Layer upon layer upon layer…

First there were the tribes.

And they had a way of life…one in which they had hardship and struggles, and they made articles of lasting beauty in that environment.

Today the individuals are dead, and their lifestyle is dying. These individuals- unsurpassed artists, forgotten by history created  masterpieces of art but died anonymous. But the articles remain. And their beauty continues to enthrall the new world.

So what if fame eluded the creators? There is a whole world of collectors waiting to claim that fame!

Today’s collectors get famous simply by ‘owning’ the object. Riding on the beauty of the object, an object to which they have contributed zero, they earn fame and a reputation.

And the rest of brotherhood of collectors become one in singing as many praises of the owners as they do of the object. And the value of a piece rises because so-and-so owned it once…….!

The world of packaging, the world of brand image, the world of empty values … pervades even this world I love.

In which the creators of the art remain anonymous, while current owners of the object get more famous than the creators or even the art objects themselves!

Quite a tragedy.

I know that other worlds of antique beauty – e.g. coins – have been spared of such branding falsehoods…..

Hopefully this is limited to the world of rugs and textiles… and the other art forms are valued only on the basis of their own intrinsic beauty and not provenance!

jm