Andy Brown

This is taken from Brown’s sequence ‘Casket’ (Shearman 2019). The casket in question is the Franks Casket, an 8th century Whale bone box currently in the British Museum. What the picture below doesn’t do is show how small the thing is, or how intricate the carving.

The Anglo-Saxons were blessed with superb craftsmen. If you get the chance, go see the box in the British Museum, or some of the finds from the ‘Staffordshire Hoard’ and while you’re standing there remind yourself: no strong artificial light, no magnifying lens, no glasses.

Brown’s sequence consists of five parts, one for each side panel and one for the lid. Each part is broken into unnumbered sections, and the reading here is of parts one, four and five of the final section. The /I/ speaking at the beginning is the craftsmen, but his voice blurs into the voice of the box. The speaking object is a familiar device in Old English Poetry.

You can read more about ‘Casket’ here: http://www.liamguilar.com/enthusiasms/2019/6/17/casket-by-andy-brown