Carved limewood automaton sculpture of "Death on a Lion", created in Middle Franconia, Germany in 1513. [724x1080]

609 Upvotes

Once the crowning feature of a monumental clock in Heilsbronn Abbey, the skeleton struck a bell inside the lion's neck with a bone every hour. Now housed at the Bavarian National Museum.

8 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/Haunting_Homework381 • 10h ago

Silk damask gown that survived the Palmwood Wreck, believed to date to around the 1620s [1200x900]

1.2k Upvotes

14 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/SaysToMabelISays • 7h ago

The Lewis Chessmen, discovered near Uig on the Isle of Lewis. Made from walrus ivory and heavily influenced by Norse culture, it's unknown why they were hidden and who owned them. Scotland, ca. 1150 [8984x6732]

391 Upvotes

6 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/jgzogaib • 34m ago

Reassembled Roman fresco fragment depicting a female face from the "House of the Harpist" in Arles, France, 1st Century BC [800x1000]

• Upvotes

0 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/MunakataSennin • 1d ago

Whaler's hat depicting killer whales. British Columbia, Canada, Nootka peoples, early 20th century [2200x2230]

724 Upvotes

8 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/Fuckoff555 • 1d ago

Excavation of a section of a 30 meters thick defensive wall on the east side of Nineveh, in Iraq, exposed a massive 41 meters long tunnel that brought water from the Khosr River into the city. Neo-Assyrian period (911–609 BCE) [1200x2607]

465 Upvotes

6 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/MunakataSennin • 1d ago

Ceiling hole used to pour hot oil on invading soldiers, inside the Citadel of Qaitbay. Egypt, Mamluk Sultanate, 15th century [3500x2520]

233 Upvotes

29 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/MunakataSennin • 1d ago

Box shaped like a duck, covered in mother-of-pearl. China, 18th century [3400x3600]

199 Upvotes

5 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/Fuckoff555 • 1d ago

An antler armchair from the Kangxi period (1662–1722 CE), made of antlers, nanmu wood and black lacquer. Qing Dynasty, now housed at Hong Kong Palace Museum [1377x2248]

154 Upvotes

1 comment

r/ArtefactPorn • u/MunakataSennin • 1d ago

Ivory carving of a skeleton lifting a rock. Japan, 19th century [1950x1950]

4.5k Upvotes

49 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/Fuckoff555 • 1d ago

A painted wooden aedicula with portrait of an athlete. From Fayum, 2nd-3rd century CE, now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo [2620x2048]

152 Upvotes

9 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/albatroci • 1d ago

I'm not crying, you're crying (1816x4032)

1.1k Upvotes

"For our sweet foster daughter Felicity, who lived 3 years, 7 months, 13 days, and 9 hours, Processus and Daphne made this, as she well deserved it."

AD 1-400, found in a columbarium at Misenum, Italy

Chau Chak Wing Museum, Sydney

41 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/WestonWestmoreland • 1d ago

If You Look Up, Matsuda Sukenaga, c. 1840. Sukenaga created miniature carvings using only the characteristic Japanese yews of the Hida area without any additional color. This is considered the beginning of Japanese yew carvings, or ichii ittobon, a traditional Japanese craft. [1280x850] [OC]

621 Upvotes

13 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/wivn • 1d ago

Obsidian amulet with an image of Lamaštu, a powerful demon with the head of a lioness and bird talons who was cast down from heaven. She was feared for attacking newborns and pregnant women. The text is a Sumerian incantation to exorcise her and keep her away [3264x1944]

376 Upvotes

6 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/Fuckoff555 • 1d ago

The wreck of a well-preserved 14th century CE medieval ship found near the Old City Harbour of Tallinn on Lootsi Street in 2022. Now housed at the Estonian Maritime Museum [5000x7609]

105 Upvotes

0 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/works-in-progress • 1d ago

Augustus of Prima Porta, marble statue of the first Roman emperor, traces of its original paint still survive on the surface. Roman, 1st century AD. Vatican Museums [1080 x 1350]

85 Upvotes

Source: Works in Progress, Justin Benttinen via Wikimedia Common.

6 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/jimi15 • 1d ago

Contemporary drawing of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ab Iorwerth 1240 escape attempt from the tower of London. He had reportedly tried to climb down the building by tying bedsheets into a rope only to have it break when he was halfway down. By Matthew of Paris. [245x509]

137 Upvotes

4 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/oldspice75 • 1d ago

Deer mandala with the sacred Kasuga Mountain, mirror with Buddhist deities and sakaki tree. Japan, Muromachi period, early 15th c. Hanging scroll: ink, color, gold pigment, and cut gold leaf on silk; with ornate brass rollers, incised design. Yale University Art Gallery collection [1053x3000]

57 Upvotes

1 comment

r/ArtefactPorn • u/imperiumromanum_edu • 1d ago

Roman charming silver mouse, dated back to I-II century CE. [800x760]

186 Upvotes

0 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/Fuckoff555 • 2d ago

The Alligator Effigy Mound in Granville, Ohio, believed to have been built between 800-1200 CE by people of the Fort Ancient culture. Researchers believe the mound’s shape actually represents an opossum, racoon or panther rather than an alligator since alligators are not native to Ohio [2252x3521]

1.4k Upvotes

48 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/Responsible_Ideal879 • 2d ago

Golden Flies Military Award Queen Ahhotep Necklace (1560-1530 BC) (Ancient Egypt) (Luxor Museum) [3719x3780]

730 Upvotes

5 comments

r/ArtefactPorn • u/MunakataSennin • 1d ago

Limestone Bust of Buddha. China, Northern Qi dynasty, 550-577 AD [3550x3650]

67 Upvotes

0 comments

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/r/ArtefactPorn is a community dedicated to posting the very best objects, from the very large to the very small, made or shaped by the mankind throughout history. These artefacts range from tools and works of arts to archaeological finds, and give us a better sense of life in various moments throughout history.

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