by vic trom
(new york, ny)
Hi.
Is this Grand Central Terminal artwork of grapes or figs?
I’m going to go with grapes – although the leaves are very similar in shape, the fruit is small, and clustered, not single or in twos like figs produce their fruit.
It also distinctly shows tendrils, which are a trait of Vitis, but not Ficus.
In addition, there is evidently some kind of trellis behind the plant, typical of what you would train grapes on.
The central wreath is probably laurel, what we would call Bay leaves, or otherwise known as Laurus nobilis, so named because in Roman times, the emperor and sometimes other notables would wear a crown made of laurel – hence the phrase ‘resting on your laurels’ from the practice of sleeping with a laurel wreath beneath your pillow, in hopes of becoming famous or renowned.
That is really a lovely piece of art; it would be really interesting to find out more about it, what kind of material it’s made of and so on. Please post back if you find out any other interesting facts.
Jacki
