In the West, Friday the Thirteenth is perceived as an unlucky day. It seems that this idea became widely popular in Nineteenth Century France. The earliest written reference to unlucky Friday the Thirteenth is a line in the 1834 play, Les Finesses des Gribouilles: "I was born on a Friday, December 13th 1813, from which come all of my misfortunes." That same year, the Marquis de Salvo wrote in the Revue de Paris about a Sicilian count who had killed his daughter on a Friday the Thirteenth. "It is always Fridays and the number Thirteen which bring bad luck."
In America, it was T. W. Lawson's book, Friday, the Thirteenth (1907), which popularized the superstition on this side of the Atlantic.
In retrospect, some have tried to attribute unlucky thirteen to ancient literature. In the Bible, Jesus and the Twelve Apostles gather for their final Passover supper together. Norse mythology relates a story of Twelve gods gathering for a celebration in Valhalla. Loki, the trickster, was not invited. He crashed the party, as a thirteenth guest and arranged for the much-loved god, Baldr, to be killed. Baldr, who was Thor's brother, was associated with light—also friendliness, gentleness and wisdom. His death plunged the entire world into darkness.
Different cultures view other days as unlucky. Hispanic and Greek cultures avoid Tuesday the Thirteenth. Asians exercise caution with the number four (as it is associated with death). And the Italians are wary of Friday the Seventeenth. Some people—called Paraskevidekatriaphobes—are paralyzed with fear about Friday the Thirteenth. (I'd be paralyzed with fear if Paraskevidekatriaphobia were the password on my computer.)
There is always at least one Friday the Thirteenth in every annual calendar—and as many as three (but no more). Any month with a Friday the Thirteenth must start on a Sunday. And there will be one more Friday the Thirteenth coming this year, in December.
The Late Nineteenth Century Art Nouveau vase, shown above, was made by Ipsen on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. A winged dragon pursues an unwitting horned beetle. This early Art Nouveau piece conveys the time's public fascination with all things prehistoric, creepy and crawly. Such creatures—real or imagined—had a moment in the spotlight, thanks to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published in 1859. Throughout the world, fanciful, exotic animals (insects, amphibians, reptiles and sea life) were featured handsomely in many of the decorative arts. Click on the photo above to learn more about this impressive vase.
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