S K-B to Dieter Z: I add my praise
...Not only for the reasonable arguments recently posted, but for their
Nabokovian humour and elegance. They admirably confirm your long, valued
exposure to the Master [...] Yet am I the first to report the following
suggestive support for DZ’s “ombriole” derivation [...] from VN’s Russian
translation of “Speak Memory” [his mum is picking mushrooms, (II:3)] ...Clearly,
VN’s “second thoughts” transformed the mundane “mist all around her” into the
magical дымчатого ореола. It’s at least arguable that “aureole” graced a
favoured place in VN’s lexis [...]Further, Joe Lavender’s naughty holograms (is
this the word DJ used for projected 3-dimensional images?) call for the corona
that, my saucy friends tell me, surrounds many a ripe nipple. Only brolly
fetishists would connect ombrioles with umbrellas! Note, en passant, that
“nipple,” like the Latin “aureolus” (from “aureus” = [golden] crown) is also a
diminutive! These diminutives have less to do with size, one hopes, than
as terms of endearment ;=)
JM: The word related to DJ's
information is Lithophanes ( Porcelain impressed with figures
which are made distinct by transmitted light, as in a lamp shade or when hung in
a window. -- Lith`o*phan"ic, a. -- Li*thoph"a*ny, n. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] )
Actually there is a discussion related to them, VN's "Lolithophany" and
even ombrioles (May,2008) posted after D.Johnson's news
about the Blair Museum of Lithophanes [...]
"When the ambient light is extinguished and the
lithophane is back-lit, a beautiful, three-dimensional picture appears in
incredible depth and detail. When you see the actual lithophane at the Blair
Museum, you will see some additional lithophane magic which cannot be seen in a
two dimensional photograph. Due to the three dimensionality of lithophanes, the
perspective will change as you walk past the lithophane. The avenue behind the
fountain actually appears to move."
btw: Would I be one of those "brolly
fetichists" because I connected ombrioles and umbrellas, instead
of lampshades and parasols (umbelas?) or aureolated nipples and
mushrooms?