#artefacts

[burningvelvet]

Locks of hair from Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Lord Byron, next to their portraits:

[winedark]

bronze crow figurine, archaic period (end of 6th century bce) - acropolis museum

[todayontumblr]

Wednesday April 5.

Antiques: A celebration of the finer, older things in life.

And the urge to make one, neigh, several, yo mama is so old jokes here is strong, but we should resist it. Should, but won't: Yo mama is so old, she did a quite breath-taking job in the design and creation of several of the following antiques compiled for this post, and we have nothing but admiration and respect for her craft and skill! Try that on for size. Yo mama is so old, she bartered fairly in the interests of both parties while selling these beautiful pieces at markets across every epoch! The urge was simply overpowering, only we hope you enjoyed this fresh, new, more wholesome spin on a comedy classic. And yo mama, though she may be a little older in years, nonetheless remains exceptional in her craft—as the following #antiques will attest. And long may yo mama continue. 

[lionofchaeronea]

Roman silver coin minted in 55 BCE, during Julius Caesar's campaigns in Gaul, by Publius Fonteius Capito, one of the tresviri monetales (mint officials) for that year. On the obverse, the helmeted head of the war god Mars, with a small representation of a tropaeum (trophy) behind him. On the reverse, a Roman horseman rides down two enemy soldiers, identified by their helmets and shields as Gauls.

[thesilicontribesman]

Roman Bird Brooch, 2nd or 3rd Century CE, Corinium Museum, Cirencester

[cair--paravel]

1920s D’Orsay perfume jewelry suite (via).

[ibikus]

“Ah, God! but Art is long, And Life, alas! is fleeting.”

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust

[otmaaromanovas]

Kokoshnik belonging to one of the Grand Duchesses, worn in their 1911 formal photographs

These simple, yet elegant, kokoshniki of pink fabric and pearls were worn by the Grand Duchesses alongside their pink miniature court dresses. All four kokoshniki and dresses have survived, and are currently owned by the State Museum of Fine Arts Tsarskoe Selo. They are exhibited at the Hermitage Museum's new display, OTMA and Alexei, with their original dresses.

Photos: S.M.O.F.A.T.S., romanovsonelastdance, na_koleni_Moscow

[sophiebernadotte]

The Crown Prince's Sword

This sword was presented to the Treasury in 1810 by King Karl XIII to be used as a crown prince's sword. The signed blade was taken from a rapier King Gustav II Adolf commissioned in The Hague in 1620.

Made: The blade is signed by Arnoldt Bracht. Material: Hilt and scabbard made from gold-plated silver, richly set with precious stones. The scabbard and the grip, which are covered in blue velvet with embroidered open crowns, were made by Christoffer Sergel.

Photo: The Royal Palaces

[harminuya]

A contemporary portrait of Tigranes the Great, king of Armenia. 1st c. BC.

[burningvelvet]

William Shakespeare’s handwritten last will and testament, including his presumed final signatures (March 25, 1616). Taken from the Folger Shakespeare Library and the National Archives of England.

[winedark]

hydria fragment, classical period (c. 470 bce) - acropolis museum

[georges-chambers]

"Hm, I'm gonna go check my tab which is always open on the Franklin Expedition Personnel list that I check and love at least twice a week. Im sure it'll be the exact same as it always i-"

[dairine-bonnet]

Not light enough to wear the Circlet of Saresh...

But not dark enough to wear Tulak Hord's mask!

Somewhere in the middle...

Such powerful items, but what about those who follow the grey path? It's impossible for grey jedi to use either of them!:D

[lionofchaeronea]

Stater, minted 380/379 BCE at Tarsus in Cilicia, of Pharnabazus II, former satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia and a major figure in the internecine conflicts of the Greek city-states during the late 5th/early 4th centuries. The coin shows the complex intermingling of Greek and Near Eastern cultures characteristic of Anatolia under Achaemenid rule. On the obverse, Ba'al of Tarsus is shown seated, holding a lotus-tipped scepter and wearing the Greek chlamys. On the reverse, a bearded man wears a helmet in Attic style. Both sides are inscribed in Aramaic, which served as the lingua franca of the Near East under the Achaemenids. Photo credit: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com

[thesilicontribesman]

Pictish Stone Fragments, The Meffan Institute, Forfar, Angus, Scotland