Saturday, April 11, 2020

The Three Hares AKA Tinners Hares/Rabbits



Happy Easter!
It has been close to two years since my last blog post. I just wanted to share one of my favorite historical and mystical images with you known as... The Three Hares. Sometimes called Tinners Hares/Rabbits. 

It truly has a fascinating history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_hares I will leave the historical telling of it to those who have made a great effort to research it. https://hyperallergic.com/311482/the-mystery-of-the-three-hares-motif/ One of the earliest examples of the image is from the year 581 found in Buddhist cave in China. 


Many years ago I sent photos of it to Linda Master http://miraclechicken.blogspot.com/ asking her if she would be interested in carving it in miniature. We brain stormed it, thinking of how many ways it might be used in 1: 12 scale. I thought of pargeting it to the exterior of a cottage, she had several ideas of her own. There are as many uses in miniature as there ever have been in real life throughout the centuries. I can see it on garden walls, painted on porcelain tiles, sculpted terracotta tile, the list is endless but Linda's specialty is carving wood.

Recently we started talking about the image again. This week I received a 1:12 scale piece from her of it. It is 44 millimeters in diameter a little over an inch and a half.  I wanted it to look like it was  old, possibly an architectural salvage of some sort.  I couldn't have been more pleased with her rendition. She did an absolutely beautiful job. It was carved out of a special piece of pear she had been saving.

How I will use it remains to be seen. It needs just the right setting. I think it will fit in perfectly with the other things I have collected. The Three Hares would make a great name for a tea shop.


Mean time.... I am embroidering the hares it on a denim shirt, using a needle painting technique. I think 3 inches diameter is a good size for over the left breast pocket. What have you found to do while spending so much time at home during this quarantine?