solitary_summer | because I've got to start *somewhere*... (Reply)

... last things first, so to speak.

Bonn was nice-ish, even if I arrived barely rested & train-sick; nerves, I guess, I can't seem to help it. Had no trouble at all sleeping comparatively well on my way home...

Walked along the Rhine in a beginning drizzle, refreshing.

Die Thraker - Das goldene Reich des Orpheus

I guess one could say the exhibition was worth it, if only because I don't foresee a trip to Bulgaria in the near (or more remote) future; the concept seemed a bit lacking in coherency to me, but that may be due to the fact that I put greater emphasis on sociology, history and historical development than mythology and religion, especially if there are precious few literary sources for the latter and conjecture seems often to be presented as fact.

In any case it was great to see so many of the pieces I'd read & written about, but only seen in book-illustrations before; it made me *ache* for my abandoned diss. There's such a wealth of influences especially in the metalwork pieces - Thracian, Scythian, Greek, Achaemenid, form or decoration, in any combination... the three rhyta from the Borovo treasure alone, it's amazing how apparently a single workshop at that time would and could effortlessly switch styles and produce anything from Greek to almost, if not quite, Achaemenid, and one is tempted to think that even the 'not quite' part was due to choice rather than lack of model or ability.

However, while there was even a specific section dedicated to this mingling of styles in Thracian craft, it looks like those responsible for the exhibition themselves were a little confused on the subject and/or terminology. Achaemenid influence is sometimes noted, but often enough not, even when strongly visible, which obviously makes it impossible for the average visitor to identify it. One cup is singled out as "achaemenid bowl" apparently because of its pattern, since its shape is more or less indistinguishable from its three companion pieces. While I'm not quite sure whether the debate about which bowl shapes are Achaemenid, Greek or otherwise in origin has been quite resolved yet, last time I checked (admittedly at least a year ago) this kind of almond-shaped pattern does not an "achaemenid bowl" make, even while it may be, broadly speaking, near eastern in origin. Ironically enough enough, a true "achaemenid bowl" goes unremarked in the catalogue and is merely described as phiale.

Or the Alexandrovo-frize, for the matter, is the dress of some of the riders persian-thracian, scythian-thracian, or does it reflect a early hellenistic state of things?

But I guess I'm being over-critical here, for obvious reasons, and the above-mentioned average visitor couldn't care less whether or not the lotus pattern on a jug is Achaemenid or not - just as I strolled through the Bronze Age and Roman sections, giving the objects nothing more than polite, cursory & not really interested glances...

Took the train to Köln, since my sister said I ought to go there, found the cathedral large, bare & too full of tourists; as was the whole historic part of the city. Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, impressive, I guess, especially the Middle Ages/Renaissance section - the 19th century one not so much, a little bit of everything, and nothing special - but at that time I was already tired, hungry (exhibition of still-lives didn't help; worse, no cafeteria) & grumpy.

My problem is that unless it's a subject I'm at least vaguely familiar with, my attention span isn't really sufficient for art galleries. (Is anyone's, I wonder?) What with M.'s influence, I've started to become interested in German/Dutch medieval and early renaissance art, but after several rooms of crucifixions, virgins and martyred saints my old prejudice begins to re-surface and I quickly get bored with religious-themed gore, however exquisitely painted. There are only so many paintings I can really look at, depending on my mood. Portraits interest me most of the time, because there's always some kind of immediate human connection across the ages, and I've developed a strange kind of fondness for dutch and flemish still lives...

It also rained, a lot.

Bought a can of marzipan (almond)-flavoured ice-coffee powder from Lübeck I can't wait to try out.