Fruit of the Vine
by Sarah Loft
Title
Fruit of the Vine
Artist
Sarah Loft
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The picturesque town of Rudesheim, famous for its wine making, is decorated nearly everywhere with grapes, grapevine, or wine bottle themes. This beautiful crafted metal sign hanging over a street in the old town caught my attention immediately.
Per Wikipedia: Rudesheim am Rhein is a winemaking town in the Rhine Gorge and thereby part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It is officially known as Rudesheim am Rhein, which distinguishes it from Rudesheim an der Nahe.
It is particularly famous for the Rheingauer Riesling white wine. Assmannshausen (a quarter of Rudesheim am Rhein), on the other hand, is the only spot in the Rheingau that grows red wine, and its Assmannshauser Spatburgunder, a Burgundy-type Pinot Noir, is very well regarded.
Rudesheim lies at the foot of the Niederwald on the Rhine's right (east) bank on the southern approach to the Lorelei. The town belongs to the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region and is one of Germany's biggest tourist attractions. Only Cologne Cathedral draws more tourists from other countries. Making the town worth visiting is, not only the wine or even the Old Town itself, but also the picturesque Rheingau landscape together with the romantic Rhine.
The area was settled first by the Celts, then after the turn of the Christian Era by Ubii and later by Mattiaci. In the first century, the Romans pushed forth to the Taunus. In Bingen they built a castrum, and on the other side, near what is now Rudesheim, lay a bridgehead on the way to the Limes.
The Romans were followed by the Alamanni, and along with the Migration Period (Volkerwanderung) came the Franks. Archaeological finds of glass from this time suggest that there was already winegrowing in Rudesheim even then. The town's origin as a Frankish Haufendorf (roughly, "clump village") can still be seen on today's town maps.
Rudesheim had its first documentary mention in 1074. Its livelihood came mainly from winegrowing and shipping, particularly timber rafting.
Note: The watermark will not appear on the print you purchase.
Uploaded
December 5th, 2016
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Comments (22)
Wes Iversen
Such a very cool and elaborate sign...I can see why it caught your eye, Sarah! And you captured and presented it beautifully against that lovely sky! L/F
Felipe Adan Lerma
The beautifully modulaed blues in the background give the sculptured vine work a true sense of peace and ease - wonderful, Sarah (smiles).
William Tasker
Once again, your eye saw the beauty and we get to see into your vision. This is not only wonderful but has a spiritual aspect with the chalice. L/F
Sarah Loft replied:
Thank you, William! I agree about the spiritual aspect and was interested to see the grape vine theme so prominent in the decor of the old church there.
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