Many moons ago, while on the search for the meaning of life, I visited a woman who had a room filled with hundreds of bottles filled with different colour oils. I was asked various questions to which my response needed to be a selection of the different vials from which she then gave me my “reading”. I remember absolutely nothing else about her prophecies, except to say that she saw, one day in my future, a cornucopia.
During this past year of unseen family & friends; immense loss & grief; of having to dig deep to get through the next day, week, month; of being mindful of a glass half full, not half empty; of remaining open to change and chance; the word cornucopia has stuck as a positive reminder to me of all that I have so much to be grateful for.
Cornucopia – meaning a symbol of plenty, fertility, fortune and abundance; usually consisting of a goats horn overflowing with flowers, fruit and corn. Also described as an abundant supply of good things of a specific kind as in “the exhibition offers a cornucopia of pleasures”.In classical times, the cornucopia (from Latin cornu (horn) and copia (abundance), also called the horn of plenty (a mythical horn able to provide whatever is desired), was a symbol of abundance and nourishment; commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. Baskets or panniers of this horn-shaped form used to hold and carry newly harvested food products were traditionally worn on the back or slung around the torso leaving the harvester’s hands free for picking.
Mythology offers multiple explanations of the origin of the cornucopia. One of the best-known involves the birth of the infant Zeus, and in another myth, the cornucopia was created when Heracles wrestled with the river god Achelous. The cornucopia became the attribute of several Greek and Roman deities, particularly those associated with the harvest, prosperity or spiritual abundance.
In modern depictions, the cornucopia is typically a hollow, horn-shaped wicker basket filled with various kinds of festive fruit and vegetables. In the Northern hemisphere, the cornucopia has become associated with Thanksgiving & the harvest; and is also the name of annual November food and wine celebrations. Cornucopias are also seen in a number of national flags symbolising liberty, plenty and prosperity.
Pieces that represent the theme are exhibited from the following artists:
Aiden Taillard, Bridget Heneck, David Kuijers, Erna Dry, Cath
Duncan, Catherine Brennon, Christa Clark, Gráinne McHugh, Jane Barnes, Janine
Louise, Julie Tugwell, Karla Duterloo, Lee-Ann Ormandy-Becker, Louise Hennigs,
Marion Cross, Sonja Nel, Tanja Truscott and Wendy Potgieter.
The exhibition runs until approximately the end of February 2022.
We’re open every day from 8am til 5pm and you can enjoy a wine tasting and then relax with your favourite South Hill wine. Our restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch Fridays to Mondays.
Sandy King and the South Hill team