Penthesilea

Sylvia Plath, The Beekeeper’s Daughter

photograph by Megh Roy Choudhury

This striking artifact is a human skull, transformed into a sacred object by Aztec artisans between 900 and 1519 AD. Originating from Tonalá, it is a masterful example of mosaic work, entirely covered in vibrant turquoise stone. The skull's eyes are crafted from gleaming gold, creating a piercing gaze, while a single piece of precious green jade is set into the forehead as a central ornament. Such objects were not mere decorations; they held profound ritual significance, likely used in ceremonies dedicated to deities associated with death and rebirth. The combination of rare and symbolic materials—turquoise for the heavens, gold for the sun, and jade for life and water—transformed a mortal relic into a powerful conduit for the divine. This mosaic skull stands as a testament to the Aztec worldview, where art, spirituality, and the cycle of life were intricately intertwined.

1920s French cabinet by Clement Rousseau. From The Art of Deco/Nouveau, FB.

raw rainbow moonstone | source

Renaissance Art: Details of Dreses

Cementiri de Montjuïc, Barcelona, 18/10/22

Nikolay Punin, from a diary entry featured in The Diaries of Nikolay Punin: 1904 - 1953

From the G. Sangiorgi Collection / Christie’s    

September 22nd, 1928 Virginia Woolf, “A Writer’s Diary” (1918 - 1941)

1390- 1353 BC: Amenhotep III’s paint set

1927 Brass door at #20 Avenue Paul Deschanel, Brussels, Belgium. From Art Deco, 1920, FB.

Paul Fehér Muse with Violin Screen, 1930. Rose Iron Works (America, Ohio, Cleveland, est. 1904).

Attributed to Ivan Aivazovsky (Russian, 1817–1900)

— Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism

— Simone Weil, “Human Personality”