E.J. Parker

“Mater Dei Aurea 2026” — This has been my hyper-focus for the past three days. I created this golden Virgin Mary grotto from repurposed items found throughout my daily life: clay, paint, broken antique river glass, industrial adhesives, and glossy sealants, all used to produce an aura of beauty, light, and grace. The Theotokos, Mother of God, is said to pray for us mortals, offering herself as a beacon of hope and clemency when the light is dimmed on our path of life and salvation.

4 hours ago | [YT] | 3

E.J. Parker

My latest works. Two oil paintings. “ The Crimson Decent” & “The Golden Hour Gradient “ both are now available in my eBay store, link in bio

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1 day ago | [YT] | 4

E.J. Parker

This exquisite Satsuma plate is a masterclass in the Kinrande (gold brocade) style, produced during the late Meiji to early Taisho period (c. Late 19th Century –1925) by the prestigious Hattori workshop of Yokohama. Artistically, the piece is significant for its dense use of Moriage, a labor-intensive technique where enamel is layered to create a tactile, three-dimensional effect, particularly visible in the scales of the imperial dragon and the radiant, textured halos of the central figures. The composition depicts a celestial assembly of the Rakan (Arhats), the enlightened spiritual guardians of the Buddha's teachings, who are portrayed with highly individualized, craggy features representing deep wisdom and longevity. Central to the symbolism is the dragon emerging from the foaming waves, representing the Rakan's power to tame the primal forces of nature and the mind through spiritual discipline. The inclusion of the Shimazu family crest (the cross within a circle) and the specific Gogyokudo studio seal serves as a historical hallmark of authentic, high-quality export ware that bridged the gap between Japanese traditional craft and the burgeoning Western fascination with Eastern theology during the early 20th century. It’s 12 inches in diameter and has been professionally repaired (see last two photographs)

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2 days ago | [YT] | 12

E.J. Parker

This 1676 Parisian edition of Tacitus’s Annales et Historiae is a significant historical artifact, distinguished by its inclusion of one of the few surviving secular, non-Christian references to Jesus from the classical world. Published by the widow of Claude Thiboust and Pierre Esclassan, the volume is bound in limp vellum, a durable animal-skin parchment that was a standard for portable scholarly texts in the 17th century. The blue "Bibliothèque de la Marine" stamp indicates a provenance linked to the French Naval libraries, which often maintained collections for the education of officers and chaplains.
The intellectual core of this book is found in Book XV, Chapter 44, where Tacitus describes the aftermath of the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. To suppress rumors that he had ordered the city burned, Emperor Nero shifted the blame onto a group "hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace." Tacitus’s account is invaluable to historians because he provides a cold, administrative confirmation of the movement's origin:

"The author of this name, Christ, was put to death by the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius..."

As a Roman senator and historian, Tacitus viewed Christianity as a "deadly superstition," meaning his mention of Christ is free from the theological bias of the Gospels. This makes the book a primary piece of evidence in the study of the historical Jesus, providing an independent Roman perspective that confirms the timing, location, and specific officials involved in the crucifixion. For a collector, this specific page represents the intersection of Roman political history and the documented birth of a world religion.

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5 days ago | [YT] | 10

E.J. Parker

When I stand before Dalí's The Sacrament of the Last Supper, I am immediately struck by its intense, almost crystalline silence. It’s not the chaotic, emotional Last Supper of my art history textbooks; it feels more like a sacred encounter taking place at the very edge of the universe. For me, the power of this painting lies in the way it seems to visualize the impossible: the perfect, mathematical order of creation (symbolized by that massive dodecahedron) merging seamlessly with a moment of deep, personal faith. I feel like an uninvited witness watching the visible world dissolve into something higher.

This masterpiece of "Nuclear Mysticism," which captures that sense of the visible world dissolving into a higher mathematical and spiritual order, was painted by the Spanish Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. He completed the work in 1955, during a period when his art became increasingly focused on the intersection of Catholic theology and modern physics.

5 days ago | [YT] | 5

E.J. Parker

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 9

E.J. Parker

Spending time glueing this 10,000 year old mastodon leg bone back together

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1 month ago | [YT] | 9

E.J. Parker

“Muff-alo" is a tactile intersection of frontier ruggedness and Victorian elegance, reimagining the American bison as a formal specimen of wonder. By encasing the wild, untamed texture of genuine hide within an ornate golden frame, the work evokes the mysterious allure of a 19th-century cabinet of curiosities. It is a compact tribute to the Old West, crafted in the heart of Northeast Ohio, designed to transform a natural fragment into a hauntingly beautiful piece of contemporary folk art. Limited availability in my eBay store, link in bio

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1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 6

E.J. Parker

Ancient Cuyahoga Stone Axe, 1000-6000 years old. Check out my video about this amazing piece of history

1 month ago | [YT] | 5

E.J. Parker

Hi everyone, welcome to my new YouTube Community! Now you can post on my channel, too. To get started, tell me in a post what you'd like to see next on my channel.
Visit my Community: youtube.com/@VintageandClassic/community

1 month ago | [YT] | 4