#votive figure

[thesilicontribesman]

Ballachulish Figure, 600BCE, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh

[blueiscoool]

AN ETRUSCAN LARGE BRONZE VOTIVE FIGURE OF A KORE LATE ARCHAIC, CIRCA 480 B.C.

Striding with her left foot forward and both forearms extended, a pomegranate in her left hand, a fragmentary flower in her right hand, and wearing boots with central tab, chiton with wavy pleats, and long close-fitting himation draped over the right shoulder and falling down the lower back, the neck of the chiton and hem of the himation with cross-hatched decoration, her hair radiating from the crown and bound and rolled up in a twisted fillet, the details finely engraved. Height without tenons 21.4 cm.

[thatshowthingstarted]

Votive figure (Tunjo) in form of a man sitting on a stool, Colombia, 

Eastern Cordillera, 800-1600 CE (Muisca tradition), 

Tumbaga (gold-copper alloy).

Museum of fine arts, Houston, gift of Alfred C. Glassell, Jr.

[fluentisonus]

[neocaridinas]

somewhat related to mosaic fishy... what's one of your favorite pieces of art? not aesthetically, but for the context/history behind it :) whether it be a doodle on a wall or the sistine chapel itself.

i admit to not being particularly knowledgeable about art history, but i've always thought that the response to michelangelo's "david" is very funny.

HI :D sorry that it took me so long to reply to this I had to think about my answer for 50 years. And I have two because I can't choose.

the first is the art in this post especially the second one, which I think about all the damn time. Votive figures (the type of statue/figure that is) are very cool to me because we have no idea what they were really used for (as with most artifacts, I guess, but these are often found intentionally buried under floors and such, which makes you wonder why?)

Here is a bunch of votive figures, including the one they've drawn, near the middle. They're so varied! One theory is that they are meant to represent a specific person, and that person would leave it behind in a place of worship to "worship" for them while they were away.

I love their giant peepers ;D

And my second answer of course has gotta be Anglo-Saxon garnet cloisonné

the first two are artifacts from the Staffordshire Hoard (a bunch of gold scraps and sword bits found in the ground) and the third is from the Sutton Hoo ship burial (a burial believed to be that of a king) both of which date from the 6th-7th centuries in England.

These would've been decoration on swords or other weapons, and the third is a shoulder clasp which would have held together armor.

They are very very beautiful and their intricacy and symmetry is really mesmerizing, BUT the coolest part to me is the garnets themselves. Although they were all found in England, the garnets in some artifacts were sourced from much further East, in Sri Lanka or Afghanistan, in the time of the Roman Empire. Then somehow they made their way to being recycled into Anglo-Saxon artifacts!

To emphasize how normal I am about garnet cloisonné here is a tier list I made earlier this year ranking the artifacts in the Staffordshire Hoard based on their garnets

EDIT: wanted to also include this website which makes me SO insane because it has the most CRISP and DELECTABLE images of some of the Staffordshire Hoard artifacts okay thats all . GOD THEY'RE SO PRETTY ok I'm normal

[detectivedrewshouldgetaclue]

Also, I was re-researching votive figures, last night (✨just art history things✨). When making a Sinclair cookie meme, this morning, I was struck by how similar he looked, to the statues, beside him, in my camera roll…

That is all. Goodbye.💀

[the-paradigm-web]

Stone votive relief of an eye, Cypriot, 4th–3rd century BCE..

[ohnoitsoak]

The littlest guys of all time in art history is the Tell Asmar Votive Figures and the Venus of Willendorf send post

[laika-the-bitch]

what do two austrians and a greek have anything to do with sumer

me when i accidentally leave out an m in unrestrained summer fun

[theideais]

Exvotos y ofrendas

Un exvoto es una ofrenda a una divinidad para pedir un favor o agradecer lo recibido. Por lo general, tiene que ver con la vida, con la salud, con superar una situación crítica de enfermedad o vulnerabilidad donde peligre la integridad personal.

Hoy día, volcamos nuestros deseos de mejora en las ciencias de salud y sus profesionales pero continuamos anhelando que ocurran milagros en situaciones desesperadas o agradecemos los golpes de suerte. Buena prueba de ello son las promesas y sacrificios que observamos en Semana Santa o en algunas fiestas populares. 

Los exvotos solían realizarse en materiales baratos, ya que su objetivo era representar en miniatura lo que se deseaba. Tenemos numerosos y diversos ejemplos por todo el mundo. La cerámica es uno de esos materiales y precisamente por su plasticidad admite todo tipo de formas. Con este ejercicio, vamos a profundizar en este tipo de objetos y su potencial artístico. 

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

500-year-old Snake Figure from Peru (Incan Empire), c. 1450-1532 CE: this fiber craft snake was made from cotton and camelid hair, and it has a total length of 86.4cm (about 34in)

This piece was crafted by shaping a cotton core into the basic form of a snake and then wrapping it in structural cords. Colorful threads were then used to create the surface pattern, producing a zig-zag design that covers most of the snake's body. Some of its facial features were also decorated with embroidery.

A double-braided rope is attached to the distal end of the snake's body, near the tip of its tail, and another rope is attached along the ventral side, where it forms a small loop just behind the snake's lower jaw. Similar features have been found in other serpentine figures from the same region/time period, suggesting that these objects may have been designed for a common purpose.

Very little is known about the original function and significance of these artifacts; they may have been created as decorative elements, costume elements, ceremonial props, toys, gifts, grave goods, or simply as pieces of artwork.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art argues that this figure might have been used as a prop during a particular Andean tradition:

In a ritual combat known as ayllar, snakes made of wool were used as projectiles. This effigy snake may have been worn around the neck—a powerful personal adornment of the paramount Inca and his allies—until it was needed as a weapon. The wearer would then grab the cord, swing the snake, and hurl it in the direction of the opponent. The heavy head would propel the figure forward. The simultaneous release of many would produce a scenario of “flying snakes” thrown at enemies.

The same custom is described in an account from a Spanish chronicler named Cristóbal de Albornoz, who referred to the tradition as "the game of the ayllus and the Amaru" ("El juego de los ayllus y el Amaru").

The image below depicts a very similar artifact from the same region/time period.

Why Indigenous Artifacts Should be Returned to Indigenous Communities.

Sources & More Info:

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Snake Ornament

Serpent Symbology: Representations of Snakes in Art

Journal de la Société des Américanistes: El Juego de los ayllus y el Amaru

Yale University Art Gallery: Votive Fiber Sculpture of an Anaconda

[thesilicontribesman]

Ballachulish Prehistoric Wooden Votive Figure, 800 to 600BCE, The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

[tylermileslockett]

Hekate is known as a protector of entryways, borders, and crossroads. She is also a Cthonic (underworld) goddess who exists on the peripheries of the pantheon, and teaches witches like Circe and Medea their magical crafts. Therefore, she has darker associations with death, the underworld, the moon, magic spells, and spirits.

In Hesiod’s Theogany, Hecate is the daughter of Titans Perses and Asteria. For defeating the giant Pergamon in the Gigantomauchy (epic battle between Olympians and Giants), Hekate is the only Titan to retain her powers under the rule of Zeus, who gives Hecate a share of earth, heaven and sea.

One of the most famous myths involving Hecate is Hades’ abduction of Demeter’s daughter, Persephone. Hekate assists Demeter in the underworld by leading the way with torchlight, and later becomes an attendant to Persephone. Hecate’s sacred animal ally is a black dog, said to be Hecuba, Queen of Troy, who was reincarnated by Hekate after suicide. Another sacred animal servant is the Polecat (weasel), who was the handmaiden Galinthias punished for a deception involving the birth of Hercules.

  Around the 5th century B.C.E. we see the first sculptural totem figures portraying Hekate in the triple body form surrounding a central column. These votive statues for the protection of travelers would be placed at crossroads with each figure facing a different path.

Hekate is associated with a variety of frightening Daimones (minor divinities or spirits which could be good or evil.) the Empusae was a shapeshifting specter with the body of a woman, and one leg of brass and the other of a donkey, with hopes of devouring a traveler. The Lamia was originally a vengeful Libyan serpentine woman who devoured children, but later was seen to take the form of attractive, voluptuous woman who would seduce a traveler and feast on their fresh blood. The Mormo was another phantom bogeyman said to be sent out by Hekate to nibble on misbehaving children. 

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. Hope you like the final painting! Please share it if possible. Xoxo

[whencyclopedia]

A Gallery of Mesopotamian Religion

Mesopotamian religion was informed by the belief that humans were co-workers with the gods in maintaining the order created at the beginning of time and so religious expression was integral to daily life in ancient Mesopotamia in how they chose to perform tasks on the job, behave toward others, and honor those gods.

Among the most common displays of respect for the divine was Mesopotamian art and architecture in which the deity's depiction emphasized some defining characteristic. The terracotta plaque, Ishtar Standing on a Lion, for example, shows the goddess armed above a subdued lion, symbolizing her role as a powerful war deity. The stamp-seal of Gula, goddess of healing, depicts her in the presence of one of her dogs – also associated with healing – welcoming a supplicant, in keeping with her primary role.

The gods of ancient Mesopotamia were not only venerated through formal artwork like plaques or reliefs, however, but through everyday objects – amulets, charms, figurines – one would carry or keep around the home to court a certain deity's favor or ward off the threats from evil spirits or demonic energies. This was also true of temples where foundation figures, in the form of the king who commissioned the building, were ritually buried to mark off the sacred from the common areas.

Since the world was understood as alive with spiritual energies – positive and negative – it was considered prudent to take measures to attract the bright energies and defend against the dark through sacred objects used to ward off bad luck, ghosts, the schemes of sorcerers, and the physical maladies that were recognized as either a spiritual attack or the result of one's own sins and a god's displeasure.

The following gallery presents a sampling of the stele, amulets, statuary, figurines, and temples, which developed from Mesopotamian religious belief. Among these are some of the most famous works from the region such as the Code of Hammurabi, the Mask of Warka, the Warka Vase, and the Nimrud Dogs along with lesser-known pieces including the votive figures, stamp seals, cylinder seals, spells, and reliefs.

Continue reading...

[the-clumsywitch]

So, you just realized you're a witch...

Well here's a guide to some things you might find helpful.

If it's something tangible, chances are you might already own some of these things, if not please don't stress about getting them. For some items I will include stores that you can find them as well as price points using the dollar symbol.

Candles

These can be in the form of chime candles, pillar, taper, glass, votive, tea light, etc.

You can get them in various colors but if you are trying to save money you can get white candles. And add your intention and herbs (or just your intention) to achieve your desired outcome.

They can be found at:

The Dollar Tree ($)- Best for votive, pillar, taper, tea light, jar, floating, and glass candles. They can often be found in multiple colors and scents.

Michael's craft store ($-$$) - Best for tall/large pillar and taper candles.

JoAnn Craft store ($-$$)- Best for the same candles as Michael's craft store.

Metaphysical shops ($-$$) - Chime candles and speciality candles such as glass candles with writing on them (exp: love, Orisha, justice candles) and figure candles.

Stores that sell scented candles ($$) - Examples of stores like this are Bath & Body Works and Yankee Candles. These are best for looking for candles that have scents that correspond with your particular spell. For instance, if you're doing a peace spell you may want to look for a candle that smells of lavender or a candle that puts you in a peaceful state of mind regardless of the scent name or ingredients.

Incense

Incense are excellent for air magick and you can often find them rather cheaply in most stores. I personally try to find them as toxin free as possible but you purchase what incense makes the most sense for you. Just as with candle scents, look for incense that either corresponds with your spell by the herb they are supposed to smell like or by feeling.

The Dollar Tree ($) - The ones I've been too have mainly been good for chakra incense.

Etsy ($) - There are multiple sellers with a lot of different scents and quite a few with free shipping!

Magick.com ($)

Amazon ($)

Metaphysical store ($)

Herbs

If you decide that you want to work with herbs you can usually get away with the ones you already have. However, I would caution against burning herbs that aren't organic but of course that is your decision to make. Some places to get herbs are:

The Dollar Tree (they don't have organic but they have a decent selection)

Your local grocery store

Target

Walmart

Metaphysical store

Note: If you can't find the herb you may want to consider using the essential oil instead. Only use a drip of the essential oil. You can also get a tea bag with the herb you need, rip it open, and use that.

Nail Polish

Color magick is the main thing here, but I have come across some scented nail polishes as well. Either way, you can choose a color and/or scent that corresponds to your spell. Here are some affordable brands (by that I mean the polishes from their main collection are not over $10.)

Wet n' Wild

Esssie

LA Colors

Revlon

Sally Hansen

L'Oreal

CoverGirl

L.A. Girl

Cosmetics

I know a lot of people typically include nail polish in this group but I tend to save this category for things such as lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and blush. Once again, the main purpose of this category is color magick but it can also be used for glamour magick. Some brands are:

elf cosmetics ($)

Wet n' Wild ($)

Revlon ($) - Mainly their lipsticks

Rimmel ($) - Lipstick and Blush

Nyx ($)

Revolution Beauty ($)

Essence Cosmetics ($)

Divination

If you are interested in divination there are so many types that you can easily find one that you connect with. Some forms of divination are:

Bibliomancy

Pyromancy

Tarot, oracle, and playing cards

Osteomancy

Water scrying

Crystal scrying

Mirror scrying

Automatic Writing

Tasseomancy

Pendulums

Types of Magick/Witches

It is not necessarily important that you pick a particular type of magick but I think some witches take being able to study multiple types of magick at once for granted. Not everyone is able to maintain focus while looking at magick as a whole, that's why I think separating magick and witches into types can be helpful. This is by no means a complete list but it's a start.

Celestial/cosmic magick

Elemental magick

Green witch

Hedge witch

Water magick

Earth magick

Air magick

Fire magick

Draconic witch

Eclectic witch

Lunar magick

Solar magick

Fairy magick

Kitchen magick

Sea witch

Candle magick

Ceremonial magick

This is by no means a comprehensive list and I will likely add more things to it over time or create more lists similar to this one. But I hope this was at least somewhat helpful!

-Erika, The Clumsy Witch

[neocaridinas]

my creatures btw

they represent spring -> summer -> autumn -> winter :3

the assignment was to create a piece based off of another work, so I chose these gjys because I love them: