30 PIECES OF SILVER: Part 28

© 1979 IVAAN KOTULSKY

Perhaps the purest example of Ivaan's focus on making beautiful things solely for the joy of creation is this bronze piece.  I know it's from 1979, because I found a dated photograph of the original wax Ivaan carved.  What I don't know is for what, if anything, Ivaan intended this. Clearly it was intended to hang on a wall or around someone's neck, because those frills that appear at seven o'clock and nine o'clock contain holes for a chain or cord.  It's bowl-shaped and just the right size to fill the palm of my hand.

There are many marine influences on the piece, as well as a ginkgo biloba leaf. I can only assume that Ivaan was influenced by the ginkgo trees he might have seen in the cemetery where he is buried, as he used to play there as a child.

This is not a piece that can be duplicated, although one day when 3-D printing has evolved, perhaps it will.  I'm often tempted to wear it around my neck, maybe as an anchor on a windy day.  I used to see this piece kicking around among Ivaan's effects for years, and I deeply regret not asking him about it.

I marvel at it every time I see it, perhaps all the more because the little I do know about it is so insignificant compared to what I don't  know.