Astronomical Table Clock
I have an obsession with clocks and watches, they fascinate me to the highest extreme. How they work and keep time and know when to change the date, especially the clocks of old are so fun to pick apart and discover the insides that make them tick. The astronomical table clock is beautiful and fun to look at. According to the description, interest in astronomy was at its height when this clock was made. The upper blue dials shows the orbit of the seven known planets at the time. The clock on the bottom plays music on 13 bells. This clock was created by the famous clockmaker Thomas Mudge is not known to exist in any other form.
Two Chalices
I stumbled upon these while I was trying to find one of the artifacts I had researched previous to coming to London and I found them to be beautiful and exquisite so I changed my venture and chose to write about these instead. The fact that the silver-gilt chalice is rare survival of fine English chalice from around 1250. Regulations from this time state that only gold and silver-gilt could be used in a holy communion. Although the copper and bronze could have also been used for this same purpose.
Plaster Cast From Persepolis
When I was looking through the British Museums website before I got to London I saw this and started to read a little bit about it. This actually came from a palace door in 470-450 BC. The scene shown on this cast is that of the king sitting on throne holding a sceptre and a lotus flower. An attendant to the king stands behind him and above them is a finely decorated canopy. Support for the throne is huge platform with lion's paws and three rows of figures. The people wear different costumes from across the Persian Empire. This piece of work is flawless and shows what people back in this time could do with their hands and that is true talent. Nowadays we have machines that can craft this.
Processional Cross
I'm Christian, however, my religion doesn't wear or display crosses and really any form but I myself find them extraordinary and there is something about them that brings me peace. Processional crosses were carried by the priest before Mass. This particular cross is decorated with the arms of the Hedervari family of Hungary. Desso Hedervari gave his life to save the king. By dressing in the King's armor he allowed him to escape an ambush. This cross may have been commissioned to commemorate his bravery.
Bust of Julius Caesar
Made from marble this is the replica of the head of Julius Caesar. According to the description is was probably made in Rome, Italy in the 18th century. Although the bust isn't Roman it resembles Roman portraits and gives great accuracy to what Caesar really looked like. In this bust his hair is combed forward to hide is baldness. Julius Caesar is a very interesting leader to learn about his ways are intriguing. I like to learn about him and I wanted to find something that pays tribute to him and I found it in the British Museum.
My Thoughts On The British Museum
I feel like the British Museum was one of the most educational adventures I took in London, England. I really like being here and looking around there was so much to see and so much to do that I got lost inside a couple times and finding the different things I needed to accomplish this task was. I know that I was only supposed to identify eight artifacts but the ten I found I couldn't decided which ones I wanted to write about more than the other so I decided to just include all eight. I hope to go back to this museum one day and continue to explore and discover many more artifacts from around the world. One thing I would suggest for someone who is going there for the first time is to do some research. Doing that research really helped me to understand what I was looking for and it made finding many of the artifacts much easier and in the end it gave me more time to look around the museum and see many other incredible things. When I look at these artifacts I always wonder if they could talk what history would they release? What stories would they tell? A lot of things we can learn from pattern and research but there are still things that leave a mystery. It's so fascinating to think about and wonder what history each figure would unleash.