Adventure Is Out There

definitelydope: By Allan Crutchley

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:49 -0400

definitelydope:

By Allan Crutchley

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Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:44 -0400

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Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:35 -0400

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Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:20 -0400

woodendreams: (by Trevor Anderson)

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:15 -0400

woodendreams:

(by Trevor Anderson)

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Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:11 -0400

definitelydope: Flint Hills Spring Burn by Jim Richardson

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:00 -0400

definitelydope:

Flint Hills Spring Burn by Jim Richardson

woodendreams: (by Aubrey Stoll)

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:11:55 -0400

woodendreams:

(by Aubrey Stoll)

valscrapbook: East Coast Iceland by Sverrir Thorolfsson on...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:11:48 -0400

valscrapbook:

East Coast Iceland by Sverrir Thorolfsson on Flickr.

4nimalparty: (by Rob Travis)

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:11:44 -0400

4nimalparty:

(by Rob Travis)

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Thu, 16 May 2013 17:11:35 -0400

art-of-swords: Swept-hilt Rapier Text by Tobias Capwell Sword...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:49 -0400

art-of-swords:

Swept-hilt Rapier

Text by Tobias Capwell

Sword dating: circa 1605 - 1615

Culture: Hilt ~ England; blade ~ Germany

Medium: Steel, gold, silver and wood, blackened, encrusted, and damascened

Measurements: Length: 114 cm, blade; width: 3.3 cm, blade, above the ricasso; weight: 1.29 kg; length: 130.6 cm, width: 17.3 cm, guard; balance point: 15.6 cm, forward of the guard block

Inscription: ‘·SANDRINVS · SCACCHVS·’

An exceptionally rare example of Jacobean swordsmithing, this beautiful sword was as much a fashion statement as it was a lethal weapon. Distinct in style from the work of the larger Italian and German sword producing centres, this robust yet refined piece exemplifies English taste, combining a strong construction with delicate gold and silver ornament. Before Sir Richard Wallace acquired this rapier, it was in the collection of William Meyrick, the cousin and heir to the great arms and armour scholar Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick (1786-1848).

In 1861 William Meyrick stated that the hilt and pommel of this sword had been ‘recently dug up at Saffron Walden’ in Essex. The pieces were cleaned and possibly to some extent restored and a ‘suitable blade’ added to reform the fragments into a complete weapon. Though in part restored, this fine rapier remains an important example of the type of sword fashionable at the court of King James I.

A number of features mark this piece out as being English work of a high quality, rather than the product of one of the great Italian or German workshops. The very large pear-shaped pommel is typical of English swords of this period. The rounded qualities of this sword are further emphasised by the oval terminals located on the ends of the cross-guard and forward-guard, and placed centrally on the knuckle-bow and loopguard. The decoration is also distinctively English, the rich silver encrusting being found on a number of comparable English swords, including that of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594-1612), the son of King James I.

The encrusting on this sword takes the typical form of masks surrounded with feathers and foliage, while lines of silver beads form panels along the bars of the hilt and surrounding surface of the pommel. These panels are filled with very fine gold foliate scrolls. These are false-damascened; the surface is roughened or cross-hatched and covered with gold foil or wire. The style of these scrolls is closely comparable to the decoration found on knives of the period bearing London cutlers’ marks.

Source: © Trustees of the Wallace Collection 2008

somme: Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, by Melinda

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:45 -0400

somme:

Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, by Melinda

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Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:40 -0400

aseaofquotes: Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:21 -0400

aseaofquotes:

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

"Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the..."

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:17 -0400

“Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. Your place in Heaven will see to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it— made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.”

- C.S. Lewis (via hollowtowers)

archiemcphee: Never has a droid been so colourful or...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:13 -0400

archiemcphee:

Never has a droid been so colourful or tentacular. LEGO wizard Matt Armstrong, aka Monster Brick, created these incredibly awesome RU-KRAZY!? and R2-Cthulhu LEGO R2-D2 sculptures. Visit Matt’s Monster Brick Flickr account to view more of his fantastic LEGO creations.

[via Nerd Approved]

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