L'Inconnue

I've been around on the planet so long now that the number of coincidences I encounter seems to be improbably high. (It's not but I know how some people look at the world.).

I bought a(nother) book which brought together graphic images, text and music called "The Legend of L'Inconnue by L. Chopin & JB Frye. The subject matter was new to me but maybe shouldn't have been.

Publisher & ISBN to follow

L'Inconnue is the death mask of a young woman pulled out of the Seine in Paris. Its beauty lies in its unexpected serenity. It is supposedly the most reproduced death mask ever and was to be found in many homes.

One home in which it hung was that of Amund Laerdal (a Norwegian toymaker) and the image became the model for his Resusci Annie. I caught something about this on the tv and it brought back memories of First Aid training (and lots of other training) where I was uncomfortable having to "do" rather than "soak up" stuff. Thank goodness, I don't teach in the way that I was taught to learn.

Four Rooms is a strange TV programme where "dealers" vie to buy works of art and collectable items. What should turn up but the L'Inconnue death mask. The chap wanted over a thousand pounds for it and, for once, I knew he was whistling in the dark. They offered around the £100 mark.