Izok: A Unique Quartz Carving

The human skull is an object of stark, dramatic beauty, with an unsurpassed economy of design — just twenty-two jigsaw pieces in all but invested with so much meaning. The skull is the seat of emotion and the framework for our facial expressions. Indeed, much of what it means to be vibrant and alive resides in this structure. It is one of the most enduring icons in our visual vocabulary. Across all ages and cultures, the skull has made its way into rituals, art and literature. During the Middle Ages, painters adopted it as a memento mori, a representation of death’s inevitability and the vanity of earthly things.

But the image of the skull also holds less morbid possibilities. Contemplating it directs our attention away from the material world of flesh and blood turning our thoughts to the spiritual. As a reminder of life’s brevity, it can inspire us to take full advantage of every moment.

In the late 19th century, crystal skull carvings became popular. Many people believed these were archaeological relics of the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations, despite the lack of evidence that they were. Mystics and scholars alike began purchasing specimens, and world-class institutions put them on display. The carvings were actually the work of European craftsmen using modern tools, but it took years before scientists could discredit these so-called artifacts.

Izok, Harold Van Pelt’s life-sized skull, contains two articulating pieces and a jaw hinge that opens and closes. Van Pelt started with a 250 lb. crystal and carved it down to a 52-lb. block. After crafting the skull, he spent many months carefully hollowing it out. The finished piece weighs 6.5 lbs. The quartz contains inclusions of the rare mineral izoklakeite.

Witnessed this artwork today at the Bower’s Museum in Santa Ana, California.