I got to sleep in til 9.30 as there were no workman to wake me on a Sunday morning. I scrambled out of bed put the coffee on showered and swigged half a cup before leaving the studio. The plan was to leave before my brain switched on and gave me options and debates about how best to spend the day. I got to the Louvre just after 10.
Straight for the oriental objects in the Sully wing. Theres always something that can catch you off guard and capture a spark. Today, for me, its the Mesopotamian cylindrical seals. Small beads ranging in size from a half pinky to a thumb, made out of metals, stones, or bone with intricate carvings that if rolled along soft clay create a frieze. I imagined the hands of the maker and the owner that would pin or hang these objects on them to create a signature; their personal mark. such a tiny precious object with so much to spur on the imagination. Theres so many and Id never taken awareness of them before and now, at this moment they’re caught me. After 5 hours of museum trance I head home to investigate further… heres a quote…
The seals' use as personal identification is one of the most fascinating aspects about them to archaeologists and scholars in the present day. Dr. Senta Green, writing on the interest seals hold for modern day scholarship, notes how historians are interested in these artifacts because "the images carved on seals accurately reflect the pervading artistic styles of the day and the particular region of their use. In other words, each seal is a small time capsule of what sorts of motifs and styles were popular during the lifetime of the owner" (2). She also notes, however, that the identity of the owner is of equal interest in that a modern-day historian has the chance to meet someone "in person" who lived over 2,000 years ago. Regarding the iconography of the seals, Green writes, "each character, gesture, and decorative element can be 'read' and reflected back on the owner of the seal, revealing his or her social rank and even sometimes the name of the owner. Although the same iconography found on seals can be found on carved stelae, terra cotta plaques, wall reliefs, and paintings, its most complete compendium exists on the thousands of seals which have survived from antiquity”
I decided to try the line 1 train that was running today to get back…standing room only on a Sunday!! but it wasn’t too much like sardines(italy*)..I got back to the studio, heated up some pastries and put some more coffee on to help me read and contemplate.
I love when museums have objects before words could document their use, where their place in history is uncovered so theres always a little room in the research for story, exaggeration and imagination.
Some of the later imprints showed how that images on the beads were replaced with cuneiform script which is a striking and geometric writing that dates back before Egyptian hieroglyphics.. these tiny object hold so much… my tears are welling up as im reading on them…this is ridiculous.. my emotional state is all but hilarious or hopefully will be in retrospect. I keep humming that horn(?) from ‘age of empires’ (mum bought the game for the kids way back and we were all a bit obsessed.. lol)… Its dark out and I think I’ll crack a wine tonight! and maybe see if thats game online …actually i wont because I know what will happen x x