V. 223.5 - High Culture & Boxes

V. 223.5 - High Culture & Boxes
V. 223.5 - High Culture & Boxes

Speaking of high culture, I was at the British Museum earlier this week and found myself drawn to a particular piece from the Islamic collection. It was nothing fancy, just a brass pencase [(18)91 6-23 5] fabricated by the craftsman Mahmud ibn Sunqur, of Iran, around 680 IE/ 1281-2 CE.
The workmanship is remarkably fine gold and silver work over a brass box with designs incorperating the signs of the zodiac, planetary symbols, human representations in the Far Eastern style (Mongol influence?), and a number of more abstract concepts including the swastika, triskelion and unicercal hexagram.
Who was he?
How did he relate to his society?
How did he view himself ?
What diffferences existed between the reality he lived in and the reality he thought he lived in?
I was suddnly struck by the idea that there was a lifteme's work possible *again* in this box.

Mind you there'd be no money in it, so why bother?

V. 223

V. 223 welcomes all and any responses to his work.
Comments may be sent to V223.Kaos@btinternet.com

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