doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Damascus explained

Jack That's what I was trying to say in short form...before Robert'O jerked the carpet out from under me.

I very seldom agree with Homeless jOe, but i agree
Casey

My goodness Jack- WELL WRITTEN!
(and likely correct but it's still fun to speculate )

Geez, you mean you guys can understand that jargon? I still don't think I said concisely what I meant to say, to wit, that it seems to me that "stretching" an expensive but strong and necessary material by adding a less expensive material which just happens to allow a contrasting surface appearance to be "developed" is a matter of economy of means directed at the primary end of utility (read desirable degree of hoop strength). Then the patterns would be incidental to the main achievement. I don't think the rug patterns appear in quite the same context of scarcity and technological limitation.

However, looking back at the calligraphy, I'm beginning to see in the 3-D shading the suggestions of ribbons of ink which could indeed be imagined as the spiraled irons of a damascus barrel. The sorrows of gin.

jack

Keep drinkin' Jack and you'll see it my way!
(some other non-Baptist revdoc said that! )

Good one, Doc.

I do not believe the rugs and the barrels are on a 1-1 level regarding the patterns. It is not like over laying fingerprints. I do think that a culture perceives objects and patterns and dismisses others. I think that it is worth looking at calligraphy, rugs, wrought iron, etc to better understand why a culture found one thing acceptable, another beautiful and yet another trash. I think we also learn about ourselves. Perhaps, when we look at a damascus barrel, we are not seeing it the same way the maker intended. Yet we do find it some how pleasing to eye. Certainly some of the names if not most were descriptive. Yet I fail to see the bunting or flags in the damascus.

There is the story of conquistador ships sailing into a bay. The local people looked at the ships and could not see them. The conquistadors came ashore and the local people saw them. When the Spanish pointed to their sailing ships to explain how they had arrived, suddenly the ships could be seen by every one. Such a thing was just not possible to their minds at first.

In India, sitar music, it is possible to have a beat of 102 beats per measure. Most western listeners can not hear those beats.

Pete

Pete (and others)-

Very good points. If we have the ears to hear... .
Damascus barrels are perhaps so very interesting because they stand as a testament of art, craftsmanship and technology. Often the greater the art form the more room there is for interpretation by the viewer. Sometimes in art and literature the interpretation varies greatly from the intention of the artist and often the artist wishes only to be thought provocative. If we were discussing fluid steel barrels or paper clips, most likely the discussion would have been ended long ago. I suspect the craftsmen of these damascus barrels would be flattered to know that both their genre and expressions was the present subject of discussion.


Doug

I think there's a hidden message in the Damascus pattern....for Robert'O

Doug:

But at what point did it turn from utility to art( at the stage of blades, barrels, etc.)? Or was it ever in the form of utility? We should be far enough removed in time to look beyond the conquerors and their religion to look at the byproduct of the agression as the transfer of technology. Or if it's regarding the events of today, it could be attributed to the cyclic nature of history. But at any rate as for me, revdrewdoc, Pete, dbadcraig and many other's posts has created a stir and I plan to be better informed on the topic by additional research.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse