The Owl of Minerva has landed, in the society of the Minerva student association in Leiden. My first commission for a large wooden sculpture of 60 centimeters in height and 22.5 kilos in weight. The students were super enthusiastic at the informal unveiling in their large association hall. Here the mythical owl will watch over all gatherings and parties from a height of nearly 3 meters.
The Owl of Minerva has landed, in the society of the Minerva student association in Leiden. It will be hung in the place where the old owl still stands, in front of a black round disc high above the entrance.
The owl was knocked on and people looked into the eyes surrounded by 24-carat gold leaf. They even smelled the cedar wood, after I told them how wonderful it was to work with this still fresh wood. “The owl will become much lighter. It’s going to lose a lot of moisture”, I said, to the great hilarity of the students. “Hahaha, losing moisture here?” And indeed: the hall and the storage cupboards below were overflowing with everything liquid that contains alcohol.
I was spontaneously allowed to give a small explanation about the sculpture. The students wanted to know what kind of owl it was. A tawny owl? A barn owl perhaps? But no, even though ‘my’ owl has been transformed into a mythical bird, originally a little owl served as model. The Greek goddess Athena, who was later renamed Minerva by the Romans, carried this little owl as a symbol of wisdom. It was the Greeks who gave the strikingly large eyes a hypnotizing character. I said: “And the Romans also added the symbol of warfare to it. Apparently they made no distinction between that in the old days: wisdom and warfare.” One of the students, very sharp: “That’s why those big feet”, pointing to the disproportionate claws of the sculpture. “Exactly”, I had to compliment him.
Owl looks down from 3 meters
The owl will get a place above the entrance doors of the large association hall, I estimate at nearly 3 meters height. There now stands an ugly black-painted owl with a blindfold on. My owl will also be protected this way against debauched scenes in the society.
The Owl of Minerva will soon look down, into the association hall.
That’s why I had to warn. Because the owl looks down by design, the tipping point is quickly reached. It can tip forward. “Don’t let it happen that those 22 kilos fall from such a height onto a 19-year-old female student whose father is a judge. Secure it very well. At least two sturdy screws through the platform, into the base of the owl.” That had already been thought about in Leiden too. The old owl is also attached with a chain to the padlock.
‘Owl of Minerva spreads its wings’
I also got the chance to tell that politician Thierry Baudet had not cited his source during a speech. The expression ‘The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk’ is originally not from him, but from the German philosopher Hegel.
With this metaphor Hegel wanted to say that wisdom only comes after events are a fact. Only at the end of time will people understand the logic of history, Hegel reasoned.
Would love another commission like this!
All in all I drove home in a radiant mood. What a beautiful commission this was. First modeling the owl on a small scale in light wax and endlessly adjusting it: the eyes, the wings, the posture, until a natural dynamic emerged. Then with the help of master wood carver Jan van Harskamp putting the outlines on paper, also at 1:2 scale. Speed carving champion Dave Harmsworth used this to extract the rough forms from a substantial trunk of cedar wood with his chainsaws in three hours, wood that he had ‘harvested’ in a garden and taken to his workshop. And then fine carving with the gouge. And rasping, with a sturdy rasp, to maintain the rugged character of the owl. They were wonderful days.
I myself give an explanation of the choices that led to this Owl of Minerva sculpture (photo Lynn Mason).
I would love to make a similar sculpture on commission again. Thanks also to Minerva, the oldest student society in the Netherlands, for all the compliments and for making my wood carving lessons land.
Jan Bom, September 19, 2024
