As promised in my last post about the German Mining Museum, a whole post about THE MOST BONKERS FABULOUS TABLE CENTREPIECE I’VE EVER SEEN.
Just look at it:
It’s a metre high! It’s mineral samples! It’s little scenes of mining activity!
And read about it!
Here’s the drink dispenser:
It’s got shakers for spices, and shell bowls for salt, and crystal jugs for oils and vinegar:
There are candlestick holders!
Imagine it lit up!
And look at the little scenes!
Are you in love? I’m in love!
I could look at it for hours…
I am not desperately trying to figure out how to get mining samples and find little mining figurines to make a centrepiece of my own. I really want photographs of me in a robe a la francaise being elegant behind one of these!
That is insane!
Utterly bonkers in the best possible way!
I ADORE THIS. And, to make your own, it would be possible to work with silver art clay! Click on my name to see this material.
Ah hah! Very helpful!
(and a note for other readers: the link is real and helpful, I know Emily, this isn’t spam!)
That is amazing in so many ways. I wonder if there would be some D&D figurines that might work…
Oooh, I love it, very clever! I shall inquire of D&Ding friends!
or presepe (nativity scene) components, which often have various workers *and* working buildings, in different scales.
Are you going to be in Italy next? maybe there will be Christmas things in the shops, already 😀
(I think that in Naples they have shops that sell these things all year round, but that’s the other side of Italy from me, so I’m not sure)
Do you have anywhere to STORE a 1 m high centrepiece to justify its owning? 😀
I thought the far flatter glass one in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague was bonkers enough. This is extra bonkers.
I have a coffee table and 3m tall ceilings, I’d make it work 😉
My first thought on seeing this was, “It must be 18th century!”. Of course it is. That is the coolest epergne I’ve ever seen!! It seems like the 18th century had some of the neatest, finest craftsmanship ever; I was just reading this morning about a 1780s clock that not only had hands for minutes, hours, and seconds, but also for the days of the week and the phases of the moon, as well as playing a long tune every 3 hours–four different songs a day! And this wasn’t even a clock for royalty–it was just in an average-ish person’s house.
I also watched something recently about a doll’s house made for Queen Mary that now resides in Windsor Castle. It’s a scale reproduction of the castle with tiny books that are actually books with all the text, working electricity and plumbing, and a fold-out garden! It’s definitely on my bucket list.
So the centerpiece is bonkers, yes–but oh so clever! I often think that they were so much more creative back then. Thanks for sharing!
The 17th century is pretty wild too!
Many Arkansas crystal mines in the Ouachita (pro. “wash-it-aw”) Mountains sell quartz crystals of various sizes, and some offer buckets of crystal-containing red clay straight from the mines themselves. Prices vary. Or you could just plan a visit and dig for crystals yourself ! Meanwhile, see if there is a rock collectors’ club in your area and have a chat with the members. This a really fantastic piece and it would be fun to make your own version of it.