Athanor

"Athanor" is a wicked-cool parlor kaleidoscope by Japanese artists Kojima and Kita. The body is a ceramic "athanor" (a type of furnace used by alchemists, able to maintain a steady heat for long periods) with a magnificent metallic brown glaze and has beautiful hand-etched designs with blue and gold accents. The body is mounted onto a flawlessly crafted wooden stand with slots in its sides that allow the internally mounted light to glow through them, this top portion then sets onto an electrically powered square base that houses the light and rotating object turntable. Interestingly, the turntable itself has no objects mounted onto it, all of the handmade glasswork pieces, chains, pearls, genuine opals, and other tiny items simply set onto the turntable, so you can easily and quickly rearrange them on it's surface, therefore creating an endless assortment of kaleidoscopic images. There is an on/off push button on the side of the base and the piece comes with a little converter box to change the electric power from Japanese to USA voltage. The viewing port features a removable dust cover to protect the lens when not in use. An incredible amount of detail and precision went into the creation of this scope, it is absolutely lovely. This is a 3-mirror, 8-point system that gives utterly spellbinding kaleidoscopic visuals. Measures approximately 10"T x 5"Square.

*Jun Kojima graduated from Tama Art University and has exhibited works in Kraków, Poland (2005). This artist considers making a kaleidoscope "alchemy", which leads the visitor to a different "dimensional world" the moment they look into the tiny eye piece.*