The Devil is in the Details

Fallen Angels
Originally uploaded by Extreme Craft.

Kansas City is one crafty-ass place! On Thursday, I got to spend quality time drooling over the Nelson-Atkins' collections of European decorative art, including one of the biggest collections of English ceramics that I have seen. It goes without saying that their Asian collection is amazing, but I was unprepared for how much great European stuff they had.

My favorite piece, pictured here, is an 8" ivory carving from Italy of some badass Angels chucking a bunch of devils out of heaven. The figures all interlock in three dimensions, forming a sort of open spong patterns made of the "little devils". I must have spent 20 minutes marvelling at the detail, as well as the wicked imagination of the artist. The next time you're wandering around the Nelson-Atkins, keep a sharp eye, because this one is tiny, and easy to miss.