of the love of family and Our Lord." The first plate contains a short table of contents and the title "Durenstein!" (Dürenstein, the Austrian castle in which Richard the Lionhearted was held captive). The title and the theme of many of the plates relates to the spiritual battles encountered by Christians along the path of life and the "blood" to Christian sacrifice. According to the Garland family, "it is full of symbols of both Human and Non-Human 'Crusaders and Protectors' of God and Christianity and most of the Verses, Quotes, etc are encouraging one to turn to God as our Saviour." Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
Size: 3200px × 2258px
Photo credit: © steeve-x-art / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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