Baroque Pearls

I find these forms irresistible. This one =>

is in the Wallace Collection in London, England.

I'll be visiting London in January, 2020 (if all goes as planned). It is a very, very long time since I've traveled for myself. I am... having some ambivalent feelings, trying to understand what this trip is for. To see beloved friends? Certainly. But... why else?

Among other ventures, I'm hoping to see the William Blake Exhibit at the Tate Gallery. That-that will certainly be a privilege for me. But one gallery visit (or two, if I visit twice) won't take a full two weeks, which is what I'm booked for.

I'm pretty familiar with Renaissance ornaments like the Canning Jewel (actually a 19th century resurgence of the form). Originally these jewels would have been worn on the big, puffy brocade sleeves worn by wealthy cavaliers of the 15th, 16th, 17th centuries. But this hare, which I came across just today, was a new one for me.

Who knows why anything catches one's imagination? But this one did (I also like the second one I found once I started searching—this one on the market by auction—not that I'll be putting a bid in, but I love it!) <=

Will I visit the Wallace, and try to see this funny, lovely thing? Maybe.

Mostly, though, I am in love with the idea of holding these things in my hands, examining the cleverness with which the artisan made them. Ownership? I'm less sure.