Naamloos

[monamoni]

[monamoni]

[olegummigobbler]

Divine Creator never ceases to blow my mind!

[thessala]

The Manticore in the Middle Ages

Bestiaire de la version transitionnelle, England, 12th century, Saint Petersburg, National Library, ms. lat. Q. v. V, 1, 20 x 14,5 cm, f. 39.

Known to the Western world through ancient Greek sources, the manticore is first mentioned by Ctesias in Indica, written in the fifth century BCE, and is subsequently referenced by several authors, including Pliny the Elder in his Natural History.

The manticore is often described as having the face of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion, as well as red skin and blue eyes. In manuscripts, it is also often depicted as gray, and wearing a Phrygian cap on its head as a sign of its Eastern origin.

The manticore was considered dangerous and nearly impossible to hunt due to the venom in its tail, and its description influenced the depiction of the hellish locusts from the Book of Revelation and of harpies.

Source: C. Heck, Le bestiaire médiéval : l'animal dans les manuscrits enluminés, Paris, Citadelles & Mazenod, 2011, p. 402.

[thesilicontribesman]

The Lewis Chess Pieces, 12th Century CE, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh

[cparti-mkiki]

"hephaistion made this" in a beautiful trompe-l'oeil piece of paper half unstuck by the wind still some of the rawest stuff ever put in a mosaic (2nd century bc, pergamon)

[margaritiques]

The Aragonese ambassador endeavours to have many Spaniards expelled from this Court, fearing they should persuade the Prince [Charles, Duke of Burgundy, future King of Spain & Holy Roman Emperor] to go into Spain sooner than he should. He has asked that Donna Kateryna de Castir, who lately came out of England, may be retained for the service of the Princess [Mary, sister of Henry VIII], at her coming over [to Marguerite of Austria's court]. Meanwhile she shall wait upon the Prince's sisters [Eleanor of Austria, Isabel of Austria, and Mary of Hungary]. 

From a letter by Sir Thomas Spinelly to King Henry VIII, written at the court of Marguerite of Austria in Brussels, dated 1st August 1514.

Excerpt from Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 1, 1509-1514, edited by J. S. Brewer, published 1920.

[memories-of-ancients]

Crozier of Bishop Conor O'Dea of Limerick, Ireland, 15th century

from The Hunt Musuem, Limerick

[1hornymilf]

[1hornymilf]

Who wants a taste?

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Vendeurs de rue, cuisson dans des tankers. Voilà de quelle manière on nourrit les humains

[pa-ola123]

Italy 🌹

[historyfiles]

Churches of the Scilly Isles: All Saints Church, Bryher, replaced a small eighteenth century chapel of 'God and All Saints' which itself had replaced a now-lost medieval chapel.

Gallery: Churches of the Scilly Isles

A picture gallery showcasing several churches on the Scilly Isles, in this series which is designed to be part of an all-inclusive set of ph

[ducissatenebrarum]

Inferno, circa 1410. Painted by Giovanni da Modena (1379–1455).

This striking detail from Giovanni da Modena’s "Inferno" presents a vivid medieval vision of Hell, crowded with tortured souls and grotesque demons. At the centre, a monstrous Satan devours the damned while sinners suffer punishments reflecting their earthly sins. Painted with intense imagination and moral symbolism, the scene reflects late medieval beliefs about divine judgment, fear, and salvation, serving both as a warning and a powerful religious lesson for viewers.

[publicdomainreview]

Jesus on the cross, from a stunning 14th-century manuscript known as the Holkham Bible Picture Book. Explore more of its glorious depictions of bible scenes here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/holkham-bible

[vintage-treasures]

Self-Portrait at the Age of Twenty Eight, Oil on Panel(1500) Renaissance artists painted self-portraits as professional advertisements of their skills and social standing to potential patrons. Northern Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) painted this self-portrait in 1500, fusing German naturalism with the humanist ideals he had embraced in Italy. By adopting a rigid, frontal pose and a fur-lined coat, he deliberately modeled his likeness after traditional depictions of Christ. This was a philosophical declaration rather than vanity, asserting the artist as a divinely inspired creator rather than a mere artisan. Loc. Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany, since 1805. Dim. 67.1 cm H x 48.9 cm W (26.4 x 19.3 in.).

[useless-catalanfacts]

I've added subtitles to this video posted by the duo Alosa singing the song "Si fóssim gavines". This is a valset mariner (sailor's little waltz), which is a popular music genre in the Catalan Countries usually grouped together with havaneres. I wanted to share this one because it has very sweet lyrics by the Menorcan poet Tòful Mus.

The song also has another stanza they didn't sing here, which says this:

Escolta'm, amiga, escolta'm, companya, / si fóssim gavines, gavinetes blanques / sentint sa carícia des vent quan mos toca /descansant tranquil·les damunt d'una roca.

Faríem des riure un so musical, / es niu penjaríem damunt d'un penyal, / volant dalt ses barques quan surten des port, / dibuixant corones desitjant-li sort!

Listen to me, friend; listen to me, companion, if we were seagulls, white little seagulls feeling the caress of the wind when it touches us, resting calmly on a rock

We would turn laughter into a musical sound, we would hang our nest on top of a cliff, flying over the boats when they leave the port, drawing crowns, wishing them good luck!

[mediaeval-muse]

[mediaeval-muse]

The Vows of the Peacock, MS G.24 at the Morgan Library and Museum

Belgium, probably in Tournai, ca. 1345-1350