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Untitled by Karin van Paassen

Body piece / Abstract

Published: 29.10.2021

Body piece: Untitled by Karin van Paassen.Porcelain, charms from Bhutan and Morocco, horsehair, synthetic skulls, lava stone.. 2021.For this piece of jewelry I was inspired by sculptures, images and stories from the Song Dynasty in China (960-1279). It was a prosperous period in which art and culture flourished. People bought a lot of porcelain ( Qingbai ware) from Jingdezhen, formerly called Changnan. The elite often had their porcelain utensils, such as vases, head-rests, and sculptures glazed black. It was a sign of prosperity. In the Jian tea bowls, the black glaze contrasted with the green color of the tea. I always make my jewellery of black porcelain and that’s why I feel a strong connection. Information about jewellery from the Song Dynasty can only be read from sculptures and images, like on the sculptures of Bodhisattva.
. Bodhisattva is a Buddhist deity who has attained the highest level of enlightenment, but who delays their entry into Paradise in order to help the earthbound. A Bodhisattva takes both male and female form and is associated with the qualities of mercy and compassion.
. She is wearing all kinds of beautiful jewellery. I had a look at different sculptures and combined all kinds of details in this piece of jewel. On the paintings of Li Song ( Song Dynasty) we see so-called ‘Skull Fantasy Pictures’. Bones and vertebrae are always recurring elements in my jewellery collections, like in this Jewel for Bodhisattva.
. I always use horsehair, so it was interesting to find out that the Song Army had an elite-equipped cavalry in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty. History tells that through the Tea and Horse Agency, the Song Dynasty government was able to trade tea for the extremely valuable warhorses.’.

Body piece: Untitled by Karin van Paassen.Porcelain, charms from Bhutan and Morocco, horsehair, synthetic skulls, lava stone.. 2021.Back view.

Karin van Paassen

Body piece
Untitled
2021
Porcelain, charms from Bhutan and Morocco, horsehair, synthetic skulls, lava stone.

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