Scroll c. 1938

Erwin Stenzel rendered this scroll with an eye for the deep undercurrents that course through the history of form. The volute, that spiraling motif, isn't just a decorative flourish; it echoes through the ages, whispering of ancient connections. We find it coiled in Ionic capitals, unfurling in Celtic knots, and even swirling in the mandalas of Eastern spiritual traditions. It speaks to a primal fascination with the spiral – a form that embodies both expansion and return, growth and containment. From the double helix of our DNA to the grand, sweeping arms of galaxies, the spiral is a fundamental pattern woven into the very fabric of existence. Doesn't it stir something within us, this echo of the infinite? It is a potent symbol, perpetually reborn across cultures and epochs.