A New Post!

Its only taken nearly a year for me to make a post but like the items in it good things come those who wait. Below are three example of a most curious Victorian souvenir. They are calcified baskets of fruit and flowers. Created by placing real fruit in a metal basket and then putting it under a flow of water that has first passed through tufa rock. Believed to have been created in the Royal Victorian wells of Matlock Bath in Derbyshire.

Enlightenment

An interesting 17th century Tibetan bronze lamp with attached velum label giving a nice insight in to its origins. The label reads, Obverse: "Marme, Thibetan votive lamp, lighted in front of sacred pictures, or images of buddha"; Reverse: "Marme, from the Lama of Lopchu, mungpa D.H.R March 1905"

Gladstone

A rather intriguing piece of wood with attached piece of paper reading "W. G. Gladstone, this chip from tree fell in Hagley Park, March 1876". I have so far been unable to determine any relationship between Gladstone & Hagley Park and whether the Gladstone mentioned is the 4 times former prime minister.