The Orb of Solitude
Amid the vast halls of the Ravensfield Collection, one piece stands as an enigma, luring beholders into a trance-like state. “Circles of Eternity” by Veronique Calderas is a striking assembly of gold rings suspended parallel to a mystifying orb reminiscent of a boundless eye. Created in 1982 at the height of postmodern inquisitiveness, this artwork uses mixed media to invoke timelessness. Calderas’ fascination with metaphysics and interdimensional theories dominates her works, painting each piece with questions rather than answers.
In whispers among collectors and connoisseurs, there is the story of Edgar Renfield, a renowned collector who brought ruin upon himself through Calderas’s masterpiece. Renfield was an eccentric admirer known for his obsession with pieces that melded science and occultism. In 1985, he procured “Circles of Eternity” from an underground gallery on the outskirts of Prague. The curator warned Renfield, “To look deep into eternity is to glance past earthly existence.”
“This piece holds secrets that eyes should never dare to unveil.”
-Alexander Lore, Historian
Following his acquisition, Renfield reported experiencing visions—scenes threaded by spectral figures draped in shadows turning circles within infinite voids. He scoured ancient texts and conferred with esoteric scholars but found no solace. Anxiety morphed into obsession; he could not avert his gaze from the metallic realm within the golden orbs.
One fateful evening, while engrossed before “Circles of Eternity,” Renfield felt himself drifting forward, pulled by an unseen force—sucked beyond dimensional veils. Three days later, Renfield was found sprawled on the mosaic floor beside his prized acquisition, scarcely alive, murmuring about fragmented eternities.
Rumors spoke of Renfield traversing planes from which none returned unchanged, witnessing phenomena where time refractured and souls lingered in color-shifting abysses. Witnesses shuddered beneath cold sweats, haunted by the force that seemed to capture Renfield, igniting fiery madness and unraveling dreams. His unsanctioned burial marked disentangled fates, silencing further exploration into the unsettling myth.
Visitors to Ravensfield witness these stretch memories, staring beneath the surface, probing the central mysterium. They evoke refracting and constructing visions, wielding the passage of magic. Calderas’s circle suspends itself in magnificent, fragmented beauty, embodying the fortune of those daring enough to unlock its presence.
