door with iron spirals

鉄のうずまきの扉

9 February 1970, Sweden
14th-century door, Biörksta Church
engrave: H. Gutschmidt

I strongly believe that in a former life I was a Medieval blacksmith somewhere in Europe!

My favorite room in the Victoria &Albert Museum is the Ironwork gallery on level 3 and my favorite museum in France is Musée Le Secq des Tournelles in Rouen.  Both places are full of objects made of iron – decorative wrought and cast iron, such as door handles, locks and keys, handrails and shop signs, doors and fences.  I can forget about time, staring at them and imagining iron bars being forged, twisted and formed into spirals.  I can even smell charcoal and feel the heat of sparks flying…

わたしの前世は(いくつかあるなら、確実にその一つは)中世ヨーロッパの鍛冶屋だったと確信しています。

ロンドンの工芸美術博物館V&Aで一番お気に入りの部屋はレベル3にある Ironwork ギャラリー。フランスで一番好きな博物館はル・セック・ド・トーネルという人のコレクションを納めたルーオンにある教会です。どちらも、鋳鉄や聯鉄で作られた門扉、ドアハンドル、錠前と鍵、階段の手すりや看板などで一杯で、入ったとたんに腰くだけのようになって時間を忘れ、ほれぼれと眺め入ってしまう。自分でも、どうしてこんなに好きなのか謎なので、これはやはり前世だと思うのです。

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