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Happy #WorldTurtleDay! Here’s a kind turtle helping a monkey out with a ride, from the Lights of Canopus, a 19th-century Persian version of an ancient Indian collection of animal fables. More here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/illustrations-from-the-lights-of-canopus-1847
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Hartmann Schedel, Locusts, Nuremberg Chronicles, 1493
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In these bewildering landscapes (ca. 1689) by Ferdinand van Kessel, 64 cities across 4 continents are depicted as mere backdrops to the antics of animals — the built environment of the human world almost superfluous. More here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/kessel-four-parts-of-the-world
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One of Dutch artist Arent van Bolten’s many “grotesques” held by the @Rijksmuseum and produced sometime in the early 17th century. More here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/arent-van-bolten-s-grotesques
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Eating like a bird. The peacock "at home" : a sequel to The butterfly's ball. 1808.
Internet Archive
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Super/Natural. by Judith Schaechter, engraved flash glass, wood.
www.judithschaechter.com
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Livre d'heures (c. 1490).
> Illuminator: Maître d'Antoine Rolin.
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The tomb effigy of François I de la Sarra (d. 1363), housed in the Chapel of Sainte-Antoine in La Sarraz, Switzerland, is a chilling reminder of mortality. This transi tomb depicts François’ decomposing body being consumed by frogs, snakes, and worms—symbolizing the inevitability of death and decay. These tombs, popular in the late Middle Ages, served as memento mori, urging viewers to reflect on life’s brevity and live virtuously.
Legends surround François’ effigy: one claims he perished violently while hunting and was later found covered in frogs and reptiles, inspiring the tomb’s design. Another suggests this depiction was crafted by vassals seeking symbolic revenge for his alleged tyranny. Regardless of its origins, this monument captures the medieval obsession with death and the afterlife, blending art, morality, and history into a haunting legacy.
#Medieval #Art #History
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Utagawa Hiroshige, Eight Shadow Figures, ca. 1842. ⠀ ⠀ One of several Hiroshige images available as prints to buy from our online shop: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/utagawa-hiroshige-last-great-master-of-ukiyo-e
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Unknown, Krishna enters the mouth of Aghasura, 1700s
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Hans Baldung Grien
“Death and the Maiden”
ca 1518-1520, detail.
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Livre d'heures (c. 1490).
> Illuminator: Maître d'Antoine Rolin.
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Stained glass in progress by Judith Schaechter https://judithschaechterglass.blogspot.com/
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Rat coin purse designed by Paul Frey for the renowned Lacloche Freres jewelers and was popular in the early 1900s. It is part of the French Art Deco movement and is made of brass and a small ruby.
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