An Ancient Art
Pictured above is a kiln formed glass bowl from the eastern mediterranean. It is made using basically the same techniques we use today to make kiln glass, such as our knobs and pulls.
Kim and I were pleasantly surprised a few years ago when we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and discovered a collection of kiln glass. This bowl is part of that collection. It gave us a great sense of continuity, of being part of a tradition much larger than ourselves. Kiln glass is one of the oldest forms of glass and many pieces have been found even older than this one, which was from the third century BC.
When I look at this bowl, I can imagine the hands that shaped it and feel the ghostly echoes of those hands around the bowl. And even though we would never claim to be qualified for display in the V & A, which would be like getting a like from Taylor Swift, thousands of our knobs and pulls are in use throughout the country. It gives me great satisfaction to know that a small piece of me is in those places and that the echoes of our hands will remain there.
The Victoria and Albert Museum is a great place to visit if you go to London. It has a wide variety of art, a nice cafe and a really peaceful feeling. It makes for a good day, especially if you include the Natural History Museum next door. If you can’t make it there, have a vacation in your mind and check out their web sites!
https://www.vam.ac.uk
https://www.nhm.ac.uk