Mandrake King
I have long been fascinated by those diminutive personalities known as mandrakes and by the legends that surround them. A member of the Solanaceae family—alongside its magical brothers and sisters, henbane, belladonna and thornapple—the mandrake has been prized by sorcerers for centuries for its many mysterious properties.
The Museum of Witchcraft’s collection offered me my first opportunity to encounter some of these captivating creatures in person. Each possessed a distinct character, and I found them far more seductive than I had anticipated, with their finely formed features and gleaming eyes. It was difficult not to feel that they were alive with a magic entirely their own.
While developing ideas for a piece to contribute to the Museum of Witchcraft’s latest book, I experienced a remarkable dream. In a dark Sussex woodland, a haunting glow drew me towards the water-filled pool of a forgotten stone folly. There, waiting beside the still water, I made the acquaintance of the Mandrake King.
A month later, he appeared once more—this time upon my kitchen table, just as he had in the dream, but fashioned from the dried peels of various fruits. Soon after this welcome encounter, he returned to his woodland realm, but not before his image had been captured for your delectation.
The Museum of Witchcraft’s collection offered me my first opportunity to encounter some of these captivating creatures in person. Each possessed a distinct character, and I found them far more seductive than I had anticipated, with their finely formed features and gleaming eyes. It was difficult not to feel that they were alive with a magic entirely their own.
While developing ideas for a piece to contribute to the Museum of Witchcraft’s latest book, I experienced a remarkable dream. In a dark Sussex woodland, a haunting glow drew me towards the water-filled pool of a forgotten stone folly. There, waiting beside the still water, I made the acquaintance of the Mandrake King.
A month later, he appeared once more—this time upon my kitchen table, just as he had in the dream, but fashioned from the dried peels of various fruits. Soon after this welcome encounter, he returned to his woodland realm, but not before his image had been captured for your delectation.
Mandrake King: orange, lemon, and lime peel and cotton.
All items © Marti Dean. All rights reserved