lux prima creatura

a love of old tales, beliefs, histories, literature, artefacts, magic and art

[1five1two]

Broadside with 48 allegorical figures pertaining to the sun and the moon. Juan Llorens. c. 1860-1870.

[wayti-blog]

“Behind all seen things lies something vaster; everything is but a path, a portal or a window opening on something other than itself.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars

[clawmarks]

The grammar of ornament - Owen Jones - 1856 - via Internet Archive

[illustratus]

Coat of Arms of Edward IV, King of England, in his Capacity as Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece

by Pierre Coustain, c. 1481

[worldsandemanations]

Peruvian funeral mask, AD 1000

[portalibis]

Trinity miniature from the Rothschild Canticles (MS 404), made in Flanders, ca. 1300. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Telegram / Facebook / Sacred Ibis fb group

[nemfrog]

Tiger amulet for guarding hidden treasures. Researches into Chinese superstitions. 1926.

Internet Archive

[design-is-fine]

Amulets and Healing Stones, 19th century. Alpine region. Exhibition 2011, Museum Ägyptischer Kunst München © Bayerisches Nationalmuseum 

Amethyst protected against the consequences of too much alcohol; Agates helped with joint-altering diseases; Hematite could stop bleeding; Serpentine and Carnelian helped against rheumatic diseases; Amber did prevent throat problems; Rock Crystal could maintain clear eyesight; Yellow Jasper was able to protect against stomach problems; and Red Coral is still considered to ward off all evil, especially as a protection for children.

[clawmarks]

Album de la décoration - Librairie des Arts Décoratifs - 1900 - via Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden (SLUB)

[thirdity]

“A city built on the most correct architectural plan may be shaken suddenly by the uncontrollable force of nature. Humanity is living in such a spiritual city, subject to these sudden disturbances for which neither architects nor mathematicians have made allowance. In one place lies a great wall crumbled to pieces like a card house, in another are the ruins of a huge tower which once stretched to heaven, built on many presumably immortal spiritual pillars. The abandoned churchyard quakes and forgotten graves open and from them rise forgotten ghosts. Spots appear on the sun and the sun grows dark, and what theory can fight with darkness?”

— Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art

[clawmarks]

The grammar of ornament - Owen Jones - 1856 - via Internet Archive

[memories-of-ancients]

Silver chalice, Byzantine, 527-565 AD

from Dumbarton Oaks

[nobrashfestivity]

Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786–1864) Edo period (1615–1868) 19th century Japan Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

[arjuna-vallabha]

Rice sheaf paddle with kala face, Bali

[tridentandtales]

Egyptian token with an obelisk and a temple from Nikopolis

Early 1st century CE

J. Paul Getty Museum 79.AI.169

[memories-of-ancients]

Bronze ceremonial war hammer, probably Italian, circa 1550

from The MET

[archivalwork]

Mexican tamal (cornhusk) dolls North American; Mexico, Jalisco c. 2025-26 Corn husk and textile; overall: 5x6 inches  via Muertolandia