Had anyone else sent me a skull on Valentines I might have been offended. But the friend who texted knew me well enough to to know I would appreciate the gesture. It had never occurred to me Saint Valentines was a real person like Peter, Paul or Mary.

Years ago with my niece Tessa I stood in line at Bocca della Verità to stick my hand inside the Mouth of Truth but little did I know that next door inside the Basilica di Santa Maria was the skull of Saint Valentines. In a gold reliquary box surrounded by flowers the name Valentine is written in enamel on his forehead. I’m convinced there is a metaphorical message here but I can’t decide what it is. Love is dead? Love never dies? Regardless, Valentine died in the 3rd century in Rome and his feast day was February 14. The patron Saint of Lovers as well as Epileptics #HeShookMeAllNightLong and beekeepers (#lovebites) St Valentine was a legendary Christian martyr whose life seems to be historically based. As most of my romantic endeavors seem to end in martyrdom, I am beginning to understand how we came to associate Mr. V with love. His feast day was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 (it’s taking all my self control to not make an inappropriate joke here) because of the lack of reliable information about him. Unreliable? Wait did I date him? So Legend goes that the Emperor Claudius II was having a hard time getting men to join his military - he believed this was because all the dudes wanted to stay home with their ladies getting laid instead of getting killed in war so he banned all new marriages and engagements in Rome. V thought this was utterly unjust and defied Claudius the Cruel and continued to perform marriages in secret. Claudius became enraged and sentenced V to death, commanding him to renounce his faith or be beaten with clubs and beheaded. V refused and was thrown in jail where he promptly befriended his jailers daughter (and healed her from a bout of blindness). According to legend, before his death he wrote the young girl a letter and signed it “from your Valentine” and older men have been sending valentines to younger girls for centuries.

The rest is history.

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Custom, private 1:1 training sessions ideal for new – and nearly new – antiques specialists who want to fast-track your profitability as an antique dealer.

Our vision is to equip antique dealers with the tools and resources they need to sell antiques and become thought leaders shaping the future of antiques. Our team of experts provide a laser-focused program on how to build an antiques business to complement your knowledge of decorative arts. Successful decorative arts or appraisal programs focus on the study of antiques, their origin and their worth; we teach you the Business of Antiques.

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