What’s in a Name?

This beautiful crone caught my eye one afternoon while I was attending to business downtown.  Her face was so full of character and life I had to make it the focal point of a painting.  Her mannerisms were slow and graceful, yet she was very alert.  Her eyes focused sharply on whatever drew her attention.

After I completed this painting, I did not want simply entitle it after the elder woman's name.  This painting told an unseen story.  It is the kind of artwork that could appear on the cover of a novel full of emotion and inspiration.

In my desperation for a suitable title, I turned to my young daughter.  She is often with me in my studio space sketching, coloring, and painting.  She has inherited my passion for art and I am proud of her.  "What shall we call this one?", I asked rhetorically; not expecting an answer; after all, she was only seven years old.  How could she possibly understand the sentiments this painting invoked in me?  However, she looked up from her drawing and uttered, "Royal Antique."  I was amazed.  It was as if she had taken a look into my soul, analyzed my feelings for the painting, and summed them up into those two words.

The handsome crone did indeed embody the essence of a majestic matriarch.  This woman could perhaps be a family’s grandmother, or even great grandmother, commanding authority.  She certainly is a person of recent antiquity, someone whose life experiences belong largely to an earlier time.

I asked by daughter why did she choose the name?  She looked at me puzzled, as if her insight into my soul had faded.  She said, "I don’t know."  I laughed aloud.  I then kissed her forehead and said, "Thank you."