Incantation Bowl, 4th to 7th CenturyUnrecorded artist, Sasanian culture; Babylon Governorate, Iraq Ceramic; 10 in.30892Gift of Mrs. Charles K. Baldwin World of Magic Magic is a subject that is often broached on the Bowers Blog, as almost all cultures believe in ritual practices that allow us to control aspects of our chaotic world. In the 1850s, th...

Gold Bracelet, c. 1970JordanianGold and elephant hair; 1 1/8 x 2 1/2 in.77.4.8Gift of United States Government The Gift that Keeps on Taking In the United States there is a price that can be put on changing someone’s mind. It exists in the form of an upper limit for the value of gifts that can be accepted from foreign dignitaries and, given that it...