Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time

Metals, Part One

Aug 17, 2022

Guest

Edward Hunter

Join Edward Hunter, an armorer from The Met, Marco Leona, a scientific researcher, and other experts as they dive into the magical world of metals. They discuss the enchanting craft of 16th-century armor, revealing its artistry and social significance. Explore the ancient Chinese bianzhong bells and their powerful history. Delve into the dual nature of lead, balancing its uses with its risks. Discover the cultural depths of the Sigale Gale puppet and its connection to grief, and see how copper embodies stories of memory and art in Islamic traditions.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 5min

The Art of Armor: Craftsmanship and Power

05:14 • 9min

Echoes of Ancient China: The Bells of Bianzhong

14:32 • 10min

The Complex Legacy of Lead: Sound, Safety, and Substance

25:01 • 4min

Exploring the Sigale Gale: Puppet of Grief and Connection

29:06 • 5min

Echoes of Copper and Memory

34:34 • 22min

Philosophers and scientists have tried for millennia to crack the code of alchemy: the art of turning lead into gold. But alchemy goes much deeper than that—it gives us a framework for turning metal into story. In the first of a two-part episode on the metals of alchemy, we explore iron, bronze, lead, and copper. Our stories go deep into the basement of The Met, and back in time to a waterlogged ancient tomb. You’ll hear about books that dazzle, puppets that weep, and the long lost sound of a 2000-year-old bell.

Guests:

Edward Hunter, armorer and conservator, Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Marco Leona, David H. Koch Scientist in Charge, Scientific Research, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ali Olomi, professor of Middle East, Islamic, and Global Southern history, Penn State Abington
Kannia Rifatulzia, translator, In-depth Creative
Defri Simatupang, archaeologist, North Sumatera Archaeology Center, Indonesia
Zhixin Jason Sun, Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art, Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Yana Van Dyke, conservator, Paper Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Objects featured in this episode:

European armor (various)
Zhong bells (various)
Puppet Head (Si Gale-gale), late 19th–early 20th century. Indonesia, Sumatra. Toba Batak people. Wood, copper alloy, lead alloy, water buffalo horn, paint, H. (without pull rope) 13 1/4 in. x W. 6 in. x D. 6 1/2 in. (33.7 x 15.2 x 16.5 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1987 (1987.453.6)
Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, ca. 1525–30. Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970 (1970.301.1–78)

For a transcript of this episode and more information, visit metmuseum.org/immaterial

#MetImmaterial

Immaterial is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Magnificent Noise and hosted by Camile Dungy. This episode was produced by Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong.

Field production by Tanita Rahmani.

Special thanks to Sheila Blair, Lauren Johnson, and G. Willow Wilson.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.