The Romans were really into lead. It’s a wonder enough people survived Roman civilization to populate the world, to be brutally honest.
Tag: pottery
Friday
Yeah, so, I’m so glad we know about lead poisoning now because looking back on history, we can sit there and go, “Hey, yeah, you know y’all are poisoning your water/wine supply right? That you’re going to eventually die from drinking tainted liquids?” Hindsight being what it is, and, like, Flint, Michigan being right in front of our faces.
Wednesday
Does anyone else find it disturbing that, with very small differences, drinking vessels haven’t changed in thousands of years? I mean, my coffee mug is basically this dipper on steroids.
Tuesday
While this isn’t as old as some of the other things we’ve seen this week, it’s still pretty damn old and in remarkably good shape for as old as it is. I don’t even understand how some of these items have survived intact, except that they weren’t used – that’s the only explanation.
Sunday
I get the feeling that this cup could be held together with duct tape and still be pretty. It’s already basically held together with super glue and a prayer. And yet, for all my glib sarcasm, it’s still here and it’s old as hell and it’s in pieces, but it’s here.
Monday
This is another example of naturalism mixed with calligraphic elements: the deer, the leaves, the flowers and vines, then the Words. It must be absolutely clear that the Words are the most important parts of the piece, not the other illustrative elements – they merely serve to underscore the rest of the point. The calligraphy is striking and handsome, and clearly meant to be the absolute focal point.
Thursday
I don’t know what that decoration is meant to be, but to me, it resembles a hawk or a falcon. Regardless, it is beautiful in both its simplicity and its ornateness.
Wednesday
This is a more traditional calligraphy-based decoration. Note the lettering that looks like swans and/or camels in its elongated forms.
Tuesday
It’s so rare to have Islamic art with people in it because the Quran talks about how the word is sacred above all else and art should be of the word and so on and so forth, hence the highly stylized ritualistic Islamic art we have today.
Saturday
This particular piece of pottery looks like it’s being wrapped up in vines – and that impression is exactly what was meant to be communicated. The shape is very unsubtle in its execution of the ‘feminine ideal form’, coupled with the natural vibe and the Art Nouveau styling makes it very specific to the time period. It’s that not quite Victorian, not quite Edwardian.