I know we already have a thread about the Thing, but I wondered specifically: what would we make of the Thing if we also have to take into account the Other Thing? Both Things are too similar to be a coincidence, but they also have differences.
The two main differences are:
- the little "spike"
- the way it's held
Of course, the way items are held in the VM is always weird and apparently somehow symbolic - perhaps disconnected from the way the item is held in real life. But that does not mean the way items are held must be meaningless (au contraire), and the fact is that these two are held differently.
(In fact, the nymph with the Other Thing is one of the very few examples where an object other than pipes is held in the hand closest to the viewer).
Within the context of spinning, the change of position and hands can be explained: the distaff is held up, while the spindle is held down in the other hand. See for example Thenaud's You are not allowed to view links.
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Login to view.. But there is also a problem here: if one of them has to end in a point, it must be the spindle, since it has to be spun like a top. Putting a spike on the distaff and not the spindle is asking for someone to be poked in the eye.
I was again reminded of the Things when I saw images of the parable of The Wise and Foolish Virgins, a popular motif in manuscript art. The wise virgins have enough oil to keep their lamp burning (up) while the foolish virgins' flames have gone out and their lamps are held down.
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Granted, the shape of the Things is unlike that of oil lamps. But it struck me that the presence or absence of the spike coincides with flame on/off. Selecting the most suitable Virgins for comparison:
Is there anything else that may explain these objects in relation to one another?