Today is the First Day of Autumn. More specifically, it is the Autumnal Equinox. "Equinox" means "Equal Night." During an Equinox, the night and day are (roughly) of equal length. As we all know, the Earth rotates upon a central axis which tilts toward and away from the Sun (with the seasons). On the Equinox, the Earth's axis is perfectly aligned with the Sun—which places the Sun directly over the Equator. Today's Equinox (at precisely 8:43 am) marks the start of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
In the Northern Hemisphere, each day's length of sunlight has been getting shorter since the Summer Solstice of June 20th. Now, after the Autumnal Equinox, each day will have longer nights than days. This replacement of light with darkness will continue until the Winter Solstice, at which time the trend will reverse—and the days will start to lengthen.
It's a never-ending cycle of seasons—thanks to the Earth's "wobble" as it rotates around the Sun.
The vase shown above, made in England in the Thirties, once spun on a ceramicist's wheel. It was hand-thrown by potter Edward Thomas Radford for Pilkington Royal Lancastrian. One can still see the soft ribs of the artist's finger marks around the body of the piece. It was glazed with a speckled orange-yellow glaze, topped with an organic, dripping caramel glaze. This vase, despite its autumnal colors, is still reminiscent of the Early Autumn sun. Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248