Mixed media

5.5 x 5.5 inches

On a tiny patch of rain-soaked battlefield somewhere in medieval Europe, a scrap of chain mail, shed from some nameless soldier's hauberk, stands out for moment on a rock before being churned into the mud.

Making this little diorama was a learning experience, which I guess all projects are in one way or another, come to think of it. Probably ideally, the rings of chain mail should be highlighted with an accent light, as the display somewhat overwhelms the item itself. It's also a lesson in how the story you have in your head for a piece doesn't necessarily come across as clearly as you thought. In a real museum setting, you'd want to serve the object, not upstage it.

The five rings of mail come from fragments of a ruined hauberk, from the 15th century, a period when chain mail was already starting to be replaced by plate armor.