On My Mind: 3-8-20

"Daughters of Pacini, Giovannina and Amazilia" by Karl Bryullov

Giovannina and Amazilia/Amacilia - While looking at art by Karl Bryullov I came across a gorgeous painting of two girls who were the daughters of the Italian composer Giovanni Pacini. Their names were Giovannina, a diminutive of Giovanna, and Amazilia, sometimes called Amacilia. I can't find much on either version, except for a genus of hummingbird called Amazilia, but they're both gorgeous.

Artwork by Iben Sandemose

Iben - I have a soft spot for girls names that end in an N or an O or any other letter that seems to be more common for boys. Scandinavian Iben is no exception. Thought to possibly be a feminine form of the Danish nickname Ib, short for Jakob, it is also associated with the Danish word ibenholt, "ebony". Children's book author and illustrator Iben Sandemose gives it a touch of the whimsical.

Arantzazu - There's this Spanish painter, Arantzazu Martinez, who's work just takes my breath away. And her name does, too. It comes from a place near the town Oñati where there is a Franciscan shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary called "The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu". Arantzazu means "thorn-bush" or more poetically, "place abounding in hawthorn". The legend states that the Virgin Mary appeared to the shepherd Rodrigo de Balanzategui in a thorn-bush, and he cried out "Arantzan zu?" meaning "Thou, among the thorns?".