T/Q: The Elagabalus Studies — Fragile Imperial Muslin
T/Q: Elagabalus Study #22 — Crown of Fire & Syrian Gold
The final study in the cycle erupts in incandescent Syrian gold, radiant amber, and blazing crimson. The theatrical spotlight ignites the embroidered robes and rooted mohair crown, projecting a rich stained-glass mosaic of pure defiance across the daybed and rose-strewn floor. A triumphant closing testament to bodily autonomy, outsider beauty, and sovereign dignity refusing to be silenced by antiquity.
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Donation art. 15% split to Breaking Ground in NYC. Miss Kitty's number one mission is to end homelessness.
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The Elagabalus Studies is a 22-part exploratory cycle investigating the fragile intersection of sovereign identity, imperial decadence, and systemic erasure.
Centered on Roman Emperor Elagabalus reclining upon an ivory daybed within the Palatine Palace, the work is executed in the grotesque, vulnerable, hand-stitched doll-sculpture vernacular of East Village pioneer Greer Lankton. The emperor's body—constructed of sewn painted muslin with visible hand-wrought seams, gold-embroidered Syrian silk, layered glass beads, and rooted mohair—embodies a sovereign trans/queer figure who defied Roman gender orthodoxy.
Across 22 distinct chromatic and tonal studies, this series investigates the psychological frequency of light: shifting from high-key solarized Mediterranean glare and Renaissance red-chalk cartoons to deep gothic chiaroscuro, cold Prussian indigos, and blazing Byzantine jewel-tone mosaics.
Each study exists as an authentic, sovereign Edition of 1 on Base, offering patrons an intimate view into the raw studio evolution of the coming monumental cycle.