Joma, the artist ...
For quite some time I worked intensively on the Frontispiece for the first Salon of Theosophy, initiated and set up by Erica Georgiades, and co-hosted by both Lyndon Smith and Taposhri Ganguly. The first session took place on September 7 and it was a great pleasure and honor to be the guest of this first edition of the Salon and to work on the Frontispiece.
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This Frontispiece was inspired by the illustration of a frontispiece created by “A. S.” (I believe the initials of Alexandre Séon). This “historical” Salon took place during various sessions between March 10 and April 10, 1892 and was organized by Sar Mérodack Joséphin Peladan, with as objective to promote artists and to present art as a Grand and Spiritual Mystery:
"Nous sommes peu contre tous, mais les anges sont nôtres.
Nous n'avons point de chefs, mais les vieux maîtres du haut du paradis, nous guideront vers Montsalvat. (...) nous oeuvrerons aux échos des prières, émules, non rivaux, différents, non pas divergents ; car l'artiste est un prêtre, un roi un mage ! car l'art est un mystère, le seul empire véritable, le grand miracle!"
Sar Peladan, Salon de la Rose-Croix, Avril, 1892
Artists like Carlos Schawbe, Jean Delville, Alphonse Osbert, Alexandre Séon, and many others were present at the Salon sessions with their art works.
My Frontispiece was inspired by the main general theme: the Assyrian winged bull with human head, from the statues on the main doors at the palace of Khorsabad city, as well as the main Gothic arch and the winged rose on top of the arch.
Additionally I used other main Symbolistic and Theosophical motifs to further draw my version. The main structure was then framed with a lotus flower motif, having on the top the motto of The Theosophical Society in Sanskrit, Satyan Nasti Paroh Dharma. On top of the arch there is the double triangle, within it the swastika.
The Om symbol is located inside the winged Scarabeus, a symbol of immortality. You can also see the Egyptian cobra Uraeus/Wadget.
On the left-hand side of the arch, the Diagram consists of the Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton, arranged in a Pythagorean Tetractys shape, creating God´s Name and that also is repeated at the bottom center of the entire frame.
On the right-hand side the serpent encircling a T-shape sword. This was one of the first symbols of the Theosophical Society symbols, representing the two capitals TS interlaced.
These two drawings are inside the Ouroboros symbol and also represent the two triangles, one up and the other one down, symbolizing the masculine and feminine, positive and negative aspects of the energy present in the Universe.
Also on the arch, inside a 6-pointed star, the letters of the word SAT (truth), which also appears on H.P.B.’s famous seal ring.
Down in the center, the Egyptian cross ANKH, and on the left the Greek word ALPHA (beginning) and on the right OMEGA (end), representing infinity.
“The First Salon Of Theosophy (The Antechamber) (Rose-Croix Frontispiece)”
“The First Salon Of Theosophy (The Antechamber) (Drawing)
“The First Salon of Theosophy (Final)
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