Paradoxical Illusion - Ancient SILVER Greek Ring II 10, 64g
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:23832015 | Material: Silver |
** PARADOXICAL ILLUSION **
... Greek- RARE
ANCIENT
SILVER RINGEarly & Rare Example of Paradoxical IllusionThis very rare electrum hekte (only 8 known examples) is from the ancient city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, circa 454-427 BC. two confronted female heads with their faces overlapping.
Employing a simple but effective form of optical illusion, show the same female portrait both to the left and to the right. The design is deliberately intended to confound the eye and engage the viewer’s attention in attempting to resolve both portraits independently of the other, which is of course impossible, thus presenting the viewer with a visual paradox. The importance of this type, both in terms of numismatic art and in the wider context of Greek art in general, cannot be understated. It is a thoroughly novel, and never to be repeated experiment in paradoxical illusion .
The Greeks were certainly familiar with the concept of a visual paradox - Plato describes the ourobouros ‘tail-devouring snake’ as the first living thing; a self-eating, circular being: the universe as an immortal, mythologically constructed entity. They were also aware of the power of illusions - Greek architects would apply a technique known as entasis in the construction of their temple columns. Columns formed with straight sides would appear to the observer to have an attenuated appearance, and their outlines would seem concave rather than straight. Therefore a slight convex curve would be built into the shaft of the column, resulting in a swelling in the middle parts, in order to correct this disagreeable trick of the eye. Why then, when they were clearly aware of the power of illusion and paradox, did Greek artists not employ such techniques? The answer most likely lies in the cultural shift away from the static representational art of the archaic period driven by new realistic and idealistic paradigms; artists now sought to demonstrate their skill through attempting to attain aesthetic perfection based on both observational study, and occasionally improvement of nature through idealisation of the subject’s features. Thus non-practical forms of optical illusion were most likely dismissed as curious, but unlikely to earn an artist everlasting fame. It was therefore left to relatively modern artists such as Oscar Reutersvärd, who created the Penrose Stairs (also dubbed the impossible staircase), and psychologists such as Edgar Rubin, who developed the familiar Rubin’s vase (sometimes known as the Rubin face or the figure–ground vase), to explore the visual and psychological implications of these images which trick the brain. The significance of this coin therefore is that it predates the work of both of the aforementioned celebrated ‘illusionists’ by well over two millennia, and demonstrates an appreciation and understanding of optical illusions as an art form, not just a necessary practical expedience.
ILLUSION ring is in EXCELLENT condition, made of SILVER.V century BC.
EXCELLENT !!!!
Weight: 10, 64g
inner diameter:19-22 mm number:22-62 US:10
