The Black Prince of Crecy

During this past summer, my family and I spent a few days in Savannah, Georgia. We love Savannah! With the tall oaks dripping with Spanish moss, square after square of restored mansions and homes, a sense of history and timelessness. While there, one of the many things we did was go to the Telfair Museum of Art. It is a wonderful art museum composed of three diverse sites - the original building, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, a National Historic Landmark building; the Owens-Thomas House, also a National Historic Landmark; and the Jepson Center for the Arts, a contemporary building which houses 20th- and 21st-century art.

As you know, I am a lover of all things art (with the possible exception of most modern art-yuck) and do my utmost to visit an art museum in whatever city I happen to find myself in, should a window of opportunity open. I feel that I have passed this love onto my girls, who also love art museums, especially Lauren. There is such a wonderful feel to an art museum. It is cool and quiet and gives you lots of time to reflect, ponder and think. It smells of ancient things, of people and times long gone. The feeling of history is palatable. I feel a true sense of peace and well being.

We started in the original building, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences. It had many older pieces, many of them pertaining to old Savannah and local artists. Marvelous! At the back of museum, there is a very large room, both in depth, height and breadth. There is a huge dome sitting atop the room. There is such a sense of space in this room. It's walls are filled with very large canvases from various artists and time periods. It was truly breathtaking in scope. But on one wall, hanging between heaven and earth, was a piece that made me stop in my tracks.

The Black Prince of Crecy.

I was absolutely captivated by it! It was huge- 11 feet high by 17 feet long! I was completely drawn into it. You can see for yourself the little picture at the top of the blog post but it in no way does it the justice it deserves. It was a visceral experience for me. I could feel the wind blowing the withers of the horse, the grass on the ground, the clouds in the air, the standard whipping. The blood seeping into the ground, the arrival of the carrion crows and vacant sheen of the horse's eye. It was as though I had just come upon this scene and stood there dumbstruck, unsure what to make of it.

In the middle stood the Black Price of Crecy. What was he thinking? Was he gloating over his vanquished foe, speaking words of victory and cursing the dead. Or was he silent on the field of victory, paying homage to a worthy king, a valiant foe in defeat. Maybe he, as the Black Prince, was just now feeling the weight of kingship slip onto his shoulders as he gazed down at his father, the White King. Feelings of loss, remorse for things unsaid, new-found authority pressing heavy on his breast. Oh, to be there and ask, "What are you thinking, my Liege?" I must have stood there for 20 minutes and gazed and thought and mused.

Sometimes I wish that I had been born in a different era, a time long past where there was a clearer demarcation between right and wrong, a greater sense of nobility and virtue, the greater cause to which we saddle up and march forth to battle. My lovely Lauren, sensing how much I enjoyed this piece and wanting to preserve the moment for posterity's sake, purchased a mouse pad and 2 foot by 3 foot print as a Fathers Day gift for me. I was very surprised and grateful. Deep love expressed in tangible ways. It hangs on the wall in my office. I see it almost every day. Not only does it remind me of that special day last summer but speaks to me of virtue, responsibility and cause. I carry it's spirit with me, one of victory and hope, at great cost.

It reminds me of other battles I fight, in other, higher realms. Spiritual and unseen, it is more real that real life.

A Black Prince in the army of the King of Kings.
Traveler