Bible Box c. 1940

Raymond McGough rendered this Bible Box, from 1681, with pencil and watercolor. You can imagine McGough, pencil in hand, closely observing every detail, as if by understanding the surfaces of things, he can understand the world. These aren’t gestures of the hand so much as actions of the hand. I imagine McGough deciding where to place each line, each carefully measured lozenge, each ripple, circle, and serif. It’s like the whole box is breathing. I can almost feel the carver's breath condensing on the surface. Maybe the circles are meant to ward off bad spirits. Or maybe they’re just pretty. I love the idea of trying to carve these little protective spells. You can see the artist really thinking about their work as they make it. When one person looks closely, it helps someone else to look closely too. That’s what artists do. They remind us how to see.