Peru (creator,) Inca Princess, early 1800s
oil on canvas
(via mamotretos)
Witches in the Air, Francisco Goya
16th century magical objects belonging to English polymath and alchemist John Dee: His black “spirit mirror,” a crystal ball, wax discs engraved with the Sigillum Dei Aemeth, and a gold disc engraved with medium Edward Kelly’s vision of the cosmos.
John Dee is perhaps best remembered for his obsidian mirror, but the mirror is actually Aztec. Mirrors have been associated with portals to other realms and used for divination and scrying for thousands of years all across various Mesoamerican cultures, but obsidian became the stone of choice during the Late Postclassic period (c.1200–1521) in Central Mexico. They were highly prized by ultra-wealthy curiosity collectors in Europe, which is how one found its way into the hands of John Dee.
These objects are on view at the British Museum.
(via sessileblossom)
H.R. Giger
Amazon, Transporting device : worker in a cage (Concept, 2016)
© U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
BYZANTIUM
The economic expansion in the first half of the 19th century, and in particular the construction of a new railway line, led to spectacular population growth in this neighborhood. The parish chapel, where until then the worship services for this parish were held, quickly became too small for the 18,000-soul parish. There was a need for a new, spacious church. The city architect drew the plans, but after disagreement about the stability they were carried out in a simplified form by the city’s building master. The works started in the mid-1850s. Thirteen years later, the church was inaugurated, even though she was unfinished at that moment and would remain so. The tower that had to crown the church on the west side never came.
The style of the church, the so-called ‘Rundbogenstil’, is eclectic with a dominance of Romanesque and Gothic elements. The round arch windows have Romanesque design and Gothic tracery. Groundbreaking in ecclesiastical architecture is the use of cast iron for the main ribs and the three-step arches. The biggest innovation in this is the roof span with two iron polonceauspants, per bay. This roof truss is made up of two under-stressed triangular beams, which are connected by a drawbar. The interior is also predominantly neo-Roman with neo-Gothic decorative elements. The monumental murals, which took more time to paint than the construction of the church itself, give this spectacularly beautiful church an oriental-Byzantine atmosphere.
After having fallen in disuse almost two decades ago, the city has now decided to sell the church to a project developer. Since the whole church and its interior are protected as cultural heritage, the possibilities for another use of the building are rather limited…
@_di_ma St. Mary’s Cathedral, Tokyo, Built in 1964
Architect: Kenzo Tange
#brutgroup photo by Jonathan Savoie via #_di_ma
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@_di_ma #brutgroup Amiens Cathedral WWI. (1918) via #_di_ma
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