Midas (Schmuck, 5-teilig)

Greed was one of the character traits of King Midas in Greek mythology. But it was not only greed for wealth; it was also his greed for knowledge. Midas wanted to become as wise as Silenos, the teacher of the deity Dionysos, which is why he abducted him by guile. For the liberation of Silenos Midas asked Dionysos for the gift that everything he touched would turn to gold. That, however, was not a very wise wish. At first highly pleased with this ability, Midas only realized at a meal what it really means to turn everything into gold. Eating and drinking became impossible; indeed even his daughter turned to gold through his embrace. He then asked Dionysos to revoke the gift and from then on was healed of his greed.

Artist Michael Maschka created the “Verwandlung” of Midas in 2019. Five sculptures in gypsum cast plastically show the king’s character development: different dimensions of a gold-colored leaf metal application progressively transform Midas’s white head into a golden sculpture. For Maschka, through this transformation Midas becomes the emblem of magnanimity. The sequence of the five sculptures has its own particular dynamics. Each viewer decides for themselves each time the correct direction, the correct viewpoint and thus about greed and magnanimity.

In mythology and in religions gold usually holds a special status. The precious metal generally symbolizes the divine. The gold fevers of the 19th century describe the obsession that this precious metal can trigger in earthly life. To avoid succumbing to this attraction one actually needs a measure of wisdom. For this too Midas is an impressive emblem.

The perfect synthesis of art and craft was achieved by Maschka together with master goldsmith Sophia Singer from Augsburg. They transformed the head of Midas by scanner and 3D printer according to Maschka’s model, which makes the production of small series possible. Thus the sculpture becomes a wearable piece of jewelry and reminds of the pitfalls of greed, but also of the power of magnanimity and wisdom. This cross-disciplinary working was already practised by the guilds of Augsburg. Goldbeaters, engravers and goldsmiths worked hand in hand for centuries for special pieces of jewelry or works such as the table service that Katharina die Große commissioned here. The Midas head is available to order as a pendant in 925 silver, silver-gilt, but also in 750 gold. It can be worn both on a chain and on the high-quality leather bracelet.