Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - A sociological and anthropological question

RSWORD · 17th March 2005, 12:38 AM

What a fabulous post. It is always interesting learning about our collecting peers from such a personal avenue as how we became hooked. I am a sword addict. I have been clean and sober for about 3 weeks now, however, their is a great show coming up in Baltimore and I am sure to fall off the wagon again. Why am I so hooked? Well, I have found education to be the culprit. Over the years as I have learned more and more about these objects, the deeper my appreciation and understanding have been and the more I desire. I can understand now why an appraiser on the antique road show can burst into tears upon examination of a rare and prized object. I would have thought them over sensitive just a few years back. In old swords, I find three wonderful aspects:
1) Their historical connetation. It is great having a tangible link to the past. To own an object that was carried at Waterloo, the Boxer Rebellion or any other famous battle or period elicits immediate flash backs to who might have carried this sword originally and what was their cause and how did they use this thing. I enjoy learning about the time period a sword is from and how it partook in that moment in history.

2) Their cultural connetation. I have learned more about other cultures through my collecting hobby than I ever would have a lifetime of living without them. Again, it is the educational process. The more you learn about a culture, the more you appreciate them. The more you learn about an object, the more you begin to appreciate it.

3) The craftmanship. These are objects of violence, war, freedom, self defense, costume and of course were crafted to function justly. Despite their lethality, they can be as delicately crafted as anything done by a jeweler or a lady embroiders. What a combination. To hold a sword that you know had its place in history, was made to be used, yet is as beautiful as any other art object, just leaves me flabbergasted.

Have I been outcast by society for being a collector of such objects. Not really. I know doctors that collect antique bedpans and I say "My God man, are you crazy!". Then, I pause, and think they might think the same about me. Therefore, certainly the bedpan collecting doctors don't look at me particularly crazily and I have yet to feel ostracized by anyone that I shared my collecting interests with.

17th March 2005, 12:38 AM	#35
RSWORD Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,086	What a fabulous post. It is always interesting learning about our collecting peers from such a personal avenue as how we became hooked. I am a sword addict. I have been clean and sober for about 3 weeks now, however, their is a great show coming up in Baltimore and I am sure to fall off the wagon again. Why am I so hooked? Well, I have found education to be the culprit. Over the years as I have learned more and more about these objects, the deeper my appreciation and understanding have been and the more I desire. I can understand now why an appraiser on the antique road show can burst into tears upon examination of a rare and prized object. I would have thought them over sensitive just a few years back. In old swords, I find three wonderful aspects: 1) Their historical connetation. It is great having a tangible link to the past. To own an object that was carried at Waterloo, the Boxer Rebellion or any other famous battle or period elicits immediate flash backs to who might have carried this sword originally and what was their cause and how did they use this thing. I enjoy learning about the time period a sword is from and how it partook in that moment in history. 2) Their cultural connetation. I have learned more about other cultures through my collecting hobby than I ever would have a lifetime of living without them. Again, it is the educational process. The more you learn about a culture, the more you appreciate them. The more you learn about an object, the more you begin to appreciate it. 3) The craftmanship. These are objects of violence, war, freedom, self defense, costume and of course were crafted to function justly. Despite their lethality, they can be as delicately crafted as anything done by a jeweler or a lady embroiders. What a combination. To hold a sword that you know had its place in history, was made to be used, yet is as beautiful as any other art object, just leaves me flabbergasted. Have I been outcast by society for being a collector of such objects. Not really. I know doctors that collect antique bedpans and I say "My God man, are you crazy!". Then, I pause, and think they might think the same about me. Therefore, certainly the bedpan collecting doctors don't look at me particularly crazily and I have yet to feel ostracized by anyone that I shared my collecting interests with.