With a sudden violent erruption...

...I finally post some more interesting curios, this time an interesting selection of moulded lava. With more items to follow as I've got myself into gear and taken loads of pictures!

This first piece is a commorative piece of Queen Victoria, with the front depicting a portrait of the Queen and the back moudled with the words 'Regina Victoria - 1859'

Next is a interesting lump which has had a coin inserted into it, I haven't yet researched the coin so cannot be sure on an extact date.

A nice commemorative medallion shaped piece for Napoleon III of France, dated 1868 which is one of the few years that saw a major erruption at Vesuivus in Italy.

Next up is a large chunk of lava again from Vesuvius. This time it commemorates Umberto I, King of Italy, and is dated 1897.

The final moulded piece is quite interesting in that it comes from the last major erruption at Vesuvius which was in 1944 and in this example the name of the Volcano is actually moulded onto one side.

And last of all is a slightly odd ball piece in that a cameo carved from lava, of the type normally found in Victorian brooches, has been inset into a natural lava formation.

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.

Time flies like an arrow...

fruit flies like a banana. An interesting collection of antique pocket watch papers. These would have been placed into the back of watch every time it went in for maintenance or repair. Most of the papers below are shown with their reverese side as many have small messages and dates written on the back. Click each image to see a bigger version.