Prayers and Proscinemi

Sometimes one comes across an artwork that is appealing on so many levels without consciously knowing why. When I came across an artwork described as, A Proscinemi for Persephone, at an auction, it strongly appealed to me. Featuring eighteen symbolic tablets, containing references to seed, earth, a pomegranate, and classical Greek inscription, I was curious to learn more.

Procinemi for Demeter in its new home

I knew the secret lay in the title. I had no idea what a Proscinemi was, but I recognised Persephone as the Greek goddess of seasons and vegetation, and queen of the Underworld. The part concerning the seasons and vegetation appealed to me, less so the Underworld. The seasons and vegetation are vital to life at Towerwater.

Then I discovered that Proscinemi is a prayer, or act of adoration or homage offered to the divinity to ask protection, help, or health for oneself or for dear and absent persons. It does not always have to imply a religious concern, but it can also be devotions made for the prosperity of relatives or friends that are far away by remembering them during a visit to some wonderful monument.

Towerwater embodies our monument to creative craftsmanship and the celebration of family and friendship in a place that is special to us.

The symbolism in the artwork reflected what we do at Towerwater. Where we celebrate absent friends and family when they can’t be with us and give thanks when they are able to join us. I decided to bid on the artwork and bring it to Towerwater. I thought, at Towerwater it can appropriately fulfil its symbolic role as a celebration of friends and family in their absence and presence.

On closer inspection, after taking delivery in Wellington, near Cape Town, I discovered that the work needed remounting. We decided to keep the work under wraps and take it directly to framers in Salt River, Cape Town for remounting. I asked that the original information card on the back to be retained on the new backing.

On collecting and finally unwrapping the remounted Joe Tilson etching, I could study the fish moth eaten information card on the back. I discovered that it was a Proscinemi for Demeter and not Persephone, as had been previously indicated. It had been traded by the Joseph Wolpe Gallery in Cape Town some years prior to the Gallery’s closure in 1990, when Joseph decided to take up full-time painting.

Wolpe introduced South Africans to international art through finely chosen works which were exhibited in his gallery, while at the same time showcasing local artists like Stern, Skotnes, Higgs, Page and Gassner. Unknowingly, I had bought an artwork with a very interesting provenance.

Joe Tilson did create a Proscinemi for Persephone, 1981 - confusing the auction house

Joe Tilson (1928 - ) is a British artist and Royal Academian who played a major role in the British Pop Art movement in the 1960s. The Greek themes first appeared in his work following a visit to Greece in 1981. The ‘Proscinimi’ etchings, present the idea of paying homage to the earth and relates to visits to sacred places associated with the gods of ancient times.

The work contains clues to the mythology of the goddess. The image of the hand for instance, symbolises the ancient ritual of laying hands on a sacred site. The image relates to the history of ‘Proskynema', practiced by the Greeks in Egypt. ‘Proskynema’ is where a Pilgrim would leave a votive offering, an inscription, or an image as a trace of their visit to a holy site. Among the tablets presented in the work are references to grain, seed, the earth's fertility, a pomegranate, and the labyrinth. The variously formed ‘tablet' shapes with eyeholes suggest ancient writing tablets from which their inscriptions have long since disappeared.

Proscinemi for Demeter by Joe Tilson, 32/50, 1981

When I realised that the proscinemi was for Demeter, all the references to Demeter in the 18 collage items suddenly made sense. Secretly, I was happy that it was for Demeter and not her daughter, Persephone.

A statue of Demeter at the British Museum, London.

Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. She is the sister of Poseidon and Zeus. I think the Proscinemi for Demeter is a very appropriate addition to Towerwater where harvest, agriculture and the fertility of the earth plays a very important part in our daily lives. And what better way can there be to pay homage to friends and family.