It has a medieval quality that reminds me of the whimsicalness of the decoration on some period torture devices. It also shares some similarity to Tantric Buddhist skulls (kapala). Overall it’s a really great prop and being actually made of metal just adds to the piece. Since the cap seems to open on this prop, it could be a reliquary as well. Literally, a Relic of the Machine Age. One would consider making a whole installation with a wiring diagram illuminated manuscript along the line of a post apocalyptic altar as in the book A Canticle for Leibowitz (an old favorite of mine).
The famous “Fool’s Head” helm of Henry VIII: http://benedante.blogspot.com/2014/01/helmets-and-shields-of-renaissance.html
A torture device called a brank for people who talk too much: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scold%27s_bridle
It also makes me think of Tic-Toc of OZ and that makes me smile.
@CoastConFan Ooh, now I like the idea of an illuminated manuscript as a wiring diagram. And with some of those conductive inks, you could actually have light-up artifacts if they were set on the proper markings...
Well, it´s not really medieval quality, because it was cast in iron. But casting iron was a highly unusual way of metalwork until a comparably short time ago (ok, there are old examples of cast iron in China for example...). For casted metal sculptures bronze was the usually used alloy, for some objects tin, lead, silver and for small ones gold of course too. The problem with cast iron is that it requires extremely high temperatures, and furthermore the mechanical qualities of cast iron aren´t very good too, because of the high content of carbon to decrease the liquidus temperature. Bronze in contrast is still quite durable when it´s casted.
4 comments:
It has a medieval quality that reminds me of the whimsicalness of the decoration on some period torture devices. It also shares some similarity to Tantric Buddhist skulls (kapala). Overall it’s a really great prop and being actually made of metal just adds to the piece. Since the cap seems to open on this prop, it could be a reliquary as well. Literally, a Relic of the Machine Age. One would consider making a whole installation with a wiring diagram illuminated manuscript along the line of a post apocalyptic altar as in the book A Canticle for Leibowitz (an old favorite of mine).
The famous “Fool’s Head” helm of Henry VIII: http://benedante.blogspot.com/2014/01/helmets-and-shields-of-renaissance.html
A torture device called a brank for people who talk too much: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scold%27s_bridle
It also makes me think of Tic-Toc of OZ and that makes me smile.
@CoastConFan
Ooh, now I like the idea of an illuminated manuscript as a wiring diagram. And with some of those conductive inks, you could actually have light-up artifacts if they were set on the proper markings...
I agree on the medieval quality. With the proper accoutrements this could be made into one of the supposedly oracular talking heads of antiquity.
Well, it´s not really medieval quality, because it was cast in iron. But casting iron was a highly unusual way of metalwork until a comparably short time ago (ok, there are old examples of cast iron in China for example...). For casted metal sculptures bronze was the usually used alloy, for some objects tin, lead, silver and for small ones gold of course too. The problem with cast iron is that it requires extremely high temperatures, and furthermore the mechanical qualities of cast iron aren´t very good too, because of the high content of carbon to decrease the liquidus temperature. Bronze in contrast is still quite durable when it´s casted.
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