Shapes and Colors

In an ancient forest, shallow pools reflect not the trees above, but a luminous city of elsewhere.

Photographs taken by myself 2018

$5750 Lang Antiques

Alling & Co. 1900 Art Nouveau Enamel Brooch In 14Kt Gold With Peridot And Pearls

Broche et ornement "Dragon de Mer" (détail) de Georges Fouquet, circa 1900.

1890 René Lalique, Swallow Brooch/Hair Ornament Combination, diamond and enamel.

Yilan Hua by Bohdan Bohdanov for Vogue Netherlands Summer 2026.

Eloa, ou la sœur des anges (Eloa, Sister of the Angels) (1862) by Joseph-Michel-Ange Pollet (French, 1814 – 1870), signed ‘J. Pollet’, white marble, 130 cm (51 in), Private Collection

wilk woman's cloak, uzbekistan, bukhara; c. 1800s.

from The Walters Art Museum

https://toyastales.blogspot.com/2026/01/tutankhamuns-duck-heads-earrings.html

Bodhisattva of Wisdom (Manjushri), 15th century, Nepal. Cleveland Museum of Art (ID: 1964.370). This image depicts one of the main bodhisattvas, beings only one stage away from full enlightenment. Because the historical Buddha was a prince prior to his renunciation and life as a wandering ascetic, bodhisattvas are depicted as royal princes. This example has the sharp features, sweet expression, and crisp details characteristic of images made in Nepal during the 1400s. In his upraised right hand Manjushri holds the hilt of a sword that, like wisdom itself, metaphorically cuts through and defeats ignorance. His lower, rear left hand grasps a bow, once probably strung with a wire. Also missing is the arrow that he likely held in his lowered right hand. Arrows were often symbols for mantras, or strings of syllables thought to have the power to focus the mind and work like missiles to destroy negativity and affliction. The gesture of his lowered left hand indicates the transmission of Buddhist teachings. The lotus stem that rises at the left elbows originally held a book of sutras. This figure is in the yogic posture of meditation with the big toe flexed in concentration. Yoga is of central importance in tantric Buddhism, because high-level practitioners are able to discipline the body to such an extent that the mind can also be controlled. (Cleveland Museum of Art)

Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Carlo Crivelli, 1491-1494.

Hever Castle Gardens (via)

Bat Hair Slide with Blue Moonstone, EnchantedCreations31

18thC Verge Fusee Pocket Watch – Enamel Star Map Case - Orion Constellation

Ottoman cape and vest, 1890s. Whitaker Auctions.