Surprise!

I'm following up on the previous post, where porcelain fragments were ground to dust and then viewed at various scales. We always seem to focus on that's in front of us when viewing porcelain objects. That is where the "action" is - the form and texture of the piece and, perhaps most importantly, the glazed image(s). How often do we bother looking at what's inside or behind an object? (I never do.)

  

Obverse of Christina's porcelain fragment

Back side of the fragment

When first examining Christina's donated fragments, though, I discovered something remarkable on what would have been the "reverse" of the piece - a foraminiferan called Pyrgo!

Close-up of the fragment -- containing a Pyrgo!

I don't know how it was formed -- maybe it was an oblong bubble in the ceramic slip that burst upon heating?

False-color image of the ceramic Pyrgo

I've spent some time pushing watercolors around with Pyrgo on my mind, but nothing emerged as impressive as what I found on Christina's fragment.

The lesson? Sometimes "looking deeply" involves looking from all angles -- including from behind.