Black Gold (peppercorns)

A frame filled edge to edge with dried black peppercorns, their wrinkled surfaces glinting in low, moody light. A study of one of the world's most traded spices, made monumental at close range. Fun fact: Pepper was once so valuable it was called "black gold" and used as currency and ransom in medieval Europe — the spice trade it drove literally reshaped world history and launched ages of exploration.