I was in NYC this past New Year’s and got to see this awesome exhibit put on by the National Jewelry Institute, “Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry: Exquisite Objects from the Cradle of Civilization.” I had to snap a no-flash pic of this amazing Iranian gold armlet from 1030 CE. It’s granulation overload! There are so many things I want to know about this: How much does it weigh? What stones used to sit in those bezels? Who wore it? How long did it take to make? What kind of person was the artist who made this? Was this their final masterpiece, the piece they were most proud of? As a maker of tangible artifacts, I’m impressed with the gravity that something I make with my hands may still be around 1,000 years from now. Yet how much of me, the artist, will still be Googleable in the next millenium? What we leave behind in metal—of a quality high enough to escape the melting pot—is likely the only record we can hope for. Someday, decades from now, I’ll have a piece that stands that chance and I’ll remember to sign it “This is my very best.” Til then, this true masterpiece is still on view at the Field Museum of Chicago through July 5, 2009.
1 Comment
June 16, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Holy wow, that’s amazing. My arms/ eyes/ attention span kind of ache, though, at the thought of fabricating that. Do you think it was done in a furnace?
And I think you should sign your work “this is my very best.” That’s so sweet and awesome.