Onik Agaronyan
Medium: Silvered copper, natural pearls, agate, rock crystals, and red coral
Dimensions: 13 in high x 8 in wide x 11.5 in deep
Agaronyan's extraordinary Kings and Queens Collection is born of the timeless theme of Ozymandias. This piece, one of the collection of sculptural boxes in the form of crowned skulls, is at once richly alive and lifeless. The crown, representing power and wealth, is ornate--studded variously with patterns of pearls, agates, and other semi-precious stones. The skull, vague and anonymous, dark and brooding, signifies the worthlessness of the crown in the face of the ravages of time.