Guardian Bird of Queen Guinevere’s Relics

Description

The Guardian Birds were made for an exhibition at Glastonbury Abbey in 2017-18. They are double headed eagles who were originally symbolic of protection (before being used as symbols of patriotism by different countries)

My Guardian Birds look after the precious relics that were apparently in abundance in the Abbey during the Medieval ages before the reformation.

The relics I have made are mostly playful analogies, comparing the Catholic tradition of the veneration of relics with modern day trends and culture and of souvenir gifts.

The Guardian Bird of Queen Guinevere’s Relics looks after a tress of Queen Guinevere’s hair. The story goes that when the monks found the tress it turned to dust.

My tress won’t turn to dust although the ribbon might!

(cement structure with gilded wings edges and backs, metal beads, shell rounds, acrylic and glass gemstones, stained glass, hand gilded metal leaf glass, some pieces with gilded celtic designs, millefiori, hand painted eyes, letraset letters on ribbon)

370mm(w) x 450mm (h)