The nose is already a striking facial feature, but placed in an empty landscape it stands out even more. Since I made this nose, I can no longer watch TV without commenting on the noses that pass by. My nose was not made after an existing example, but one time my wife, while watching the News, pointed at a man and said: “That one has your nose.”
Not everyone looks so critically at resemblance. When I posted my linden wood nose on Facebook, with the working title ‘Wise Nose’, comments were inevitable. “Is that your nose Jan?”, a distant cousin felt obliged to joke. Since then, the provisional title has become the permanent name.
Is that your nose?
The surface of this artwork is covered with 24-karat gold leaf. It gives the nose depth. People also see a face in it, but that depends on how the light falls on the surface. I myself thought more of a barren sandy plain.
The shadow box frame is made from a beautifully patterned remnant of tropical wood. What I find special is that the frame is finished with shellac, which provides a deep shine. It is a natural product, a secretion of the Asian lac scale insect Coccus lacca. Applying shellac is an old craft that requires much patience from furniture makers. Layer upon layer applied with a linen pad, day after day, until finally a mirror-like surface is achieved.
Dimensions
The dimensions: 22.5 centimeters high, 19 centimeters wide, 7 centimeters deep.
