After 73 years, it is now discovered that that entire Mermaid is made of Porcelain see news below click on links for bigger / close-up view
5.5 years ago http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk8/547274066/ with lovely hair http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk8/544880269/ Small clip - 3 years ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0popfFA25c pic also appeared in front cover ‘Mermaid Blues’ in the US http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoaukextra3/6242541989/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Mermaid Protest in the City http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoaukextra4/7567320984/ 2.5 years ago http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk25/4535459849/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Latest – 16.11.12 (Restoration work in progress) http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoaukdirtypanjim8/8190514371/sizes/h/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoaukdirtypanjim8/8190513095/sizes/h/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoaukdirtypanjim8/8191734349/in/photostream Mermaid springs porcelain surprise TOI 17/11/12 Panaji: Standing in the heart of Panaji, and oblivious to all who have rushed past it, has stood an exquisite porcelain statue, the only example of its kind in the state, and perhaps in the world, say artists excited at their find. On Thursday, two art lovers decided to restore the mermaid statue that stands in the garden on the banks of the river Mandovi in Panaji. Believing it to be of marble or perhaps even of cement, cinematographer Shirish Desai and sculptor Ghanashym Anant Chari, were pleasantly surprised to discover the statue was of neither of the two materials but of porcelain. "I used to think it was marble, but when I tapped the statue the sound it gave was not the one you get when you strike against marble. As we were scrapping off the layers of paint I found the statue to be made of porcelain," Chari told TOI on Thursday. "You won't find a statue of this type anywhere else in the world," Desai said, as he and Chari chipped away at the paint that has accumulated over the statue on Thursday evening. "It is made entirely of porcelain and has three joints. The statue has been badly violated. We have found 18 layers of paint over the statue whose original colour is a light cream," Desai added. Desai, based in Mumbai, had been keeping an eye on the mermaid statue over the years and cringing every time he saw a fresh coat of paint on it. "I had been thinking of restoring the statue for a long time. I used to play in this garden as a child and saw how the statue was badly painted over," Desai said. There are few large porcelain statues in the world. The one in Panaji is over 5 feet in length and has stood in the garden for decades being scorched by the sun, drenched by the rain and engulfed by the exhaust fumes of vehicles that whizz past it. So neglected has the statue been, except of course for the occasional coat of paint, that not much is known of its history. "The statue must have been installed sometime between 1939 and 1945 during the period Froilano de Melowas the president of the Camara municipal de Pangim," heritage lover and Panaji resident Percival Noronha said. Goa was then under Portuguese rule and was liberated in 1961. Two other writers of history TOI spoke to were unable to add anything to the limited known history of the statue. Describing the statue Desai said, "It has a Mona Lisa sort of smile and very Greek features." The duo working on the statue's restoration believe it was brought from Europe. "It's a very beautiful work with much detail, even the muscles are typically female," Desai said, as Chari, who crafts images of stone for temples, nodded in agreement. The paint on the statue concealed much of the details that are now being revealed. Chari points out to the mermaid's hair the artists have now exposed. "The hair is kind of wavy but the paint had made the entire hairdo smooth and of one level." About 25% of the restoration work has been completed and Desai and Chari will be working on the statue over the next three days, as they attempt to reveal its original beauty. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Mermaid-springs-porcelain-surprise/articleshow/17250107.cms [email protected] for Goa & NRI related info... http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/GOAN-NRI/ For Goan Video Clips http://youtube.com/joeukgoa In Goa, Dial 1 0 8 For Hospital, Police, Fire etc
