one of the best things i own is this framed etching of La Gratitude manor in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch. my dad bought it from some poor guy who was actually peddling it door to door. he seemed a bit down on his luck, so pops took it off his hands for something ridiculous like… R350. i don’t really LOVE the etching, but i really like the fact that it’s of a building in stellenbosch (born & raised) – and a place i walk past almost everyday.

what caught my attention most of all was the frame, which is on the verge of falling apart & also super dusty (i don’t want to clean it too much, in case it breaks). it has this faded green velvet inner border & little flowers all around the edges. i’m a tart for ornate frames, you see.

i do think that it’s pretty old, even though i’m sure that the dude who was selling it must have lied his pants off about what it was actually worth. there’s a calendar from 1911-1912 stuck on the back – which is kind of odd, but perhaps some kind of indication of its age.

either way, it’s lovely.