Monday, February 02, 2009

An Object of great beauty

Here are three views of an object I found in a kitchen cabinet while packing up the house we are selling. I rarely use it for its intended purpose, but I love to look at it. I love to place the palm of my hand upon its cool and smooth surface. I love the sound its crank makes. I love the letter style. Some things you don't tag sale. Ever. This is the kind of thing the ancient Egyptians would have placed in the sarcophagus of a pharaoh.



9 comments:

Doralong said...

Good design transcends the ages.

dpaste said...

What ever makes you happy, baby.

Anonymous said...

the only thing better is the version with the suction cup base...operated by a small lever.

Anonymous said...

Indeed. Lovely.

I keep my father's Speed-Line chalk line reel (that nice purple chalk) on my desk. I love the memory of the "thwack" and it reminds me that I have a much better job now - than construction with my Dad ...

Anonymous said...

My father taught me how to use an electric drill when he had me attache one of these to the basement work bench.

Patrick said...

I think there is still one of these mounted to the wall in my mom's office (which was once the bedroom I shared with my younger brother). Yes, it's a classic.

tomitron said...

the suction-cup base models don't count

ManDancer said...

I look at the photo and recall the elementary classes where it was attached to the cubby hole or book case and in the more controlling marm's classes, right on the teacher's desk. I recall the smell of shaved wood.

Hermes' fragrance Terre is close to this memory.

Anonymous said...

We had that very same model back home, and no sharpener has ever made pencils as sharp as that one.