Architecture « Melbourne Jeweller

Around the World in 80 Treasures; part 2

10 03 2012

… continuing from my previous post

More of my favourites from ‘Around the World in 80 Treasures‘:

#50: Madaba Map, Madaba, Jordan

click on image for original source
“6th century floor mosaic; the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem.” [source]
click on image for original source

#60: Berber granary; Gasr Al-Hajj, Libya

screen shot from series
“An excellent example of Berber architecture, this enclosed circular qasr is two stories high and houses 114 storage rooms, which allowed the Berber farmers to keep their crops safe from insects, bad weather and opportunistic thieves.” [source]

#66: Hagia Sophia; Istanbul, Turkey

screen shot from series
“a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.” [source]
screen shot from series
I’ve always wanted to visit this city and this building in particular…

There are many others on the list that I’m intrigued by, and even some I’ve visited (eight). Though I think that’s enough for now.

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Categories : Architecture, Jewellery, Television, Visual_Art

Around the World in 80 Treasures

9 03 2012

Recently I’ve been “filling the well” … reading my favourite books, watching favourite and new art and science documentaries …

One of the series I’ve enjoyed very much is ‘Around the World in 80 Treasures‘. The wiki page has all the 80 listed, but the ones I especially liked are (not ranked by importance, but by the order they appeared in the series):

#4: Spider necklace of Sipán; Lambayeque, Peru

click on image for original source
though the way the narrator of the series behaves in this segment is cringe-worthy
“Sipán is a Moche archaeological site in northern Peru that is famous for the tomb of El Señor de Sipán (Lord of Sipán). It is considered to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the last 30 years, because the main tomb was found intact” [source]
“The art metalwork sculpture spider necklace was made for the warrior priest Old Lord of Sipan about 400-500 A.D. The gold spider beads are anthropomorphic and feature a human face on the spider. The spider necklace is resting on gilded copper jewelry and ornament (now corroded green)” [source]
click on image for original source

#22: Gold elephant; Ayutthaya, Thailand

click on image for original source
sadly, the series narrator is again a bit of a ninny; feeling the need to be in the shot at all times
“Elephant kneeling with a howdah. A beautifully finished masterpiece of the goldsmith’s art. Studded and encrusted with gems. Made in about 1420, the same time as the tower in which it was found.” [source]

#39: Jantar Mantar observatory, Jaipur, India

click on image for original source
“The Jantar Mantar was built by Jai Singh II (emperor of the Amber dynasty) in between the years 1727 and 1734… The Jantar Mantar was built with marble, several stones and bronze sheets; the placement of these materials is very accurate. The Jantar Mantar observatory is also known as “time machine”. It contains 14 numerical devices which are used in time measurement, approaching eclipses, discovering new planets, present condition of the planets and predicting about the outer space altitudes.” [source]
screen shot from the series
it has the largest sun dial in the world