Spirals shapes are very decorative, and it should come as no surprise that you can find them everywhere in applied art - across continents, styles, ages.
Watercolor of the Great Minoan S-Spiral Frieze, ca. 1400-1200 BC, by Emile Gilliéron père, 1911 or early 1912. Metropolitan Museum
Ancient Greeks used them on their columns, vases and friezes. You can see a stunning example of a Minoan spiral frieze below - or rather, a watercolour copy. The brightly coloured spirals and shapes seem involved in a happy dance in this very dynamic decoration.
And speaking of dynamic: how about this stunning Mexican plate?
Dish with spiral monkey tail, between 300-850 A.D., Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico
“In the Mesoamerican imaginary, small spider monkeys with long tails are considered emissaries of Quetzacóatl, deity from central ancient Mexico, created -according to an ancient tradition- during the second age or Wind Sun. Quetzacóatl, in this case Kukulcan, in his advocation of Ehecatl known among Mayans as Ik, has a close relationship with the wind as an element whose basic expression is movement. Thus the representations in spiral, like in this example, are related with the characteristic whirls during the Wind Sun. At the same time wind is an element that sweeps the way and sown fields where the rain will fall. His action can be beneficial as well as destructive.” -Google Arts and Culture
In this myth, again, we have the beautiful paradox of the spiral.
And spirals weren’t just used on surfaces: sometimes columns became spirals, making the eye dance up and down, as in this early 18th century chair used by the Dutch East Indies Company in Indonesia.
Rechtsstoel van VOC op Ambon, 1709, Rijksmuseum collection
Spiral columns aren’t just restricted to wood or stone - glass artists used them to amazing (and sometimes somewhat over the top) effects, as you can see in this crazy goblet with intertwined snakes.
Glass Goblet, C.H.F. Müller, Hamburg, c. 1865 - c. 1870, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Today, look for spirals applied on ornaments. Whether it be on buildings or bowls, in churches or casino’s: what ornamental spirals can you spot?
Capture them, and do share them using the hashtag #kramerseye on Instagram or Twitter.