History of Gems

If you have a particular material of interest, this is a great blog where you can start:

https://www.jewelpedia.net/medieval-anti-poisons/

Breasted Fountains

Throughout history, fountains have been a sign of ingenuity, engineering, wealth, and civic generosity. They also became an interesting site of sculptural exploration. One of the main questions for the artisans would be where the water spouts should lie. We often see dolphins and other sea creatures spitting water, but there are also many, many human figures doing the same--from various parts of the body. The famous Mannikin Pis in Brussels features a small boy, well, pissing it out. More commonly, we see females aiming their breasts and shooting water from the nipples. The Fontana Delle Tette of Treviso also served wine at times--red from one boob, white from another. A whole slew of women (or "virtues") do the same in Nuremberg's Tugendbrunnen. HERE is a slightly larger list, but with a bit of looking (yes, I'm saying you can go look at boobies), there are certainly more to be found.

Tugendbrunnen, Nuremberg

Threads from Poop and Milk

Using animal proteins to make clothing is not a new concept, but it is gaining a resurgence in interest.

Under fascism in Italy, milk proteins (casein) were being used to create fabric on a wide scale: see HERE

More recently, New Zealanders have been looking at using cellulose extracted from cow dung for fabric: see HERE

On Cauls

Cauls are parts of the amniotic membrane enclosing a fetus. Sometimes babies are born with this entire membrane still intact and sometimes with one part. When this happened in the past, it was often thought to be a sign, and the caul itself was regarded a treasure to hold closely for various reasons. See HERE for more on the apotropaic object held inside.

Ted Talkery

Vanessa Ruiz discusses anatomical illustration in contemporary artwork:

And if you want to see some X-ray art, this is where to go: 

The Many Hearts of Jenna Morello

Here is a smattering of her cast resin hearts:

See here full shop HERE.

Chinese Cricket Cages

Crickets have long been fascinating pets in China and Japan. They are hunted, brought home, and put in tiny, ornate cages. Some were also made to fight. Some of these crickets are fairly large and can get quite loud.

Cages from the early 20th century can be from straw, wood, gourd, brass, ivory--you name it. You can get an idea of how precious and diverse they are on sites like THIS. 

Here's a modern market in Shanghai:

Cut and clipped bodies by Oejerum

See his work on his website: http://oejerum.dk/

Queering Eco-Psychology and Post-Anthropocene Dreams

The recent Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts in Copenhagen was a wild ride, replete with considerations of refiguring human-plant relationships and experimenting with algae, bacteria, and chlorophyll in art. Here are some images of conference-related happenings:

The Art of Sigrid Sara

See text via The Order of the Good Death. Here are some images to get you started on a fascinating journey:

The artist also has a crowdfunding campaign to create a series in New Orleans. $500 gets you a diseased hand, mouth, or eye! Donate more and you can get your own face immortalized in wax!

The Historical Body in Copenhagen

First the Medical Museion:

Reconstruction of the torso of Alexis St. Martin, who was observed for years by William Beaumont after a gunshot wound turned into a fistula with a direct view of the insides of the stomach.

Kidney stone 

Glass eyes

Former anatomical theater

Reconstructed apothecary

Preserved fetus in utero

Preserved head showing veins

Preserved foot showing tendons

Hand showing tendons

Forest of spines

Conjoined twins

Dissection table

Former anatomy theater

Spanish flies used as irritants

Cholera sample

Padded box for psychiatric patients

Prosthetic leg

Prosthetic arm

Surgical chair

And from the National Museum of Denmark:

For more On this miniature wax cadaver and much larger ivory skeleton See HERE.

Get Your Vampire Study On

Some scholarly sources on vampires in New England:


Bell (2004), Vampires and death in New England, 1784 to 1892 http://www.yorku.ca/kdenning/+++2150%202007-8/BellVampiresandDeath.pdf


Sledzik & Bellantoni (1994), Vioarcheological and biocultural evidence for the New England vampire folk beliefhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8085617

Quote of the Day

"It was a cool December morning
when William C. Minor cut off his penis."

From http://mentalfloss.com/article/504609/murderer-who-helped-make-oxford-english-dictionary

Artist Doreen Garner

A fascinating, terrifying, beautiful work dealing with trauma, the physicality of the body, and the history of violence against black women in the history of gynecology and medicine.

Watch the video of her process and commentary:
https://art21.org/watch/new-york-close-up/doreen-garner-sculpts-our-trauma/

Quote of the Day: "I cannot see any good reason to think of the way, say, oral sex, triggers or fails to trigger disgust any differently than how we think of the cornbread."

Terrible Period Advice

See the article HERE

Who knew gallstones could be so beautiful?

Image from from Thomas Schnalke's "Das Ding an Sich: Zur Geschichte eines berliner Gallensteins."