[BenLurkin]

Vitrified Forts ping

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

Was Captain Queeg of Scottish heritage?

[TXnMA]

I'm fairly well in agreement with Jeff Nisbet: a large variety of true artisan crafts tend to develop what I call "Bragging Objects". And that is spectacularly true in the case of one of my specialties -- lithic technology. (AKA the production of stone tools, commonly called,"flintknapping".)

That is true of modern flintknappers, and it was spectacularly true of the ancient Maya, et al.

Even artisans who consider themselves to be highly-competent in the wielding of soft hammer thinning, pressure flaking and indirect percussion (punch) techniques cannot escape a sense of awe at the superb skillset required to create something like the above object. And they will readily admit to two truths about such objects:

1. They are far too delicate and fragile to be of any practical use.

2. Whoever made it just to say, "Look at how good an artisan I am!"

The same holds true of "showpieces" by master bladesmiths -- past and present...

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IMO, the stone balls and all the rest of these objects are "Badges of Mastery"...