The Corinthian Helmet

Kenneth Clarke says, "If one wants a symbol of Atlantic man, as opposed to Mediterranean man, a symbol to set against the Greek temple, then it must be the Viking ship. The Greek temple is solid, static, crystalline. The Viking ship is light, mobile, bouyant, floating like a water lily." To this I would add the revelation of the Corinthian helmet, such an elegant expression of form and function. Few of the products of modern-day homo artifex achieve the same beautiful functionality, execpt for the bicycle.