Possession

Ownership of gorgeous and valuable objects must be a desirable state of being for many humans because I cannot think of a culture (from ancient Egypt to 21st century Russia) that did NOT associate status and power with the possession of intricate golden luxuries (as represented by the 18th century English mirror above).

Yet when I see an object like this in a museum or in somebody's expensive apartment, the first thing that occurs to me is how glad I am not to have the responsibility of caring for it and keeping it safe. This is a paradox. Ancient, cloudy, half-degraded mirrors fascinate me, especially those surrounded by gleaming giltwood carving of miraculous grace. Gazing and pondering is an absolute pleasure, but never without the nagging mental caveat that it would be horrifying to discover that I actually owned such a thing.