Archive | July 2023

The Mildenhall Treasure

Jul18

The Mildenhall Treasure is a collection of thirty-four silver objects found in a field in Suffolk in the 1940’s. This Object in Focus book by Richard Hobbs tells the story of its discovery. There was some controversy over who found what and exactly where, as well the delay in declaring the find under Treasure Trove law.

The Mildenhall Treasure comprises dishes, bowls, spoons and trays but is not a complete dinner service. The pieces have complex imagery and there are different styles. Hobbs looks at the imagery in detail to see what we can learn about who might have commissioned and used it. He also explores the sophisticated metal-working techniques used to make the pieces. It was originally thought that objects as fine as these would have been imported to Britain, but more recent archaeology suggests they could have been made by local craftspeople.

As with all Object in Focus books, The Mildenhall Treasure is a fascinating little book that uses a single object to explore history, culture and technology.

Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece

Jul4

One of the current exhibitions at the British Museum is Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece and as always, there is an exhibition catalogue which is written by James Fraser, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Henry Cosmo Bishop-Wright. As with all BM catalogues, it is so much more than that. There are beautiful photos of the objects in the exhibition and some context for what they are, and there is also an exploration of the meaning of luxury.

People convey status in a variety of ways and almost all societies and cultures have differences in status, no matter how egalitarian. The book looks at how the Achaemenid Persian empire, a highly hierarchical political system based on kingship, used luxury to communication extreme wealth and power. The possession of fabulously costly objects set royalty and nobles apart. The wealth needed to have the objects created was out of reach of almost everyone. There is also a luxury in the impracticality of many of these things. To be able to afford the inconvenience of wearing pounds of gold and gems as jewellery and clothing means that you can have others serve you, that you don’t have to carry out even the smallest task for yourself.

As the Greek city states, led by Athens, became more powerful the Greeks defined themselves in opposition to the Persians. Luxury wasn’t power and status, it was decadence and decline. Which is not to say that Greeks weren’t wealthy, just that ostentatious displays of luxury were associated with the enemy, with all the things that Greeks were not. Wealth was poured into social projects, especially temples and public architecture. Luxury was used to express the power and status of the state rather than the king and his family.

Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece is an interesting look at concepts that have always been present in societies in all ages. It provokes thought about how luxury and power are expressed and used today. The book itself is a lovely hardback with purple inside covers and gold embossing. Not quite the kind of luxury on display in the book/exhibition, but unnecessary enough to feel special.