Changed Blog name and Address

AFTER some deliberation, I have changed the name of this blog from “Life As Art” to “hortus conclusus,” which I feel better represents the nature of this site. “Life as art” seemed a little too general, although I like the idea behind it, that aesthetics should be an integral part of one’s life.  I chose hortus conclusus as the new title because it draws upon multiple layers of history art and symbolism. Hortus conclusus is Latin for ‘enclosed garden,’ and was first writ ten down in the Vulgate translation of the Bible, in that great erotic—and fragrant—poem, the Song of Songs: “Hortus conclusus soror mea, sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus”: An enclosed garden is my sister, my wife, a sealed fountain. In the Middle Ages, my area of research, the hortus conclusus was a popular kind of garden cultivated by many, as well as a powerful symbol of the erotic potential of a virginal woman. I like to think of perfume as a kind of ‘enclosed garden,’ the glass bottle a wall surrounding a garden of delight that is impossible in nature, or a ‘sealed fountain’ that, when opened, releases a spray of luscious liquid.

Since the purpose of this blog is to share my literary and historical perspective on the appreciation of fragrance and its integration into a daily life lived aesthetically, the use of a time-honored symbol of delight and fragrance as a mascot for my musings makes sense, I think.

Thank you for your patience as I hone this blog; like a diamond in the rough, it needs work to become a multifaceted, glittering gem, but I promise you, dear readers, that this will soon become a very fine blog and resource indeed.

a website about the use of spices in the Song of Songs

The Song of Songs in Hebrew and English, with optional audio in Hebrew
The Cloisters Museum's Enclosed Garden Blog