the Achilles II Convex Mirror

In All, Mirrors by Arif

The Achilles II convex mirror is a departure of sorts.  I combine the layers of Venetian glass rods over a gold/bronze sunburst frame and then I add red tiger eye and amber glass cabochons and spheres.  The scattering of the spheres adds an unusual and very rich dimension to the design.

I’ve added a nimbus of richly colored , large cabochons.  They seem to float off the frame.

This mirror is about 21 inches in diameter.  It is currently in my studio waiting to be shipped to one of my showrooms.  If you are interested contact me directly.

Jewelry for walls.

The_"Triumph_of_Achilles"_fresco,_in_Corfu_Achilleion

A mural in the Achillion Palace by Franz von Metsch in 1895.  The title is “The Triumph of Achilles”.

Achilles was a hero in Greek mythology and one of the main characters that participated in the Trojan War. He was also the protagonist of Homer’s epic, the Iliad. He was the son of Pelius, king of the Myrmidons, and Thetis, a nymph. Both Zeus and Poseidon were in love with Thetis, however Prometheus warned them of a prophecy that said the son of Thetis  would be greater than his father; so, the two gods decided to withdraw, and Pelius ended up marrying her. When Achilles was born, his mother wanted to make him immortal and thus, dipped him in the river Styx. However, she did not realize that his heel, by which she held him, was not touched by the waters, and so that was the only part of his body that remained mortal.

According to legend, the Trojan War began when the god-king Zeus decided to reduce Earth’s mortal population by arranging a war between the Greeks (Homer calls them the Achaeans) and the Trojans. He did this by meddling in their political and emotional affairs. At Achilles’ parents’ wedding banquet, Zeus invited the prince of Troy, a young man named Paris, to judge a beauty contest between the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Each of the goddesses offered Paris a bribe in exchange for his vote. Aphrodite’s was the most alluring: She promised to give the young prince the most beautiful wife in the world. Unfortunately, the wife in question–Helen, the daughter of Zeus–was already married to someone else: Menelaus, the king of Sparta. At Aphrodite’s urging, Paris went to Sparta, won. This begins a ten year conflict.

In the ninth year, Greek King Agamemnon( king of Troy) robs Achilles of his war prize, a slave woman. Achilles can’t take the dishonor and refuses to fight and the Greeks suffer without him even though they beg him to fight. Only the death of his friend, Patroclus( his lover) rouses him to combat. There he slays Hector, until he is killed by Paris using a poisoned arrow piercing Achilles’ only vulnerable spot, his heel. Paris is killed by Philoctetes. Greek hero Ajax kills himself after he doesn’t get to wear Achilles’ armor. Finally, Odysseus comes up with the trick of the wooden horse. The Trojans take the wooden horse into the city, ignorant of the Greeks inside. At night, the Greeks slip out open the gates for their comrades and sack the city.

Whew, thanks to history.com and Quora.com for the bulk of the above.  Believe me when I say this may be the shortest version of the Trojan War story.