andrewledford

[andrewledford]

"Caesar's Ruby"

The pendant of Catherine the Great, (was the reigning empress of Russia  from 1762 to 1796)

The unique stone (according to legend, a gift from Cleopatra to Caesar) was presented to Catherine the Great in 1777 by King Gustav III of Sweden in honor of the 15th anniversary of her reign.

According to one version, Catherine did not want to spoil the stone with a cut – the masters polished it, decorated it with details and made a pendant.

Subsequently, it was proved

that this is not a ruby at all, but rubellite – a rare variety of dark pink tourmaline.

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Japanese Samurai Helmet, made by Myōchin Muneatsu, 1837

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"Sacrifice to greet the Gods" is a religious festival in Taiwan in Pingtung city.

The 14-meter boat was hand-made from wood and paper, carried through the streets of the city and burned. The locals believe that by burning down, the ship will bring them peace.

This tradition has existed in Taiwan since the 18th and 19th centuries, when migrants from Fiji arrived on the island. Boats are burned once every three years - in the year of the Bull, Dragon, Goat and Dog according to the Eastern calendar.

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5,500-Year-Old Sumerian Star Map“For over 150 years scientists have tried to solve the mystery of a controversial cuneiform clay tablet that indicates the so-called Köfel’s impact event was observed in ancient times. The circular stone-cast tablet was recovered from the 650 BC underground library of King Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, Iraq in the late 19th century. Long thought to be an Assyrian tablet, computer analysis has matched it with the sky above Mesopotamia in 3300 BC and proves it to be of much more ancient Sumerian origin. The tablet is an “Astrolabe,” the earliest known astronomical instrument. It consists of a segmented, disk-shaped star chart with marked units of angle measure inscribed upon the rim.

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Gilded silver and garnet cameo, Germany, circa 1560

from The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

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EtruscanCulture VII Century BC, an extraordinary Bronze Sculpture of a mythological Siren, from the ancient Necropolis of Strozzacapponi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy.

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Roman Crocodile Parade Armour, 3rd To 4th Century CE, Manfalout, Egypt, The British Museum, London

The incorporation of the province of Egypt into the Roman Empire put Rome and her people into direct contact with Egyptian culture and religion. In Egypt Roman garrisons were closely integrated into civic and religious life and participated in local cults.

In Middle Egypt and Manfalout (in the ancient nome of Lycopolite) Roman soldiers were particularly attracted to the Crocodile cult centred on the sacred grottoes of the region. This parade helmet and cuirass, based upon actual military armour, was especially constructed out of crocodile skin for use in the cult processions.

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A horse-shaped carriage motorcycle from the early 1900s, which aimed to scare horses less on the roadway than traditional motorcycles did.

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Nanban Boshi Helmet from Japan dated around 1600 on display at the Museum of the Orient in Lisbon, Portugal

The hybrid shape of the piece evokes both European helmets, specifically bonnets used by Portuguese soldiers, and Japanese armour styles. While the brim fits perfectly into the first group, its uncommon shape resembles Japanese Kabuto helmets from the Muromachi and Momoyama periods. 

Photographs taken by myself 2018

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Rare survival of an embossed, high status leather shoe, excavated at Dundurn hillfort near St Fillans, 700-900 CE, Perth Museum, Scotland.

Displayed next to a modern reconstruction. Courtesy of Pictavia Leather.

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Roman brass parade helmet uncovered at the Trimontium Roman Fort near Newstead, Scotland, 1st century AD

from The National Museum of Scotland

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Papua New Guinea Sculpture

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chōkoku 彫刻  - “ Iki-ningyō  生き人形 “ - Poupées vivantes

Matsumoto Kisaburō 松本喜三郎 (1826 - 1892).

Note :  Une poupée “iki-ningyō 生 き 人形” était un type de poupées traditionnelles japonaises. C'était des marionnettes réalistes grandeur nature, qui étaient populaires dans les spectacles misemono 見世物  pendant la période Edo Jidai 江戸時代 (1603 – 1867). Le nom est maintenant employé principalement pour nommer les mannequins de magasin.

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Les plus belles œuvres des artisans japonais.

“Sutra Box with Lotus Pond” (Kyōbako 蓮池蒔絵経箱) -  Edo Jidai 江戸時代 (1603 – 1867) - Bois laqué avec togidashi maki-e 研出蒔絵, hiramaki-e 平蒔絵 et nashiji 梨子地 d’or - Dimensions : 36,5 x 20.6 x 15 cm.

Source : https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/52995

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Terracotta vase in the form of a lobster claw, Greece, circa 460 BC

from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Monzie Castle is a castellated mansion, near Monzie in Perth and Kinross, Scotland , early 17th-century .

The gate tower of Monzi Castle, which itself looks like a mini-castle

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Bear Mask Tlingit native American